Subj : New Mazda To : All From : Nightfox Date : Wed May 24 2023 09:32 am As I was about to post this, I was wondering if there was an 'automotive' (or 'cars') area; I don't see one here (not sure if there would be interest in one), but I thought I'd post this here. I recently bought a new 2023 Mazda3 hatchback. I'd previously had a 2009 Volkswagen Rabbit (the US name for the Golf at the time), and I'd thought of buying something new(er) for a little while. I like Volkswagen and have driven several of their cars over the years, but I decided to make a switch this time. I don't particularly like that Volkswagen has started using a lot of touch panels in their cars instead of actual buttons & switches etc.. Also a minor thing, but I'd seen one of their newer cars at an auto show, and the sun shade under the sunroof still let a bit of light through (I'd prefer the sun shade completely block the sunlight when in use). Also, Volkswagen has stopped selling their base-model Golf in the US (leaving only the GTI and 'R' variants). I'd considered buying a used Golf from within the past few years, but was curious about other brands. One thing I'd heard about Mazda is that they don't use CVT transmissions, which several car makers are using now. I'd also heard Mazda gets high reliability ratings (higher than Volkswagen). I had actually considered buying a Mazda3 hatchback when I bought my last Volkswagen, so I had a look again, and it sounded like the latest Mazda3 has been getting really good reviews for drivability, reliability, etc., and it also gets better fuel economy than my Volkswagen did. I decided on a new 2023 Mazda3 hatchback, in the 'Preferred' trim. It doesn't have the turbocharged engine, but that has its advantages - The non-turbo gets better fuel economy, it's one less part that could have problems, doesn't need high-octane fuel, and I've heard it can use full synthetic oil (whereas I've heard the turbo engine needs a blend of some kind). I really like this Mazda. It drives and maneuvers well (particularly since it's not a huge car), it gets fairly good fuel economy, and I like that it has its sensors to detect cars around you. Also, its radio suppors Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, so you can plug in your smartphone and use it through the stereo (useful to be able to use things like your phone's maps/GPS, audio streaming, etc.). The Mazda's stereo also has its own GPS navigation, though you do need to buy an SD card with navigation data for that to work (and with that, interestingly, it will display an icon on the dashbord showing the speed limit on the road you're driving on). Also, the stereo is integrated and can't be replaced (they aren't using the DIN standard), which I think is a bit disappointing. Being such a newer car compared to my last car, it has some interesting 'smart' features as far as sensors to detect cars around you - It shows you (or alerts you) if there's a car coming up in an adjacent lane. It also has adaptive cruise control - You can set the cruise control speed, and if it detects that you're getting close to a car in front of you, it will slow down to match their speed until they move away. It also has automatic emergency braking, which is supposed to engage the brakes to avoid a crash if it detects something in front of you while moving - though I've seen a couple posts online where people have said the brakes suddenly engaged for no apparent reason (and in one case, someone rear-ended them due to their brakes coming on suddenly). Overall, I wanted a reliable car that's less expensive to maintain than my Volkswagen was - It sounds like hopefully this Mazda will be. Nightfox --- SBBSecho 3.20-Linux * Origin: Digital Distortion: digdist.synchro.net (21:1/137) .