Super Happy Slow Wagon

My wife has been driving this Maxima for well over 6 years.

Time to have something new to look at in the driveway I think.

Priority number one; The vehicle must look extremely pleased all the time.

Priority number two; Driving it does not make me hate my life as a 30-something married father.

Priority number three; Efficiency. The maxima was always kind of surprising. For having 255hp and an automatic, it still always eeeked out 20mpg in town and damn near 30 on the highway. It seems like only brand new cars really do better than that without being terrible at priority number two.

Priority number four: Space. My boys are not getting any smaller. My wife routinely has 200-300 lbs of tile or something in the trunk.

I only really looked at one car; 2012 Mazda 3i Skyactiv Wagon

Like this, but even bluer.

It does appear to be having a good time. Priority one, check. Mazda's handle good, generally. This one is no exception. Priority two, check. There are two versions, the 3i and the 3s. The 3i has a 12:1 compression 155hp 'skyactiv' drivetrain. If you're bored you can learn about it here... http://www.motoiq.com/magazine_articles/id/2105/131-compression-and-40-mpg-on-87-octane-fuel-introducing-mazdas-skyactiv-technology.aspx For slightly more money, 3s has a more conventional 167hp engine with no interesting technology. The 3i is rated at 28city/39hwy. The 3s is rated 20/28. I think the "s" stands for stupid.

the one i test drove was so slow, i almost changed my mind about the whole thing. it felt like i was disturbing it from a nap every time i touched the gas. it was also an upshifting bastard. i shouldn't ordinarily be in 3rd at 10mph.

i decided i wanted the darker blue color, with tan leather interior. i ended up having to go get it out of MO, unless i wanted to buy some dumb option package i didn't want. the car i wound up with is much faster, i would even say it's downright eager. not sure what to chaulk that up to, but i like it.

Sha lulz

belteshazzar wrote: For slightly more money, 3s has a more conventional 167hp engine with no interesting technology. The 3i is rated at 28city/39hwy. The 3s is rated 20/28. I think the "s" stands for stupid.

Hey.... I have the 2012 3s!

I really like the car. When I bought it in late September of last year, no dealer/online news source/etc. could give me a straight answer on when the SkyActiv cars were coming out. I needed to ditch my WRX fast, and the 0% financing and good price sealed the deal for me. Coming from the WRX, the fuel savings over the WRX was already worth it. The maintenance costs, cheaper monthly payment, options, and cheaper insurance also helped. I usually get anywhere from 26-33 mpg out of it, so it's not all that bad. And I also just learned that the in-dash MPG computer is pessimistic.

My wife has the older 2010 i Touring with the old 2.0L. It drives nice too. The 3s has a lot more sporty feel though. It handles better than my WRX did, which I find shocking.

The SkyActiv cars are nice though. If I could have waited and gotten one equipped the way i wanted it, then that's the route I would have gone.

belteshazzar wrote: the car i wound up with is much faster, i would even say it's downright eager. not sure what to chaulk that up to, but i like it.

So, not a Mazda3 then?

belteshazzar wrote: the one i test drove was so slow, i almost changed my mind about the whole thing. it felt like i was disturbing it from a nap every time i touched the gas. it was also an upshifting bastard. i shouldn't ordinarily be in 3rd at 10mph.

Wait... you were test driving an automatic?

I worry about the SkyActive technology. I have heard/read that they are somewhat sensitive to clogging, or some issue with the valves. Not 100% sure on it, but might be worth some research before dumping $$,$$$ into one.

oh i dumped all right. the fact that it's an all new drivetrain was not lost on me, and to completely break from routine i bought an extended warranty too.

fun tip: negotiate on the warranty to an acceptable price. then seal the deal by offering to take it if they sell you the loan for the buy rate. if you didn't want the warranty to begin with, you can cancel it anytime for a relatively small fee later on.

belteshazzar wrote: Priority number two; Driving it does not make me hate my life as a 30-something married father.

I inherited my wife's 1986 Pontiac Grand Am SE after she drove it for the first 7 good years. This describes how I felt driving a POS, rusty, leaking Grand Am.

