2018 CTR vs 2017 Mazda 3 Grand Touring Hatch 6AT

Zeffy94

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I got the privilege of driving a Mazda 3 hatch GT with the automatic today. I'm considering trading my Type R in for a new car, mainly because as much as I love it I want something a little more comfortable, more easy to live with right now. I'm also looking to save a lot of money to buy a house within the next year, and the trade in value of my car has got to a very high point (29K) which is why I'm considering it this time. This is a strong contender.

Obviously, the Mazda 3 hatch is not a CTR. However, despite being based on the last generation 3 platform, the 3 is a very nice car. The interior is tasteful, but the new 3 interior blows it out of the water. This car was fully loaded - all the driver assist stuff, tech, etc. It has a heated steering wheel for gods sake!

I think this generation of Mazda 3 will age well. The looks are very sculpted and a little bit understated compared to the Civic. That being said, I prefer the Civic because it looks like nothing else.

OK, now for positives/negatives:

POSITIVES:
  • The car is zippy. With 184 hp and 183 lb-ft of torque, this car has some pep to it. Nowhere near as fast as the CTR obviously, but for it's size it's plenty to merge onto the highway.
  • The 6AT is very smooth. I was shocked at how responsive the paddles are in manual mode. They react quickly and smoothly.
  • Obviously, the Mazda has a much more restrained exterior compared to the Civic. I enjoy the looks of this generation of Mazda 3. I do like how the 3 is a more 'traditional' hatchback shape.
  • The heads up display is wild. Every time I passed a speed limit sign it displayed the speed limit right there in the HUD. That's such a cool feature.
  • Comfortable. Power seats that are heated and there's even manual lumbar support.
  • Spacious. Good amount of storage in the back hatch.
  • The steering is VERY communicative. It reminds me a lot of the Civic.
  • Handling is sublime. This car likes twisty roads I'd say at about 70% of the fun that the CTR gives you. Not bad for an economy car.
  • The Mazda FEELS smaller than the CTR does. It is smaller in width.
  • Visibility is great out the rear hatch.

NEGATIVES:
  • The infotainment is kind of plastered onto the dashboard.
  • Speaking of, the infotainment is a bit clunky. It's no worse than the Civics IMO, but it's not better either.
  • Compared to the red interior of the CTR, the Mazda's is fairly plain. That being said, while there's a bunch of hard plastics, there's enough variation to make it feel a bit more special.
  • The gauge cluster looks a bit old.
  • It's a bit noisy inside the cabin, but I'd say it's slightly less than the CTR overall.
  • Ride quality is biased towards sporty handling versus comfort. It's not uncomfortable but it's not super plush.

I really enjoyed the test drive I had in the 3. One of my friend owns a 2014 Mazda 3 sedan and he loves it. I can see why. I think this generation of Mazda 3 is a bit of a hidden gem and very underrated.
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charleswrivers

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I got the privilege of driving a Mazda 3 hatch GT with the automatic today. I'm considering trading my Type R in for a new car, mainly because as much as I love it I want something a little more comfortable, more easy to live with right now. I'm also looking to save a lot of money to buy a house within the next year, and the trade in value of my car has got to a very high point (29K) which is why I'm considering it this time. This is a strong contender.

Obviously, the Mazda 3 hatch is not a CTR. However, despite being based on the last generation 3 platform, the 3 is a very nice car. The interior is tasteful, but the new 3 interior blows it out of the water. This car was fully loaded - all the driver assist stuff, tech, etc. It has a heated steering wheel for gods sake!

I think this generation of Mazda 3 will age well. The looks are very sculpted and a little bit understated compared to the Civic. That being said, I prefer the Civic because it looks like nothing else.

OK, now for positives/negatives:

POSITIVES:
  • The car is zippy. With 184 hp and 183 lb-ft of torque, this car has some pep to it. Nowhere near as fast as the CTR obviously, but for it's size it's plenty to merge onto the highway.
  • The 6AT is very smooth. I was shocked at how responsive the paddles are in manual mode. They react quickly and smoothly.
  • Obviously, the Mazda has a much more restrained exterior compared to the Civic. I enjoy the looks of this generation of Mazda 3. I do like how the 3 is a more 'traditional' hatchback shape.
  • The heads up display is wild. Every time I passed a speed limit sign it displayed the speed limit right there in the HUD. That's such a cool feature.
  • Comfortable. Power seats that are heated and there's even manual lumbar support.
  • Spacious. Good amount of storage in the back hatch.
  • The steering is VERY communicative. It reminds me a lot of the Civic.
  • Handling is sublime. This car likes twisty roads I'd say at about 70% of the fun that the CTR gives you. Not bad for an economy car.
  • The Mazda FEELS smaller than the CTR does. It is smaller in width.
  • Visibility is great out the rear hatch.

