DRIVING MATTERS | 2017 MAZDA 3 REVIEW

I had a fun week driving around the Mazda 3 in Portland this past week! I haven't done a car review yet out here and it was a new level of driving. We have hills! Its not flat like Texas so these windy roads really were a treat. 

I got to drive the Grand Touring which retails for $27,930. It averages between 30 and 36MPG.  The Mazda 3 starts off at $19,960, the particular model I drove has every feature added. This one was a 4 cylinder with skyactiv technology. With 18 inch wheels this car surprised me with how smooth it was to drive. Typically that feels a little stiff, but on this build I was mostly comfortable. It has the normal features of being keyless and having a rearview camera. I am glad these features are becoming standard in a lot of new cars. A fun delight was rain sensing wipers! It sure rains a lot in the Northwest. Other fun features were the heated seats, lane departure warning and smart brakes.

As a commuter, the infotainment system is always what I lean on in cars. Exactly mentioned in my Mazda 6 review: When it comes to the interface, its pretty user friendly. The 7 inch display can be controlled through a rotary center console to drill down submenus ( basically a knob/joystick), as well as touchscreen option on the display screen. the interface was less cluttered than before! It still does not feature android auto or apple car play. I dove into the Sirius XM menu since in my real car I only use Spotify. XM was great, but in terms of connecting to Spotify or your phone, its a lackluster experience. The functionality is kind of wasted. Major improvement. There was also a 9 speaker Bose system included in this build. This made my commute very enjoyable!!! I also love the hologram display on the dash (this was featured on my instagram stories, be sure to follow me there to catch behind the scenes on all of my posts). The camera system is update and not as bulky as it used to be. The camera not only captures the alerts for lane assistance, but also reads street signs. The hologram is updated to show speed, signs, and lane assist cues. 

This was such a fun car to drive around Portland. Its also in the compact/mid range, so finding parking was so much better! This is also an exclusive new color, Eternal blue Mica. I actually really like it and was the only one on the road with something like it. With a sunroof, I got to enjoy the great weather we were having. Its nice to open the roof and not have humidity leak in! There is another version with a hatchback which is popular here for snowboards and other outdoor things. My version has a 60/40 split rear seat. It also comes with a spare tire (you would be surprised how some cars do not these days).
Overall this car gets my stamp of approval! My only other complaint is it was a little noisy in the cabin while driving, some of that might attribute to having an 18 inch wheel but it made me enjoy the 9 speaker Bose system a little more. Also, if you are looking for cabin space, it is on the small side. You will want to size up to the Mazda 6! If you are a commuter who is into urban living, this might be a good option for you.


Thank you Driveshop and Mazda for allowing me to drive this car around Portland for a week!

WHERE SHOULD I GO NEXT? 

LOVE, MARA

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