2015 Mazda3 GT (2.5L) Review

Mazda has two Skyactiv engines in the Mazda3. This review is for the 2.5L Mazda3 GT Skyactiv. A compact car with good handling, amazing interior but not inexpensive. The Mazda3 is a compact sedan or hatchback sold as the Sport. With Mazda Zoom-Zoom design and Skyactiv efficiency, this car is a winner.

Competitors to the Mazda3 are the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Ford Focus, Ford Fiesta, Kia Soul, Nissan Versa, Chevy Sonic, Chevrolet Sonic, Kia Rio, Honda Fit, Honda HR-V, Toyota Yaris, Chevy Spark, Chevrolet Spark, Chevy Cruze, Chevrolet Cruze, Kia Forte, VW Jetta, VW Golf, Volkswagen Jetta, Volkswagen Golf, Dodge Dart, Hyundai Accent, Hyundai Elantra, Nissan Sentra, Fiat 500, Fiat 500X, Mazda3, Mazda2, Mazda6, Scion iM and Mitsubishi Lancer

Zack Spencer
Zach Spencer
Canadian Car Review
Motormouth Canada

[Native]

Your the first reviewer to talk about bad radio reception.

[Geronimo]

I've bought one and I have no regrets thus far. The GTI was more expensive actually and when you factor in the VW reliability issues, the Mazda3 makes more sense

[parsaerjaie]

Ive just reached 3 months of ownership of the 2015 mazda3 sport hatch with the middle trim level. Mated to the 6 speed manual it really is a fun car for a teenager to have, such as myself.
The biggest issues ive had are road noise on the highway, however living in vancouver I drive in the city 85% of the time, making it not much of an annoyance. The other issue is radio controls with this new command centre they're trying out. It is very annoying, and sometimes dangerous, having to constantly go back and forth to the radio presets. Having a set of buttons or a screen that would stay in place would make it sooo much better.
People complain about the cheap feel but i dont think they've actually been in the car...
Almost every bit of leather or vinyl that you can touch is soft, the "piano wood" plastic is actually very nice. In my opinion it has the best steering wheel in the segment when wrapped in leather with the red stitching. Mazda cheaped out in the places that you cant see and i praise them for it because it leaves you feeling special in what is supposed to be a compact economy car. They did not cheap out with the engine, gearbox, or chassis however because the car really is a sweetheart to drive.
I'm a very happy camper.

[CmanCorporations]

It's the little things like the FM problem that really need to be in more reviews.
Great review!

[ShowMeWhatINeedToKnow]

Thanks for the honest review.  Most car reviews feel more like advertisements.  I get the impression that reviewers are scared to mention anything negative, which is a serious disservice to their viewers/listeners.
So thanks for mentioning the bugginess with the FM reception.  Too many reviewers don't make mention of a car's flaws -- which is what I want to know about before I plunk down my hard earned money.  Unfortunately, a person only notices certain quirks shortly *after* they buy it -- and then it's TOO LATE!!!  It's much better to know about these things before hand, and they should be mentioned in reviews WAY more often.  Cars are seriously expensive these days and manufacturers shouldn't rush a car to market with all kinds of horrible bugs.  Some of the things I've heard about the stereo in the Mazda3 make it sound like the software was in an alpha (not even beta quality) state before release.  If I was an owner I'd be seriously mad.

[bboucharde]

This is a great, professional review, much better than some American car review channels that spend a lot of initial time with useless, time-consuming content, music, humor, hijinks, etc.  This Canadian review channel is all business, with no BS.

[mula]

The title should say 2014 Mazda3 GT because the 2015 GT does have an available manual transmission.

[selfishcrab]

Your reviews are some of the most interesting car video reviews on youtube.  The highlighting of the 12:1 compression ratio of the regular gas was a good tidbit, and the ability to prefer the 2.0 to the 2.5L engines as a sensible option.  Great job.

[TheAdventureAuto]

Great review. One of the most reliable, sporty, feature packed cars in the segment. I test drove many of the competitors and settled on the Mazda. I traded in my 2013 Hyundai that was already falling apart. The new Elantra GT was so much slower even with better power to weight. Mazda's new engines are about the power curve and hits peak numbers very low in the range which makes them much quicker in daily drives. Also averaging 36.1mpg for my first 22k miles. My Hyundai with a 1.6L averaged 29. Saving me tons of money and no more repair bills either.

Thanks for the review.

[ojeder]

i like the review in your video. i need the negatives and downsides to the car so i can compare to other cars that im considering (especially common trends/problems). i just hope a review on the car based on long-term reliability would come into play someday, which is key for my decisions in the near-future. Thanks!

[wwk]

Excellent review and I appreciate your honest opinion vs. the 2.0 model

[mula]

I have the 2014. I don't have any problems with the FM radio. No fading in or out.

[day]

I live in Toronto and the FM is excellent, near CD quality. I have the GT

[xp]

I never noticed the FM radio sounding the way you describe it, I own a 2015 Mazda 3 GS. It sounds clear for me and there is no fading in and out. There are some settings that you can change to make the volume increase and decrease depending on how fast you're driving, like it would on BMW's.

[Jayfro]

Just bought a 2016 mazda 3s touring model for 23.8k and MSRP 26.4. For sure worth it for the power.

[shawnrcurrie]

Good review and youre correct about it its high price.

[sanjogar]

I've seen and read other reviews of this car and they all agree that it isnn't worth the extra money.
The car looks fantastics: bith hatchback and tihs sedan.
I like almost all of your reviews.

[Edvard]

You can scroll to your favorite radio stations with the steering wheel control on the left. Don't notice any problem with FM reception though.

[cilvrado]

He's probably right about the FM reception. I test drove the Mazda3 and though I did not give attention to the FM reception, I did see the lights in the cabin flicker/dim and brighten whenever I turned on the AC or operated the windshield wipers. I think it has something to do with the battery management. I test drove the Golf too and that car seems much more well built to the point that you could feel it. There's no problems with the Mazda when it comes to driving dynamics though.

[samuraifugitivo]

I paid us 19990 for my 2015 gt 2.5 mt sedan (yes sir, in my country you can get the gt sedan with manual transmission, totally japan made) full leather, moon roof and non bose stereo. Very good torque (i believe because of this engine mounts could prematurely fail) fantastic ergonomics. Requires a little wider tires, a sporty exhaust and a better intake. Who cares the radio (only for news), bluetooth sounds more than ok (try spotify and you wont go back to fm anymore). Mpg is bad, im getting no better 15 lt/100 kmts (ok, happy feet driving).