The "I love/hate the 2010 Mazda3" PART 2 (After they have arrived.)

[Jeff-TheBiz]

Okay, so lets see how this goes now that people have seen the car in person and have had a chance to sit and play with the gadgets.

[aris]

I seen the car in person earlier this week and i am not a big fan of the design..but i think over time it will grow on me...but i love the interior way better

[Ogata]

I like the features (wish my 3 had what it has now) but I'm still not digging the grin on the front.

[Aitch]

Voted the same as before........ love it

[FLIPDADY]

Saw the velocity red hatch today and I gotta say the car is not too bad looking. Can't wait to see the Celestial Blue one.

[jcutner]

I don't mind the grille - from the side it's not too bad. But, it looks like they violated the console area, the flow of the stereo in the original 3's with the red lights is so perfect, they totally ruined it on the 2010's in my opinion - with that 1 big silver button instead

[Go_Habs_Go]

Still NOT a fan of the grille. Interior looks good though.

[Kevin@nextmod]

I saw a red one the other day and i still can't stand the front end. Its too happy....

[tweak_s]

Saw them at the autoshow.

I like the interior, I like the back. i like the sides and lines, but then its also very similar tot he 3 in that respect. Cool nifty things here and there like the keyless entry, the console screens (that goes back to the interior lol)

Like the gearbox the most.

I'm still not feeling the front though, still too much of the happy look. Add in the plate and we got 2 buck teeth LOL.

[ice512]

the black sport GS is surprisingly sexy...
one thing thats worth noting is that the Mazda6 GS i4 with comfort package is actually cheaper than the 3 right now...and i THINK i read on RFD that theres also a 2k cash back ?

[Herbbb]

im completely opposite to everyone's opinion..

i LOVE the outer appearance, maybe cause im generally a happy guy.
But i prefer the 09 interior a lot more........black/red beats boring grey

overall...yeah 05-09 FTW!

[BiGBanG]

Love everything, just not the price =(

[gabbygenier]

not a big fan of the design. but it does look good in black, u dont notice the smiley as much. love the inside and the layout of it though

[whiteomega]

It looks better in person to me, but there is still a hint of a smiley face that's hard to not think about. Would I buy one if I was looking for a car? Yes. Would I replace what I have now? No.

[5P01L3D]

was at prima mazda today and dennis handed me the keys to a 2010 GS manual and GT auto. was awesome!! dont really notice the smile as much. interior is hmm kinda weird.. but love the features of it!! i think i'll get used to it.

con: side mirrors, cant really see that much and when in reverse, it's kinda hard to see cuz the back is higher.

[Mica3SGT]

The new 2010 design makes the first gen cars look so yesterday when compared side by side as I had a chance to do this weekend. I really like the side windswept curves on the new hatch design in the lighter shade pallete; dark colours seem to mask the grill exposure.
I would have preferred to see some unique colours provided for the hatch and sedan rather than the same ones offered for both.

Yes, that grill takes getting used to initially, yet provides a modern aggressive look that anyone on the street won't mistake for anything else but the new 3. I just not a huge fan of exaggerated bumper designs but many stylists are moving in this direction.
An important feature that's missing on the hatch is the cargo management system found in first generation 3's (a feature dropped in the Mazdaspeed3 because of the move to 18" from 17" wheels).

The interior dash layout is the major design highlight with a dramatic departure from the previous design. I wouldn't have thought they could improve it - but they did. There's better materials used with a driver centric layout. I think it's still one of the best in the compact car segment.

[Thrizzl3]

saw the models at airport mazda today..i like the inside and the instrument panel and dash. the outside is still ugly

[Terrible3]

I had a very good look at the car at the autoshow ( I should be making a post about that tomorrow). While I like the 6 speed manual, there is nothing that makes me feel as if this new one is any better than the old. I noticed a lot of cost cutting in the interior of the car. There are no painted bezels around the speakers, along with much simpler construction. The subfloor organizer in the hatch is now gone in favor of some cheap Styrofoam. They have relocated the handle to pull down the hatch from the edge to inside the middle of the hatch panel in the opposite direction making it hard to reach and uncomfortable. There are no door sills at all anymore! Well there are a few other things, but I will be making my own right up shortly.

[Mafty]

saw them at the auto show, still a big smiley. even the inside is kinda drab and boring. The instrument panel looks nicer in our models than it does in the new one

still not a fan

[mazdabetty]

WOW... saw a black one on the road today (sedan)... it is hooootttt... didn't even notice the stupid grill, the first thing that jumped out at me were the sexy headlights. lol

Mind=changed, but only on the black one.

[Crombie3]

Just ordered a white one for the missus. Very excited.

Has anyone seen the Navi on this thing, at first I thought it was too small but once I drove it I found it was very nicely places, just inside my eyeline, don't have to even turn my head to see it. Pretty nice.

And that puts me in the love it category I guess

[vladimir]

Jeff said my 2010 GT is ready to be picked up!
Now I got to figure out when to go get it.... might wait until March program is out to see if lower financing rate or incentives.... although that is 2 weeks away

[tinman]

Saw a few M3 in the auto show today, beside don't like the big grin + the exaggerated fog lamp grill, the round fender flow line doesn't mesh with the straight wedge line in the rest of the body. The rear end looks like the M6 that works better for the sedan than the hatch. The IP looks cheaper with less grainy plastic and seems to be missing something... the LCD, the faux wood trim?? I'll stick with my 06 M3 till something better comes along.

[gwrace]

Why is everyone focused on the grill? There is a lot more to any car than the grill. You don't see the grill when you drive. You can make a face out of almost any grill on any car. Come on people it's a mechanical appliance designed to get you from point A to point B.

Rate the car based upon it's driveability, usability and functionality. Not because of a perceived smiling face. We drove the 09 2.3 hatch and while it was a nice car we have elected to purchase the 2010. To many other nice new features.

[TokyoKiller]

Why is everyone focused on the grill? There is a lot more to any car than the grill. You don't see the grill when you drive. You can make a face out of almost any grill on any car. Come on people it's a mechanical appliance designed to get you from point A to point B.

Rate the car based upon it's driveability, usability and functionality. Not because of a perceived smiling face. We drove the 09 2.3 hatch and while it was a nice car we have elected to purchase the 2010. To many other nice new features.

Maybe because the first generation Mazda 3 had one of the nicest grilles on the streets? (GT Grille of course).

The first generation M3 had a more sporty look to it, this new model has a more economic look to it IMO.