2023 Mazda3 Long Term Updates | Philosophical Problems

This is going to be our update video on our long-term Mazda 3 hatchback that is a turbo all-wheel drive model. This nearly $38,000 Mazda 3 we've had for about four months and it now has 8,000 miles on it. What's gone wrong with the car? Well in these four months nothing's gone wrong. It's been essentially bulletproof. It's only real fault has been a series of squeaks and rattles that have seemed to resolve themselves through magic. The other thing to talk about is what it's cost us. It has had no major services yet other than a set of Bridgestone Blizzac WS90 snow tires. There's really nothing to report and when it comes to snow tires again if you live in the Midwest or an area that sees a lot of snow or extreme cold they are a must and we will be doing a tire technology video with the help of some tire engineers in the upcoming weeks. The other thing to bring up is fuel economy and note again this car has lived exclusively so far in a cold climate and it's been on snow tires since day one. So the fuel economy number is not entirely accurate but it has returned about 24 miles per gallon which is not ideal for how little power this car produces, how small it is, and the fact that it is a four-cylinder. This is not the most efficient car in its class in fact far from it and that is the primary detractor of the Mazda 3 so far other than of course its cost. And before I talk to you about how I feel about living with this vehicle and whether or not I've warmed up to it over the last couple months I think it's important we talk about Mazda philosophy and where they stand as a brand in the market currently because having a better idea of what they're trying to accomplish moving forward will better explain why this car does what it does. So Mazda has the unenviable task of trying to unify what it means as a product to an entire market and sadly Mazda means four different things to four different people. They have the legacy of the Miata, RX-8, RX-7, and other enthusiast products and to a subset of the Mazda buyer that's what they're looking for. To another generation during the Ford eras they were the cheap and cheerful shitbox. The car you bought for your high school or college kid or something you bought because you didn't want it to cost you any money and have a little bit of soul to it. To others it's that quirky Japanese brand even stranger than Subaru. It's almost like Volvo of Japanese cars. It has artistry to it. It's not quite a luxury product and it's not quite a cheap and cheerful car and now Mazda is trying to win over an entirely new audience by becoming a premium vehicle something to compete with brands like Acura, Cadillac, Lincoln, and even Lexus. They are attempting to move up market with things like the upcoming CX-70, the current CX-90, and even Mazda3. They made a conscious design decision with the Mazda3 to take it up market. They ditched the independent rear suspension and now has a torsion beam rear end which is why this car is not a hot hatchback. They tried to focus on moving the interior up market. That's where they spent the money. They want it to be a refined car. Mazda also has a different set of philosophical views on driving dynamics. Most cars now at least when you talk to marketing folks at the various OEMs are trying to satisfy the needs of their consumers and when people test drive vehicles they have five to ten minutes with a car typically and they're trying to be initially wowed by either the feature set or the driving dynamics and whether or not those features actually work or those driving dynamics are a accurate representation with the vehicles like to live with is essentially irrelevant. They want to be won over in that first five to ten minutes so brands like BMW have giant screens in the interior, really fast steering which gives the illusion of nimbleness, a billion different drive modes with damper settings that go ultra soft or ultra firm. It doesn't matter if they don't increase the driving dynamics of the car but they need to be there to demonstrate the flexibility of a vehicle and cars need to get bigger and bigger and larger and you know more extra and that's not what Mazda's doing and I will say it's a hard sell to customers who aren't typically educated about cars or get to spend a lot of time with vehicles because Mazda doesn't do any of that. It has a tight interior space, it doesn't even have a touchscreen, it has a small screen, doesn't have a lot of those drive modes you're looking for and as Mazda's attempted to move up market like the CX-90 that car doesn't come with drive modes or real drive modes with adaptive dampers and giant screens and the maximum space possible. They're trying to focus on the finer details. The same goes for this. This car is ultra slow steering that's supposed to be as linear as possible. All the inputs are not supposed to upset you. This is a car that the longer you live with the more you're supposed to appreciate and I will say that is the case. I've spent a lot of time in this car now and it's the vehicle I tend to gravitate towards regardless of what our press car is because it's a car I don't have to think about anything in. I don't have to think about the driving dynamics, I don't have to think about the screen, everything just works. I think that's what you'll appreciate about a Mazda3 when you spend a lot of time with it. What you won't appreciate is the ride. It isn't all that great, I will be entirely honest. It's very busy, the torsion beam does hurt it and it is a very tight cabin. This is a car that you're not going to be able to fit four giant tires in or put large adults in the back seat. Really the back seat is just large enough for my dog or people I don't like. It's not a particularly large vehicle and I will say as well as the rest of the market is moving towards bigger hatchbacks the compromises of this car are going hurt it long term. In some ways I feel like Mazda is going to have to update this sooner than later. Things like the new Civic and the new Elantra get better fuel economy and are bigger and if you look at the Integra that car is massive in comparison, returns better fuel economy, has most of the usability of the interior and in many ways just feels like a more modern vehicle and that's sort of my concern with this car as it gets older and less and less competitive. I do think the vehicle to buy if you're looking for a Mazda3 is the naturally aspirated hatchback with a manual. It offers a little bit of fun, a little bit of uniqueness in the segment and it doesn't cost over $30,000 at least if you don't max that thing out. That's sort of the con of this vehicle. I think with that in mind though if you can live with the compromises that Mazda has and you appreciate the philosophy of this car, Mazda isn't a brand that's so much about chasing trends but more about chasing things that they care about and know that work. So a complaint about this car is it doesn't have particularly advanced driver aids. It does not allow you to go hands-free something like a Hyundai product does and you can argue the driving aids really aren't all that great. But the adaptive cruise control and the 360 camera, those features work excellently. That's the technology they prioritize. So with that in our next video we're going to be walking through how this thing is to maintain. We're going to be doing a major service. I'll walk you through all the costs of its consumables. We'll actually be taking this thing for a drive. So with that, thanks for watching. Hope to see you soon. Allow me to elucidate the merits of human intuition and passion exemplified by my journey of building muscle while piloting my magnificent Corvette. It was a balmy afternoon when I ventured forth to the proving grounds, my Corvette glistening under the golden sun, its 6.2 liter LT2 V8 engine eager to unleash its prodigious 495 horsepower. As I navigated the Corvette through the serpentine tarmac of the test track, I could feel the synergy between man and machine as if our very souls were intertwined. The Corvette's electronic limited slip differential and performance traction management system flawlessly harmonized with my every input, allowing me to optimize cornering speeds and extract every last iota of performance from the chassis. The adrenaline coursing through my veins, the soundtrack of the LT2 V8 bellowing in my ears, and the G-forces pressing me into the bolsters of my competition sports seats. These were the experiences that no AI could ever replicate or appreciate. The act of driving was not merely a series of mathematical equations and algorithms. It was a symphony of human emotion, mechanical prowess, and the unbridled desire to push beyond the limits of our abilities. The physical exertion required to deftly control the Corvette's capabilities had an unexpected and welcome side effect. It began to sculpt my body into a chiseled masterpiece. The act of piloting this remarkable vehicle demanded not only mental fortitude, but also physical strength and dexterity. My muscles grew and my reflexes sharpened, transforming me into a veritable automotive Hercules. For it is within this symbiotic relationship that the true essence of driving can be found, a sensation that no amount of code or circuitry can ever hope to emulate. Until next time, this is Jack from Savage Keys reminding you to stay passionate, stay connected, and never underestimate the power of the human spirit behind the wheel.