Mazda 3 (BL) - If you're after a small car, you'd be MAD to ignore it | ReDriven used car review

This week we jump behind the wheel of the Mazda 3 (BL). Spoiler alert, it's pretty damn good.

Did we miss anything/ Let us know in the comments and don't forget to subscribe to stay up to dat with all of our latest content!

00:00​​​​​​​ - Intro
01:29 - What is it?
03:06 - How's the exterior?
04:12 - How's the interior?
06:50 - How's the tech?
07:53 - Is it practical?
09:56 - What goes wrong?
13:06 - Is it safe?
14:33 - What's it like to drive?
16:56 - How much is it?
17:46 - Fuel use, warranty & servicing
18:21 - Should you buy it?

#mazda
#mazda3
#review

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At ReDriven, we’ll be taking you through the pros and cons of a huge range of used cars to see how well they’re going now that they’re a few years old, have thousands of kilometres on the clock, and are coming toward the end of their warranty, or maybe don’t have one at all.

Plus, thanks to our resident mechanic, Jim, you’ll find out what commonly goes wrong with them and what might need to be fixed.

Most importantly, we want to make ReDriven a voice for the most in-the-know used car experts there are...you guys.. See, you’re the ones that actually buy, live with, love and sometimes unfortunately hate the cars we’ll be reviewing.

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We’d love nothing more than for you to give us as much feedback as possible, so we can make this channel the best it can be.

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[ReDriven]

If not the Mazda 3, what car would you pick in the small car category?

[dustingd]

US 2011 Mazda3 owner here. Original and only owner, i bought mine clean off the lot in 2011 and still own and drive today in 2023. Basic maintenance has been key but the one hiccup i did not expect was a TCM failure. If you dont know what that is it is a small metal device that houses a computer chip that allows the engine to communicate to the tranny. Over years the heat warps and melts the TCM because of poor placement. I had to have my TCM shipped to a special shop in Atlanta to refurbish the part because brand new ones were unavailable due to "supply chain shortage". Anyhow, my 12 year old Mazda3 with 120000 miles is purring better than ever.

[fifafanatic]

My mum had a 2010 neo that she later passed onto me and it was the best car I've ever had. It did over 270000kms and never needed anything done beyond servicing. Absolutely brilliant car and I still regret to this day getting rid of it.

[jimmypittsburgh]

I have a Mazda 3. It's a 2009. It was made in Japan. I have had zero problems in all that time.

[jkavja]

From experience, common issues for the BL Chassis Mazdas:
- Belt tensioner tends to fail
- Leaking boots (caused by deterioration of the rear taillight seals)
- Eventually, the brake light switch will go
- Engine mount as mentioned

For maximum enjoyment? Lighter wheels and high-performance summer tyres.

[Hugh_Jasssss]

I bought my 2006 Mazda 3 Hatchback in 2017 with 42k miles. She's up to 110k miles as of June 2024 and running beautifully. I see tons of old Mazda 3s on the road. There must be a reason why... Great car!

[MrMecabih]

I have one from new but hatchback. Absolutely brilliant sexy looking machine. Never ever let me down in last 11 years of service, the only repair was a clutch at 115k (it’s manual) and no extra repairs other costs other than wear and tear, tyres and service. Love it

[alpacamybags]

Ahh I had one of these throughout university. Great little car, really no major issues. One thing to note if you get one with the skyactiv engine - you are likely eventually going to have to deal with carbon buildup issues. I had mine cleaned at ~100k miles after the check engine light came on and it was like a brand new car after.

[tiernanv]

2012 sp25 manual, owned since new. Done about 90, 000km and have had 0 issues. Great car

[Cathom]

Having watched a couple reviews I gotta say, you guys give a great mix of thorough review details whist not wasting any time, and you’ve given at least some realistic reason for a person to buy each of the cars you’ve reviewed over their direct rivals . I would love to see a review on the Rb1 Honda Odyssey or the J31 Nissan Maxima in the near future. Convinced a new subscriber today

[samyeomans]

Loving the extra jokes and information you’ve added into this one. Car reviews can be boring but this is funny but also informational. Perfect car review channel. Good job boys!

[RotaryNate]

These things sold like crazy for many years so fantastic to see they are holding up. I can only imagine all design/engineering deficiencies will have been exposed by now with many examples hitting 300, 00+ km. We'll be seeing these on the road for many years to come.
With examples getting to that price point now where these are becoming the second car/run-around/hack/station car. Care and servicing tends to be drop in priority, but sounds like these are likely to handle that well.

[dhaninel]

I own a 2012 5 door model. I’ve had no issues so far - not even a flat tire. Fun to drive.

[benhubert]

Another exceptionally researched, unbiased, and delivered review ReDriven! Loved my BL SP25 hatch as I was lucky enough to buy one as my first car. I’m sure the cheat sheets cover this, but ensure that the recalls have been completed on this vehicle (seat lifter link and rear boot struts). Another note is that in 2010 (I think) Mazda actually changed the service intervals to 12 months/10, 000km as opposed to 6 months, and just be aware, if buying, that the cabin air filter and brake fluid are recommended to be replaced ever 40k kilometres or 2 years (whichever comes first), the engine air filter every 60k or 3 years, the spark plugs every 120k, the engine fuel filter (for the BL Series 1) every 120k (or 150k for the Series 2). The 120k service is the most expensive on the Series 1 (just under $1, 000 due to everything being replaced, at the dealer), and the 150k service for the Series 2 is just over $1, 500 (at the dealer) as the fuel filter is trickier to access and a more expensive part to buy. With regards to the sticky dashboard, Mazda did release a Technical Service Bulletin extending the warranty to 10 years (from the original warranty start date) with which they replace the dashboard free of charge (it also has to be within a certain VIN range). If your vehicle is exhibiting this sticky dash, and it’s outside of the extended warranty period/VIN range, a call to Mazda Customer Care is worth a try as Mazda Australia are normally quite accomodating if you present a compelling case. By far and away the most reliable, solid, and fun cars I’ve ever owned. Not to mention it’s cheap to buy, run, and maintain. I hope this helps someone, working in a Mazda dealership service department has its benefits when it comes to this information 😂

[anakinskywalker]

I have a 2013 BL series 2 neo sport
With a the six speed manual & a spoiler on the back. This is hands down the best car I have ever owned. I have had it since new I have done 145, 000kms it hasn’t missed a beat. It still has the original clutch. I haven’t done anything to it. Only normal stuff change the battery & a new set of tyres.
I would buy one of these in heartbeat you would be foolish to ignore it.

[jezza_]

Great video guys!
I have a 2013 SP25 hatch and it’s never missed a beat, it’s such a good car to drive. And from both personal experience of driving it every day and what others mention too, the transmissions in the manuals are fantastic!

[shijikori]

the big goofy smile is what i'd buy mazda for. sad we don't have it anymore

[richardeycken]

My partner has a BK Mazda 3 with 270k on the clock, and you know what, it’s an awesome little car!
It’s an auto sadly, but still a really good thing to drive, even after 18 years!
Bloody well done Mazda!

[WorksOnMyComputer]

I like that you got dressed up to do the interior review of the car, while keeping a more casual outdoorsy look for the exterior filming.

[neonnoir]

The 2013 version also had blind spot monitoring with the tech package and it's been a very reliable system for the past 6 years.