NEGATIVES:
  • The infotainment is kind of plastered onto the dashboard.
  • Speaking of, the infotainment is a bit clunky. It's no worse than the Civics IMO, but it's not better either.
  • Compared to the red interior of the CTR, the Mazda's is fairly plain. That being said, while there's a bunch of hard plastics, there's enough variation to make it feel a bit more special.
  • The gauge cluster looks a bit old.
  • It's a bit noisy inside the cabin, but I'd say it's slightly less than the CTR overall.
  • Ride quality is biased towards sporty handling versus comfort. It's not uncomfortable but it's not super plush.

I really enjoyed the test drive I had in the 3. One of my friend owns a 2014 Mazda 3 sedan and he loves it. I can see why. I think this generation of Mazda 3 is a bit of a hidden gem and very underrated.
I counter shopped a ‘15 3 back when I got my ‘15 Si. It was a very nice car and the lack of a manual 2.5 to try out and the auto 2.5s going for quite a bit more than the bargain bin last-of-the-9th-gens made it a no sell for me. Agree on all points. They all had this ~2 grand appearance option that put them more in the upper-20s whereas the ‘15 Sis were going for around invoice w/o even trying... which was $21k-ish.

It was a tight little ride with a much more premium interior... with what looked like an Android tablet literally nailed to the dash. Despite this... I traded out of my ‘15... and may well trade out of the ‘18 soon. Thinking back... I think the 3s interior might have aged pretty well. While gen 10 caught up... those early Skyactiv engines were stupid efficient compared to Honda’s offerings at the time. The seats damn near sold the car... if they’d had a 2.5 in a manual within a few grand of the ‘15 Si... I might have gone Zoom Zoom instead.
 
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Zeffy94

Zeffy94

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I counter shopped a ‘15 3 back when I got my ‘15 Si. It was a very nice car and the lack of a manual 2.5 to try out and the auto 2.5s going for quite a bit more than the bargain bin last-of-the-9th-gens made it a no sell for me. Agree on all points. They all had this ~2 grand appearance option that put them more in the upper-20s whereas the ‘15 Sis were going for around invoice w/o even trying... which was $21k-ish.

It was a tight little ride with a much more premium interior... with what looked like an Android tablet literally nailed to the dash. Despite this... I traded out of my ‘15... and may well trade out of the ‘18 soon. Thinking back... I think the 3s interior might have aged pretty well. While gen 10 caught up... those early Skyactiv engines were stupid efficient compared to Honda’s offerings at the time. The seats damn near sold the car... if they’d had a 2.5 in a manual within a few grand of the ‘15 Si... I might have gone Zoom Zoom instead.
Yeah you nailed it with the seats. The interior to me still looks tasteful and modern. There’s just enough here to make it feel a little bit more special IMO. Here’s some pics of the one I’m looking at.

Honda Civic 10th gen 2018 CTR vs 2017 Mazda 3 Grand Touring Hatch 6AT F69430E2-E761-432B-AAB5-04413A0B54E8

Honda Civic 10th gen 2018 CTR vs 2017 Mazda 3 Grand Touring Hatch 6AT 4CBE8D79-4709-4414-BEEF-D2F4D66293AC


The car hasn’t been detailed and cleaned yet. I basically caught it as it came in.

Honda Civic 10th gen 2018 CTR vs 2017 Mazda 3 Grand Touring Hatch 6AT 771CEFD1-529F-436A-824B-5B488C169DE3
 

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Yeah you nailed it with the seats. The interior to me still looks tasteful and modern. There’s just enough here to make it feel a little bit more special IMO. Here’s some pics of the one I’m looking at.

F69430E2-E761-432B-AAB5-04413A0B54E8.jpeg

4CBE8D79-4709-4414-BEEF-D2F4D66293AC.jpeg


The car hasn’t been detailed and cleaned yet. I basically caught it as it came in.

771CEFD1-529F-436A-824B-5B488C169DE3.jpeg
What are the safety features that come in the car if you can remember?
 
