I test drove a 2008 Mazdaspeed3 and the car felt and looked great except:
1). Lack of a sunroof, why doesn't Mazda offer an optional sunroof? It just felt dark in the interior while a Cobalt SS turbocharged has a sunroof that yields lots of natural lighting.
2). Telescoping steering wheel, useless for tall people. When fully extended, it is the same setting as the fixed wheel in my 07 Mustang GT or 2000 Crown Vic, which is still too close to the dashboard.
3). Seats, why didn't Mazda include power adjustable seats? The bolstering is GREAT but the height adjustment sucks since it is more of a tilt than a height adjustment like on the Cobalt. The lumbar adjustment isn't very intuitive and the seat bottom is too short. It needs to be 2" longer to provide me with adequate thigh support.
4). The ignition key lockout button, WTF was Mazda smoking when they implemented this? I asked the saleslady if I had to do that all the time since I thought it was a valet feature. She gave me a surprised look and said that this was normal, all you had to do was push the button with your thumb and twist it out. I tried over a dozen times and it wasn't a natural feeling at all. Every American car I owned just let you pull the key out in the OFF position. What's so unsafe or hard about that? This 2-step process ignition key is a real deal breaker for me.
5). Homelink mirror, I couldn't find this on any Mazda within a 200 mile radius. The dealer said they could install it after I bought the car for about $500 which is about right: $300-$400 plus labor. It is the same Gentex mirror that everyone else uses, so why not just offer the Homelink as the only option since dealers order the most idiotic items for their lot cars?
Everything else about the car was kicka$$ and top notch. I would rate the interior quality, fit, and finish about on-par with that of sub-$40k Audi cars. Everything works great and I love the storage options. The hatch is pretty nifty except for the cheap shoe-string ties that lift the cardboard panel.
I definitely won't be buying a 08/09 MS3 because of the ignition key. I hear the 2010 MS3 may have a keyless ignition system, so that solves my problem but it doesn't look like a sunroof made its way into the design (again). In addition, the dealer informed me that the order date for 2009 MS3's has past, so we're stuck with the stuff on the lots until the 2010 arrives.
1). Lack of a sunroof, why doesn't Mazda offer an optional sunroof? It just felt dark in the interior while a Cobalt SS turbocharged has a sunroof that yields lots of natural lighting.
2). Telescoping steering wheel, useless for tall people. When fully extended, it is the same setting as the fixed wheel in my 07 Mustang GT or 2000 Crown Vic, which is still too close to the dashboard.
3). Seats, why didn't Mazda include power adjustable seats? The bolstering is GREAT but the height adjustment sucks since it is more of a tilt than a height adjustment like on the Cobalt. The lumbar adjustment isn't very intuitive and the seat bottom is too short. It needs to be 2" longer to provide me with adequate thigh support.
4). The ignition key lockout button, WTF was Mazda smoking when they implemented this? I asked the saleslady if I had to do that all the time since I thought it was a valet feature. She gave me a surprised look and said that this was normal, all you had to do was push the button with your thumb and twist it out. I tried over a dozen times and it wasn't a natural feeling at all. Every American car I owned just let you pull the key out in the OFF position. What's so unsafe or hard about that? This 2-step process ignition key is a real deal breaker for me.
5). Homelink mirror, I couldn't find this on any Mazda within a 200 mile radius. The dealer said they could install it after I bought the car for about $500 which is about right: $300-$400 plus labor. It is the same Gentex mirror that everyone else uses, so why not just offer the Homelink as the only option since dealers order the most idiotic items for their lot cars?
Everything else about the car was kicka$$ and top notch. I would rate the interior quality, fit, and finish about on-par with that of sub-$40k Audi cars. Everything works great and I love the storage options. The hatch is pretty nifty except for the cheap shoe-string ties that lift the cardboard panel.
I definitely won't be buying a 08/09 MS3 because of the ignition key. I hear the 2010 MS3 may have a keyless ignition system, so that solves my problem but it doesn't look like a sunroof made its way into the design (again). In addition, the dealer informed me that the order date for 2009 MS3's has past, so we're stuck with the stuff on the lots until the 2010 arrives.