Hi all,

We are looking into buyinga 2009 S Grand Touring.

Any thoughts are welcome.

Just test drove a 09 automatic. The brakes seemed to have two stages. The first 4 inches of pedal travel had almost no resistance (feel very spongy) with very little speed retardation, then the brakes grabbed the car and slow things down quickly.

Is it common in Mazda 3?

Other than that, everything is pretty much perfect!

 

My Speed 3 is awesome. I absolutely love the car, and it's fast as heck. Mazda 3's are fantastic cars.

Your brake issue seems somewhat unusual. My speed doesn't act like that with the brakes. Maybe that's a new feature for '09??

 

I agree. Drive another one as that issue doesn't seem normal at all.
Mine feels very linear and consistant, and that's after 4 yrs of driving her.
To my way of thinking, the GT is too much $$$ for what you get. I love the taillights and HID's but an MS3 is only a little more but it's a lot more car.
The automatic is not that good an idea either, imo. It vastly reduces the "fun-factor" in these cars, you pay another $1000 for the privlidge and you can expect problems sooner down the road (as with most automatics) than w/the 5/6-sp manuals. Add to that your gas mieage will suffer also.

 

If you are sitting in a lot of traffic, get the A/T, if not get the M/T.
As for the braking issues, I say drive another and see if they feel the same, on my 08 I have maybe an inch and I can feel the brakes working well.
For the GT VS. the Sport, it is whatever you want for creature comforts IMO

 

Hey i just got a brand new '09 mazda3 sGrandtouring. It comes with everything but a navagation system. It's a 5 speed manual. I have to say i'm really enjoying it. It very fun to drive and if you step on the gas, she'll pick and go. Just to let you know i'm also a GM kind of guy i prefer Pontiacs. But i went with the mazda cuz they didn't carry and manuals but I really enjoy Driving it. I'd recomend it or wait and get the '09 Mazda 6. I heard its alot nicer than mine though

 

I understand why drivers are fans of a stick -a couple of cars I owned in the past were sticks, its fun to run through the gears.

But, I bought the automatic, I like it, no regrets. The fuel economy has been fine, I concede it may have been even better by 1-2 mpg with a stick. But,21st centuryautomatics don't kill your fuel economy the way 20th century automatics did.

Virgin1's comments about the S Grand Touring versus the Speed are worth thinking about, especially if your into performance.

I have the more basic i-Touring, which in value termshas beenfantastic.It is agood choiceas long as one is happy (as I am) with fewer bells and whistles, and the 2.0 engine, which I must be honest has less punch than the 2.3, but markedly better fuel economy. Guess its a sign of me being marginally older that fuel economy took priority. I do find the responsiveness of the 2.0 just fine, but you will know your not driving a sports car.

The braking action you describe does sound odd, my brakes engage smoothly.

 

The mazda 3 is a solid car. It is economy class without the plastic feel. It has pep, and handles very well. Regular maintenance can be out of the ordinary (i.e. oil changes, you chance only the filter eliment, and have to remove a plastic cover to access it). In the three years I have owned my 3S I have had only one maintenance discrepancy and that is a faulty front wheel bearing. I will be replacing it this weekend. From what I have run across on the web this gripe is no more common on a 3 than any other car. The gas milageis slightly less than a Civic, but the car is way more fun. I would say it is a good buy.