2010 Prius vs 2010 Mazda 3

I posted yesterday asking about cars that others considered before getting the Prius. I have decided between the Prius and the Mazda 3, as the Jetta TDI has too many reliability concerns as I will be keeping the new car for a few years past the manufactures warranty. Has anyone looked at the 3 and compared it with the Prius? Thanks

The Mazda 3 is not a hybrid so it's not a good comparison.
The Prius will get twice to MPG.

I just ask because I am considering the hybrid, but also other small sedans or hatchbacks that get good mpgs. I guess y peoples impressions of the 3 if they have driven it.

Frankly no, I don't really consider them to be in the same class. Both are considered to be reliable and good safe transportation. But the Mazda, while an excellent sedan, is not a hybrid. The Mazda 3 costs quite a bit less and gets about 20 MPG less. The Mazda will perform better (straight line acceleration), both have good brakes and handling. Consumers Reports said "the brakes were disappointing" on the Mazda 3 but they didn't say what disappointed them. I drove one which belongs to one of my relatives and under normal driving conditions the brakes seemed fine to me.

Unless you drive a lot, or gas prices go way up, the Prius will most likely not pay for itself in fuel savings. Both should have good resale value. So if you are looking for value for money spent buy the Mazda. On the other had the Mazda is a very common garden variety car, rather boring. The Prius is something special, high tech, different, definitely not boring. If you think you might want a hybrid car and are willing to spend a few dollars more go for the Prius, you won't regret it.

If you don't choose the Prius, have you got a glance at the Kia Soul ?

Can't compare IMO.
Mazda 3 is comparable to the COROLLA
Obviously it should be a lot cheaper as well.

Just a personal sidelight on the Mazda 3. I hear/read that it's a fine car. And yes, in a different class than a hybrid.

But - I just do not get some styling elements manufacturers are employing. The Mazda 3 HUGE front grill 'smiley' is a non-starter. Personally that expression would eliminate it from competition.... Also the Acura 'shield' grill is in the same class. Sure one can put the Toyota nose in a similar class - I'd understand that.... On the other hand, the BMW 'kidney' grill - exudes class.

I do drive alot about 25000 miles a year, I have a 130 mile commute. How is the long range comfort of the Prius, also how does it do with slight hills? I drive mostly highway but there are some hills on the stretch I drive.

I have a 206 mile round trip commute that I make every day and my '04 Prius handles it quite well. The seat bottoms are a little firm for my liking for long distance running but the car has been doing this daily commute flawlessly since last August.

I think it is fine on both counts. I have had mine up steep mountains (12,000 feet in the Rockies) and it does fine and I drive on lesser hills every day. I have driven it on the highway for 600 to 700 miles a day for several days in a row, no problem. I had a '05 Prius that I found rather uncomfortable to drive for long distances but not so of my 2010.

I had a 1995 Mazda Protege, which was what they used to call the 3, up until a month ago when someone totalled it with 203,000 miles on it. I loved the car, it was very reliable and fun to drive, and I was considering another one (but a hatchback this time) when looking for a new car. I test drove the '10 3 hatchback, but I really dislike the grotesque jack-o-lantern grill, so I looked at a used 2008.

Even though they're not really similar cars, I don't think you can compare the 3 to a Corolla... the 3 has more room (leg room especially) and handles better. The 3 has a bewildering array of light-up buttons in the cockpit, while the Prius has a much cleaner, simplified cockpit. The Mazda handles more like a sports car than the Prius does, especially around turns. I'm still getting used to my new '05 Prius's corner handling, which seems really stiff and wide to me. Overall, though, I had to go with the mileage of the Prius, and picked up a used one at a great price. I love the car, especially the fact that the engine stops when it's not needed. So far I'm getting an average of 48 mpg, which is about twice of my old car's mpg. It's changed the way I drive to see instant feedback, and I believe it will save me money in the long run even with the greater expense of the Prius. I'd say to go with the Prius, but either way you should be happy and have a reliable car with good resale value.

good luck,
Ken

the 3 is a much more "fun to drive" car. it's a mazda. has a little "zoom zoom". good car. a little stiff with the suspension for long commutes, but bearable.

my 2nd car is an rx-8. pretty much on the other end of the spectrum from the prius, but then again the prius i have on order is a company vehicle, however i chose it out of a list of non hybrids.

