Selected New Car

[DBMaster]

Well, amigos, I wanted to like what Honda had to offer, but in my price range I had two choices, the Fit and the Civic. Since I really wanted a hatchback the Civic was out. The Fit just did not perform as I wanted. 117 horsepower didn't motivate it as I had hoped.

So, after driving, literally, a dozen different cars over the past week I have decided upon the 2012 Mazda 3 hatchback. It happens to come in a pearl white metallic which has been a color effect I have liked for 20 years. It is not available in any of the other low-end cars. I am getting the 2.0L, 155 HP, "Skyactiv" engine with the six-speed automatic. Combined mpg is supposedly 32 with highway mpg rated at 40 (I'll believe that when I see it). I have been checking out the specs online. The exhaust manifold (header, actually) is about as complex as some of the project turbos I have seen on this forum. It has 12:1 compression and somehow manages to do that on regular fuel.

As sad as I am about the way that the Accord is leaving my life I guess I am starting to get a bit enthused about having a 21st century vehicle. I do plan to hang around because this has been my community for the past twelve years and I have grown to genuinely like some of you. You have been there for me during my divorce, my eleven months of unemployment, and all of my various trials and tribulations with the best car I may ever own. If I own my new car for the same time period I will be 70 by the time I am in the market again. That's probably not going to happen. I fully expect my next vehicle to be electric and/or automated.

I am going to sorely miss the 89 LXi, but as with other involuntary life changes, we must keep moving forward, right? I'll post some pics after I pick up the new car on Thursday.

Your friend,

[2oodoor]

this is delightfull news! get those pics up soon..

[stat1K]

hard to stay honda nowadays isnt it? i was almost dead set on a new fiesta when my car was stolen a few weeks back.

[Vanilla Sky]

You should consider the MS3. It's often priced lower than the optioned normal 3.

The compression ratio is 14:1, not 12:1. 12:1 on 87 octane is old hat. 14:1 on 87 octane is impressive.

[stat1K]

as in the speed? 18/25mpg?

[Vanilla Sky]

With a tune, the MS3 gets quite a bit more efficient. The bonus is that they hold value better, so while you might spend more on fuel in the interim, you end up breaking even in the end. You get the power now and you get paid back in the end.

[stat1K]

no thanks, i don't really see it as being worth 25 either, but that's me. i considered mazda for a very short moment of time. i'm glad that dbmaster seems satisfied with his choice. i, however, got my car back and wouldn't trade it for the world.

[ShyBoyCA6]

Nice! i been thinking of getting the turbo charged model possibly might pick one up on my birthday. i kinda like this body style before they change it again.

[Rendon LX-i]

Worked at Mazda for awhile before I got transferred to gm. good cars they have Pringles but over all good

[DBMaster]

You should consider the MS3. It's often priced lower than the optioned normal 3.

The compression ratio is 14:1, not 12:1. 12:1 on 87 octane is old hat. 14:1 on 87 octane is impressive.

You may not have read into this enough. The US version is 12:1 because they couldn't fit the intake from the JDM version in the American version. Still, my LXi is 9.3:1 and before the gas had 10% ethanol in it I had to use 89 octane to prevent knocking.

[DBMaster]

I may not ever keep a car this long again. My mindset is still all about how easy is it to maintain. All the sales guys immediately start showing off the sound system, Bluetooth, USB port, etc. I tell them, "Hey, just turn off the stereo. All I want to hear right now is the engine, tires, road noise, etc." Who the heck do they sell to these days? Also, pretty much all the four cylinder engines these days have chucked the timing belt and gone with chains. What a novel idea! Right? It always pissed me off that a t-belt guaranteed expensive maintenance every 5-6 years.

What will I do with all the time I used to spend on the Honda?

[stat1K]

what the engines have made up for in the service department the suspension has lost in it's common sense department. i look at my fit and just cringe. but it's kind of a drag not having to do normal stuff to them. i haven't done any service to the fit beyond spark plugs, oil, trans fluid, and brakes.

[DBMaster]

Every car I test drove got the examination. They seem to have very simple suspensions. I am sure I will familiarize myself more over time. I did test drive the Fit. I wanted to like it, truly. 117 HP just didn't move it that well with the automatic. Is yours a manual?

Here is what I drove. All were actually good. I liked various aspects of each.

Kia Rio
Hyundai Accent
Ford Fiesta
Ford Focus
Chevy Sonic - both 1.8L and 1.4L turbo
Mazda 3
Honda Fit

All these "low end" cars are still quite well equipped these days. I don't really think you could go wrong with any of them. If any of you have questions about why I did not drive a particular model just ask. Be prepared to get my totally biased responses, though. I am quite opinionated.

