Accordlover111
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10th gen Civic vs. 2017 Mazda3
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Your point is redundant. Yeah, every car has their flaws. I'm just stated what my experience was with the new KODO design language.lol...do you know why so many first gen Mazda 3's have dents in their front doors?
Because if you wham it with your hand, the door will unlock. Then Mazda came out pretending it was a safety feature.
My point is, no car is perfect.
The AA/Carplay point really can't be overlooked. Its quickly become ubiquitous, feature really gels with that younger demographic.I agree that Mazda is underrated, but I also think it's their own fault. I test drove a 2017 Mazda3 GT manual ... it drove GREAT. The heated steering wheel and power seats were a very nice touch compared to the Civic, plus Mazda allows us stick shifters to get the iactivesense package (akin to Honda Sensing).
So why didn't I buy it? One word: infotainment. Well actually many words, which boil down to Android Auto. At the end of the day, no matter how good your infotainment system is, without AA (and CarPlay) it's a few years outdated the day you buy it. Built-in maps are a joke (all of them), and the pathetic traffic info they provide is, well, megapathetic.
Maybe the 2018 Mazda3 will blow everything away as Ben&Jen said, but I can't buy one today, and whatever I buy today won't benefit from the improvements of next year. I hope for Mazda's sake one of two things happen: Android Auto and Car Play die within the next 12 months ( ), or they embrace reality and enable AA/CP. Otherwise, it'll be another awesome Mazda that nobody buys.
Or maybe I'm placing too much importance on the theory that every human under the age of 35 (Mazda3 target market) wants AA/CP.
Remind me again what's so good about Carplay? I know the nav is cool but after using Waze I can't go back to a nav without live traffic. The text to voice is cool but doesn't the Mazda have that?I agree that Mazda is underrated, but I also think it's their own fault. I test drove a 2017 Mazda3 GT manual ... it drove GREAT. The heated steering wheel and power seats were a very nice touch compared to the Civic, plus Mazda allows us stick shifters to get the iactivesense package (akin to Honda Sensing).
So why didn't I buy it? One word: infotainment. Well actually many words, which boil down to Android Auto. At the end of the day, no matter how good your infotainment system is, without AA (and CarPlay) it's a few years outdated the day you buy it. Built-in maps are a joke (all of them), and the pathetic traffic info they provide is, well, megapathetic.
Maybe the 2018 Mazda3 will blow everything away as Ben&Jen said, but I can't buy one today, and whatever I buy today won't benefit from the improvements of next year. I hope for Mazda's sake one of two things happen: Android Auto and Car Play die within the next 12 months ( ), or they embrace reality and enable AA/CP. Otherwise, it'll be another awesome Mazda that nobody buys.
Or maybe I'm placing too much importance on the theory that every human under the age of 35 (Mazda3 target market) wants AA/CP.
I'm using AA so I'll let someone with experience talk about CP ... the internet probably also has lots of reviews and articles about it.Remind me again what's so good about Carplay? I know the nav is cool but after using Waze I can't go back to a nav without live traffic. The text to voice is cool but doesn't the Mazda have that?
Fair enough. For me, AA was a deciding factor because of (1) Google Maps on the car's screen, and (2) potential for upgradeability. The Mazda3 has neither. I briefly considered the possibility that Mazda might enable AA on the 3 mid-year, but that seemed like a long shot.Ok, I guess I meant today, what's the appeal of AA/CP, but I totally get the idea of upgradeability, and if Waze gets added, I'll go straight to the shop to have a Carplay deck installed.
It will be difficult to get CarPlay/Android Auto installed on a late generation Mazda 3. For one thing, late generation cars have certain features deeply integrated into the entertainment unit so that you can't simply get a replacement headunit without breaking/losing them. For another, the Mazda 3 series has its display as a separate screen that isn't a standard headunit, so that's going to be odd/difficult/impossible to get it to work without some fancy wiring. For the most part, these OEM replacements are for earlier generation cars—I've had a Panasonic NEX Carplay-compatible headunit on my 16 year old car for the last two years. I'd look into what options you have (if any) for replacing the unit in your Mazda 3, but don't have high hopes.Ok, I guess I meant today, what's the appeal of AA/CP, but I totally get the idea of upgradeability, and if Waze gets added, I'll go straight to the shop to have a Carplay deck installed.