What still makes me mad is she was going to order a new 1986 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS and she decided FWD might be better in the Chicago snow since she had enough of driving a RWD Camaro.

My wife had the 2010 3s 6-speed for about a year before she threw in the towel and bought her 2011 Hyundai Sonata. She didn't like the car because of the road noise and because it was a little too small for her, but I loved just about everything about it. The engine was nice and torque-y, but 6th gear wasn't much taller than 5th and it seemed like the gas mileage could have been better. All in all, a very competent commuter with a high fun-to-drive quotient.

ReverendDexter wrote:

belteshazzar wrote: the one i test drove was so slow, i almost changed my mind about the whole thing. it felt like i was disturbing it from a nap every time i touched the gas. it was also an upshifting bastard. i shouldn't ordinarily be in 3rd at 10mph.

Wait... you were test driving an automatic?

yeah, the car's not technically for me, even though i'll drive it sometimes. not that i wanted one, but i searched for a manual one while i was bored at work. none for 300 miles.

I loved my 2005 Mazda3s 5 speed hatch, even it if did have really bad wheel hop and one wheel drive in corners.

Before I ditched it for $5 more than my loan payoff to get my Forester, I was seriously considering sourcing and LSD for it.

What is the power delivery like in the Skyactiv?

i found out how to make the dash display average fuel economy.

first tank; some hwy, mostly city, average speed of 38mph

-34mpg

went with some Konig's, Hankook V12's, and a light tint.

Seems i havent seen that color on one before.

One thing they managed to do with the skyactiv cars is make them look ridiculously under-wheeled/under-tired compared to non-skyactiv ones.

I had a guy give me some 245/40/18s off his MS3.. i think thats about what it takes to look aggressive.

So, I gather there's no way you could make something like this work for you?

I would not hate life driving that.

Vigo wrote: Seems i havent seen that color on one before. One thing they managed to do with the skyactiv cars is make them look ridiculously under-wheeled/under-tired compared to non-skyactiv ones. I had a guy give me some 245/40/18s off his MS3.. i think thats about what it takes to look aggressive.

agree on all accounts. it was hard to find one in this color.

i just sold the 205 width 16's it came with on craigslist last night. some guy bolted them onto his CRV right there in front of my garage and drove away.

oddly, i did not get tpms sensors in these Konigs due to cost and absurdity, yet the low tire warning has not yet triggered. they've been on there a few days now.

semi interesting detail; the owners manual specifies 0w-20 synthetic oil, and 5000 mile change intervals. that seems low these days, but right in line with what i normally do.

I run 0-20 in my 335k insight (original motor) and it still makes oil pressure.

5000 is the lowest interval on any new car (although probably dozens have it). Just read that interesting tidbit earlier today.

Noice!

belteshazzar wrote: went with some Konig's, Hankook V12's, and a light tint.

Going from a Nissan to a Mazda I think you / your wife will be sorry disappointed once you get over the novelty of a car being new. Although I like Mazda I was very disappointed with their offerings at the NE auto show. Everything felt cheep and tinny as compared to the Nissan's. I think a comparable car from Mazda would be the Mazda 6 not the 3. I would be looking at another Maxima or an Infinity (I think they look better). They are surprisingly big cars or possibly a Camera but this may be a step latterly in size. It may sound crazy but take a look at the Hyundai Sonata or the Genesis. These cars surprised the heck out of me. One of the best kept secrets in the new car world at the moment in my book. In terms of hauling stuff how about a CX9? I have never been in one so I don't know about the overall space in these.

3.5 maxima= MAYBE 25mpg average.

2.0 mazda3= 34-40mpg and only slightly less space. And imo, a more interesting interior and better handling out of the box.

she is disappointed with the difference in power. i didn't expect her to care as much as she has. most every thing else is better though. some things, like Vigo mentioned just now, are a LOT better. that 50-60% jump in efficiency we're experiencing is worth some responsiveness to me in a daily driver. and the improvement in handling/ride quality helps me get over it a little more.

i don't know if the 3's turning radius is awesome or just more normal. the maxima's was ginormous.

Damn, that looks great.

here's a little better one...