Mazda3 SP

[En0203]

Seems like only the exterior have some changes as compared to the previous model but standard rims now comes in 16" as compared to 15" earlier

 

Gear shift is said to be much smoother

 

Power & other technical stuff remains the same

 

i think sound insulation is better

[Flexer]

is the markup by the agent still as high?

[En0203]

Hi,

 

I am getting between 10-12km/l on my SP20, 30% highway 70% city driving. From other SP drivers, some can get as high as 14km/l on their SP.

 

ya, think 12km/l is average for light-footed SP20 drivers

Edited October 10, 2006 by En0203

[Veryfree]

omv is aound 17k, coe maybe 12k, think agent markup has dropped tremendously

now, unlike 1st launch selling abv 70k (standard).

[Khaine]

I just booked mine last Friday.

 

$56800 for the luxury edition with rebate using DBS in-house loan at 3.2%

 

The car definately feels, looks and quality better than an Altis.

 

I think the FC can be controlled by your right leg

 

I'm driving my Aunt's 323 Protege for about 1 month and I'm getting 12.5-13.5Km/L

 

Hopefully I don't do too bad with the MZ3 SP

[Mzrmazda3]

That's great

 

But i still hear some people at Mazda Club complaining about the sound insulation Maybe they want 'Lexus' standard

[En0203]

Maybe they want 'Lexus' standard

 

no choice, who don want lexus standard if he/she can afford one?

[Redboy]

12km/l for SP20? U mean the 2.0l Mazda 3? Seems quite impressive for a 2.0l car, even though light-footed driving! How's the drive?

[En0203]

yes, sometimes it's slightly more than 12km/l if light footed and not much jam, but the food must really be light lar, once the pedal is stepped harder then the FC siao liao

 

though it's 2.0L it doesn't feel like one, maybe the stock 17" are too heavy

 

ride quality is ok, comfortable going over big humps too, but quite uncomfortable on small humps or road strips

[Redboy]

anyway, kudos to your FC which is even better than mazda 3 1.6! Guess it's down to the better pwr-to-weight!

Anyway, I tot ur Mazda should be fairly powerful rite? Looks like the 0-100kmh timing of 9s is overstated!

[En0203]

Looks like the 0-100kmh timing of 9s is overstated!

 

maybe i am too light on the foot

 

1st gear is pretty amazing though if pushed hard

1st stage power comes after 2.5k rpm, and after 3.5k rpm is another stage where u are getting close to full torque

 

but my car mostly run under 2.5k rpm, so i am getting only something close to 1.6L's full torque all the time, i think that's why i feel that it's underpower. maybe i am just being too demanding

 

anyway, it's not really a sport car lar, reasonable power to go smoothly but not too fast though

[Mzrmazda3]

 

But they are comparing a 60K Jippon ride to a 100K +++ Jippon ride

 

Your SP20 has very good FC

[En0203]

But they are comparing a 60K Jippon ride to a 100K +++ Jippon ride

 

typical human mentallity is ai pee ai qi ai dua liap ni mar

 

maybe not my car FC good, is my leg got feather weight

[Redboy]

Agreed with u that Mazda3 is not a fast car. I test drive the 1.6 over the weekend. There is a lag period btw gear shifts no matter how hard I step on accelerator. That was the only bad point, I guess. Other than that, I was very impressed with the build quality, solid doors,huge boot,foldable mirror structure which eases driving or parking in tight spaces, cabin lights,speedometer lights, conti feel, higher trade-in price, SE generosity. Also think it is the best-looking sedan in its class. So much so that I am almost intent on getting it ahead of lancer,vios & slyphy.

Of course, the cons are: a slightly worse pwr-to-weight in 1.6 class, expensive price. But I feel price premium is justified by the sheer no of gadgets I get. In fact, I feel current price is underpriced & it's already reached the lowest.

So Bro en0203, touch wood, any problems or issues with ur car so far?

[Raining]

That's great

 

But i still hear some people at Mazda Club complaining about the sound insulation Maybe they want 'Lexus' standard

Tested the SP20 when it was officially launch sometime back. I have to agree with the sound insulation is not up to expectations, period. I wont touch specifically on the power issue although I think its pretty inadequate for such a small size sedan ( No I am not expecting Evo standard duh ) . The interior and fit/finish though which I reckon is simply superb in its class

[Auron]

since u test drive the mazda 3 sp, can the rear seats fold down to accomodate larger thing in the boot?

[Redboy]

Yes. Even without rear seats folded, the boot is surprisingly large, about size of honda city's boot. Before that, I thought the boot is small, judging from the small backside.

There is also tiptronic for faster pick-up. Almost everything a driver needs.

[En0203]

did u get the car then?

 

IMO the basic model is quite affordable now and with full body kit somemore

very good in terms of stability compared to others but only lose out in cabin space and equipment level

 

gear shift is ECU, u have to trained it, else can go manual mode

 

my car so far so good, clocked 5k km in 4 months, serviced last weekend, getting 12 to 12.5 km/l most of the time now