[stat1K]

mine is an 08 5spd so a little less hp than the ge. its my wifes and compared to the 78hp of the cx she had this thing hauls

[Vanilla Sky]

The 1.8 litre Chevy Sonic has the same engine my Astra has. I can attest to its lack of balls. Unless you are revving the piss out of it, it's dog slow. While the Sonic is a lighter car, neither of its engines have the torque available at low RPMs like the Skyactiv-g motor.

DB, according to the Mazda site, it's a 13:1 CR. For comparison's sake, our well worked over Chevy 350 race motor runs a 14:1, but it requires race fuel. Anything with a compression ratio as high as the newest generation of engines from Mazda and other auto manufacturers on pump gas is nothing short of incredible.

Now, when we get the Skyactiv-d engines in the States, I'm going to go out and give one a proper test drive. If we get them, of course.

[Hauntd ca3]

the word in the trades is that the new mazda motor you are talking bout, both the petrol and diesil use 14:1 compression ratio.
the only real difference is the lack of spark plugs and a stupidly high fuel pressure in the diesil.
common rail is good for that.
they can drop the comp ratio , therefore the internals dont have to be as heavy and they can rev harder and make better power since they arent using so much to overcome the weight of the bottom end .
they smell horrible tho.

[Vanilla Sky]

Raising the compression ratio in a gasoline engine makes it more efficient. Lowering the compression ratio with a diesel cleans it up. The Skyactiv-d doesn't need the urea injection nor particulate filters that modern diesel engines are required to utilize in the US.

Here are some thoughts on the Skyactiv engines.

[Rendon LX-i]

Chevy Cruz is a good car as well 1.5 turbo lil thing can go. I work on these things everyday lol

[DBMaster]

Read the second paragraph. I read this in several locations...

http://www.galpinmazda.com/galpin-ma...shdrive-review

Seems a bit annoying that a conclusive answer cannot be found, but the article above sounds plausible. At least I know it's not 14:1 like the Japan spec model.

[2oodoor]

2012 Mazda3 Skyactive 0-60

2012 Mazdaspeed3 0-60

not $10k worth of difference IMO
Very interesting car in it's class, excellent choice

[DBMaster]

Dealer confirms 12:1. This assumes that the sales guy knows what he's talking about. He seemed to be pretty knowledgeable when I asked other technical questions. He told me that the Skyactiv D (diesel) engine may be available in the SUV's next year. I personally don't think that "Skyactiv" is a term that was well chosen. The advertising made me think it had something to do with connectivity and it has to do with mechanics. Marketing people!

[2oodoor]

I personally don't think that "Skyactiv" is a term that was well chosen. The advertising made me think it had something to do with connectivity and it has to do with mechanics. Marketing people!

at least it may attract gamers subliminaly attaching itself to /Skyrim, or/Skyline

[DBMaster]

What a foreign sensation. I look under the hood and, of course, can identify most major components. There's stuff under there I do not yet recognize. Still, as with most new cars, it's a lot less "busy" under the hood than a 3G Accord. In the late 80's they made engine compartments about as complicated as they ever got to be. They gave me $500 for the Accord, which is about all I could expect given its sorry state. Even as bad as the suspension was damaged I was still able to drive it on the highway and pass several pokey grandmas on the way to the dealer. What an amazingly durable car.

[Vanilla Sky]

The Mazda3 that you should be comparing the MS3 to is the Grand Touring. It has a base MSRP of $23,150. The MS3 has a base MSRP of $24,000. Unless my math is way off, that's a difference of $850. With that, and the higher residual on the MS3, I wouldn't purchase one any other way.

Now, if I'm looking for a base model, the base MSRP is $19,300. That's a $4,700 difference. No chump change for sure, but if you're going for the up-market Grand Touring, there's no reason to leave the MS3 on the lot.

I had this argument with a salesman at a local Mazda dealership. He was such a dick about it, the whole ordeal almost ended up in a fist fight. Talk about customer service :p

With that said, I managed to test drive one of these Skyactiv-g Mazda3s today. There's such a huge difference in the power delivery from the old engine that it's not funny. If it weren't for the FR-S being my next planned new-ish car purchase, I might have traded the Astra off. They were surprisingly ready to make a deal, even though these cars are just hitting the car lots.

You're dead on about the engine bay being clean. They package engines tighter than they did even 10 years ago, and everything has to be compact for ease of assembly. Most vehicles these days look like they've been wire tucked.

[DBMaster]

Mine is the Touring (not Grand Touring) version. I was looking for performance at least as good as the Accord, which it has, and fuel economy that was better than the Accord, which it is. I figured since I was leaping forward 23 years I wanted to be positioned for the future when gas prices go up again - which they WILL. If I wanted to spend more money for a performance vehicle I actually would have gone higher up than a Mazda 3. All a fast car is going to do for me is frustrate me even more with people's utter lack of driving skills. Also, I would find places to drive really fast and end up busted.

If I can drive circles around people in an 89 Honda Accord and a Mazda 3 why the hell do they spend the money for V6's? I can take corners faster on my bicycle than most of the s*%^heads around here.