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Zeffy94

Zeffy94

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What are the safety features that come in the car if you can remember?
This one is fully loaded, but it has through the "i-Activsense Safety Package":

I-ACTIVSENSE SAFETY PACKAGE -inc:
High Beam Control
Lane Keep Assist
Traffic Sign Recognition
Mazda Radar Cruise Control
Smart Brake Support
Lane Departure Warning System

Also has Blind Spot Monitoring and Rear Cross Traffic Alert
 


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I sat in a 2020 3 Premium hatch after buying the Si and wish I'd test driven a 6MT hatch cause the interior is fantastic, and the seats while they don't look as sporty they really hug you and are more comfortable. I think if it didn't have the awkward rear end with huge pillars I would have found one to test drive. It also would have cost more than the Si and had worse resale. But we loved the CX5 we test drove so I'm sure the 3 drives nice. The Bose is great as is the small but high res screen.
 
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Zeffy94

Zeffy94

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I sat in a 2020 3 Premium hatch after buying the Si and wish I'd test driven a 6MT hatch cause the interior is fantastic, and the seats while they don't look as sporty they really hug you and are more comfortable. I think if it didn't have the awkward rear end with huge pillars I would have found one to test drive. It also would have cost more than the Si and had worse resale. But we loved the CX5 we test drove so I'm sure the 3 drives nice. The Bose is great as is the small but high res screen.
I test drove a loaded 2020 3 Hatch and my god that thing was comfortable and luxurious. So quiet inside. And it still drove great even with the torsion beam rear suspension. Unfortunately it’s a bit out of my price range :/

Thankfully though... the 2017 Mazda 3 is about 90% of the new 3 in my eyes.

Honda Civic 10th gen 2018 CTR vs 2017 Mazda 3 Grand Touring Hatch 6AT 698D8449-C216-45C4-8E92-AC41DA61FBF9

Honda Civic 10th gen 2018 CTR vs 2017 Mazda 3 Grand Touring Hatch 6AT B317B59D-5212-479F-BE88-5E5582D42BFC
 

xbbnx

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I test drove a loaded 2020 3 Hatch and my god that thing was comfortable and luxurious. So quiet inside. And it still drove great even with the torsion beam rear suspension. Unfortunately it’s a bit out of my price range :/

Thankfully though... the 2017 Mazda 3 is about 90% of the new 3 in my eyes.

698D8449-C216-45C4-8E92-AC41DA61FBF9.jpeg

B317B59D-5212-479F-BE88-5E5582D42BFC.jpeg
My mom just bought a 2020 Mazda CX-30, I can say its one of the best SUV/Crossovers I've ever driven. I have driven a brand new 2018/2019 Acura RDX before and the CX-30 drives just as quiet, just as smoothly, and just as comfortably. The interrior fit and finish, design, and upscale look and quality is just as good as the RDX as well, truly criminal for its price range and this is the "Select" trim for $23,900 USD I'm talking about here. Acceleration won't blow you away, but it's effortless and engine noise is minimum, so is road noise. Bumps are soaked up beautifully as well. Steering while a bit numb is very precise and well weighted. Body leans a bit in corners which is to be expected because of its raised Mazda 3 platform, but is very confident and easily controlled. It's an excellent crossover and the clear leader in the class. Not sure why anyone would spend their money on anything else in this class honestly.
 
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Zeffy94

Zeffy94

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My mom just bought a 2020 Mazda CX-30, I can say its one of the best SUV/Crossovers I've ever driven. I have driven a brand new 2018/2019 Acura RDX before and the CX-30 drives just as quiet, just as smoothly, and just as comfortably. The interrior fit and finish, design, and upscale look and quality is just as good as the RDX as well, truly criminal for its price range and this is the "Select" trim for $23,900 USD I'm talking about here. Acceleration won't blow you away, but it's effortless and engine noise is minimum, so is road noise. Bumps are soaked up beautifully as well. Steering while a bit numb is very precise and well weighted. Body leans a bit in corners which is to be expected because of its raised Mazda 3 platform, but is very confident and easily controlled. It's an excellent crossover and the clear leader in the class. Not sure why anyone would spend their money on anything else in this class honestly.
Yeah man, if I had the money I would love a loaded 3 hatch. Even if it’s not the most “fun”, it still is relaxing and soothing.
 

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Mazda has always surpassed Honda in the interior space and it holds up very well to wear and tear. The interior of my Speed3's were way and above the quality that my Si's offered, as was the audio. That said, 184hp is weak, wait for the turbo awd version that's coming out shortly, it still won't be as quick as a CTR, but it won't be no slouch either.
 

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Mazda's have always been underpowered but their main focus is on the driving experince. My Mazdaspeed6 is 14 years old and it drives like a dream.

You have a special car Zeffy
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