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Got a 'gas guzzler', replacing the 2006 Prius

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by nerfer, Sep 2, 2015.

  1. nerfer

    nerfer A young senior member

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    But it's not as bad as it sounds - the gas guzzler is a Mazda 3i, still gets 30 mpg in the city, 41 on the highway. And I'm keeping the Prius - my son (nearly 17 years old) will be driving it now.

    After 9.5 years of driving the Prius I was finally ready for something new, with a bit more oomph this time. Kinda sad though not to be driving it on a regular basis. I still enjoyed trying to improve my mileage, and seeing what helps. I was playing with using the EBH in the summer, as it seems to make more of a difference for me in the summer than in the winter. I keep the tires at 39/37 psi. I've had short commutes, used to be 3 miles, now it's 7.5 miles, which just kills the mpgs in the winter, but I've averaged a bit over 49 mpg lifetime calculated.

    Put 91,000 miles on it, no repairs to speak of except the A/C unit went out last year, did a total replacement on that system. Replaced the 12 V battery nearly 2 years ago (so 7.5 years on the original battery), replaced the tires at some point with Michelin high-efficiency tires. No complaints.

    I joined PriusChat the same week I bought the Prius, and was pretty active the first 5 or 6 years, but my involvement here has tapered off quite a bit in recent years. I still have the Priuschat window sticker on my car that Danny gave me back in 2006 at a Prius owners' meeting.

    With what I've learned on the Prius, I'll see if I can beat the EPA on the Mazda, although it is quite a different beast (I got the manual for one thing, which is tuned for a sportier type of driving).
     
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  2. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    ...can I have your PC window sticker? <just kidding>
     
  3. nerfer

    nerfer A young senior member

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    ha. :) At this point I don't think it would peel off cleanly at all.

    As an aside, I used to live in northern Virginia (Leesburg/Ashburn area), but that was many years ago.
     
  4. tanglefoot

    tanglefoot Whee!

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    The 3 should be a lot of fun. I really like the redesign. Is it a 5-door?

    Since my sister got a CX-5, I've been paying a lot more attention to Mazda. Wow--their design and engineering teams must be pulling all-nighters. They've been turning out some incredible stuff! The product line is night-and-day different from 3 years ago. I hope more people start to take note.
     
  5. nerfer

    nerfer A young senior member

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    Yes, it is a fun car! I got the sedan. The 5-door is more functional, but I just liked the style of the 4 door better (and I can justify it because you get 1 mpg better in the sedan). Call it a mid-life crisis or whatever, but I was ready for a fun stylish car after having functional sensible cars for the last 15 years.

    I was looking at the used Mazda's, but I wanted to get something with the SkyActive technology with the improved fuel economy, and that's come out in just the last 3 years I think. They also split officially from Ford now, although you can see some similarities in the styling (large grill for instance), but the 2014 design is all new on their own. Supposedly they're now working with Toyota and may have a hybrid in the future.

    But coming into it after being in the Prius, I wonder why they didn't have more storage space - only one glove compartment, the door area only holds a water bottle or something, no large slot for papers and things, even though it looks like there's room for it. No secret map drawer in the center console, in fact, very little storage in the console overall. Of course no hidden compartment under the trunk floor. I got spoiled in the Prius! And the engine runs even when the car is stopped! I still have the Prius for when I want to throw a bicycle in the back or take the boys to a Boy Scout outing. My son is nearly 17 now, so that will be happening less. I have a 1.25" hitch on the Prius, I'll have to put that on for the Mazda as well (just for a bike rack for now).

    Other than that though, I'm really digging this car. I've gotten 40 mpg twice now on my commute to work, even though it's rated at 30 for the city, so I think I'll be able to beat the EPA numbers.
     
  6. tanglefoot

    tanglefoot Whee!

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    Cool!

    Yes, I'm very glad Mazda has parted ways with Ford and Volvo. When they set to work with their Skyactiv powertrains and Kodo design language...wow! I actually prefer the look of the 5-door to the sedan, but that's just me (I've never been much for sedans). The CX-5 also routinely averages over its highway mpg estimate, overall, which really impresses me. It's also a nice tow rig--it just does it all, with some serious class!

    I don't think much of anything has the storage cubbies of a Prius.
     
  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    why does mazda sell so poorly?
     
  8. nerfer

    nerfer A young senior member

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    I'm really not sure, other than name recognition. Among Japanese companies, Mazda and Subaru have always been little brothers to Toyota and Honda. Subaru also has Fuji Heavy Industries for diversification, and has always been strong in New England and the Rockies. Honda makes a ton of motors for all kinds of things - lawnmowers, motorcycles, etc. So they have money to put into advertising, as does Toyota. I think Mazda's fascination with rotary engines didn't really help them, but now they have some very cool vehicles.

    Interesting thing, I was doing some research since my Dad got a Mazda GLC back in 1981 (maybe late 1980) when the gas crunch was in force and foreign econoboxes were the new rage. The GLC is the ancestor of today's Mazda 3 (thru the 323 and Protege names). But advertising for the GLC show that it got 35 mpg city and 43 highway - back in 1981! Today the Mazda 3 gets 30 city and 41 highway. Keeping in mind that the EPA lowered all mpg estimations in 2008, it's actually right about the same as 1981. So all the technology improvements over the last 34 years have gone into more horsepower (almost 2x for the same displacement), a lot more features, and corresponding more weight. If we still drove stick shifts (with overdrive), with manual windows and locks and no power steering and no A/C, with 0-60 times of 12+ seconds, we would get amazing gas mileage. My car is a manual, 6-speed, but it's geared low for performance drivers. Meaning I'm in 6th gear by the time I'm at 45 mph - having all those gears doesn't really help me much when I'm on the interstate doing 70 or so. But it should help me in my suburban driving, as long as I don't mind shifting a lot!
     
  9. tanglefoot

    tanglefoot Whee!

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    Today's cars are much more laden with emissions and safety equipment and are generally quite a bit heavier than their predecessors. Being able to match earlier mpg numbers (with the current test procedures) is a pretty impressive feat.

    Mazda hasn't always had a very solid product line. The Mazda3 and MX5 (Miata) are the best-reputed models that have probably carried the automaker through. Mazda has taken some hits for its Ford-based models (Navajo, B-trucks and Tribute), as well as the 1st-gen Mazda6, which shared a platform with the Volvo V40, I believe it was, and had less-than-stellar reliability. The CX-7 was also not a highly-regarded product, and they never had a very competitive minivan. I'm sure they also have a much smaller advertising budget than Honda and Toyota. Once more word gets out about the current product line, we'll probably be seeing more of them. They're doing incredible things with the new 3, 6, CX-5, MX-5 and upcoming CX-3.
     
  10. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    when i was a teenager, i don't know the sales numbers, but it seemed like mazda, suburu, toyota, nissan and honda were all pretty similar in this area. i loved my mx5, but have never considered any other mazda's, no idea why.