My co-worker has a Mazda3 and it bottoms out on a couple of roads with 4 180-220 lbs guys on board. My Prius does not. Also, the 3 dash seems cheap and I don't like the orange gauges.

I almost went with the 3. They are quite different cars.

The 3 gives you a much more connected driving exerience. The suspension, steering, handling, braking, accelleration were all better IMHO. Mazda was also giving great deals, so it was much less expensive. Things like blue tooth come standard. I would rather have a trunk. I would not have needed to go aftermarket for wheels and tires (only available on V) as the 16" tires are standard on the touring edition. You can get a reasonably priced sun roof and upgraded stereo. Insurance and depreciation are lower.

Prius has better fuel economy and more cargo room. The only drive ability feature that is better is the engine off (which I like quite a bit). Edmunds said it was more reliable, but I really doubt it.

I picked the prius for the fuel economy.

a mazda 3 is in the small car class

the prius is in the mid size class


apples to oranges


be fair and add $ to the mazda 3 for the difference in class size.

A Mazda 3 hatchback is actually not a terrible thing to compare to a Prius. There aren't too darn many 4 door hatchbacks on the market under $30k - VW Golf/GTI/ Jettasportwagen, Prius, Matrix, Mazda3 five door, PT Cruiser, HHR, Dodge Caliber, Subaru Impreza, Honda FIT/Insight, Nissan Versa, Kia Spectra, ... ok, there's quite a few.

I test drove a 2009 Mazda 3 hatchback about 5 miles one year ago when I was absolutely hating life with the driver's seat of my 2009 Prius. It was fun to drive as it had very responsive steering and zippy acceleration. 3's corner very well, you know 'zoom-zoom'. 17 inch alloys, 4 wheel independent suspension and 205/50 tires help with that.

The 2009 driver's seat was really good for me as the seat slides back pretty far and goes low. Don't expect to get in the rear seat at those settings though.

Not much headroom in the Mazda3 with sunroof for over 6 ft. ers. Without sunroof, 6ft. + is ok.

I'll bet most of the time you'd average about 25 ish MPG's in a Mazda3. You could easily average 50 MPG's in a 2010 Prius.

The 2010 Prius interior room is better than a Mazda 3 hatch. In the Pri, you can push the driver's seat fully back, there's still some decent room behind it. Good luck getting into the rear seat with Mazda 3 front seats slid full back.

Cargo room is bigger in a 2010 Prius, plus you get the under floor cargo tray.

Mazda 3 interior is very nice IMO. Classic, well laid out controls.

Ok, so you might want a sedan also ... good MPG's - Honda Civic.

Mazda 3 five door sport w/moonroof/Bose audio - ~ $22k

Prius III (for JBL sound system) , no Nav ~ $24.5k

so, not that much difference.

The seat and steering wheel adjustments are good in the 2010 Prius. Some complain about lack of lumbar support in the II and III. I don't get that problem.

Using Consumer Reports mileage:
MPG|annual fuel|model
28|893 gal.|Mazda 3
44|569 gal.|PriusConsumer Reports tends to show low MPG

So with the Prius you're looking at 324 gallons saved, at $3/gal, ~$975 per year.

My long distance trips have been in the smaller, 2003 Prius, and range from 700 to 1,000 miles in one day. I was surprised to find long distance Prius driving, cruising at 65 mph, didn't leave me 'beat up' at the end. Other cars left me feeling too wasted I wasn't able to do much the next day.

The 2010 Prius has only been driven 130 miles to Nashville and back. Neither I nor my wife have found this to be a problem. However, there have been others who felt the seats, steering and ride didn't match their expectations. Compared to our 2003 Prius, the steering seems more stable and the extra space makes our 2010 more practical for many errands.

Bob Wilson