Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Malaysia New Mazda 3 2014 Review

Almost 1 year I bought my Mazda 3, now they come up with the new design called "Kodo" design.
According to Mazda, the reason behind of the name is "it captures the very instant energy becomes motion. It’s the muscular beauty you see when an animal pounces, or when a human leaps into action. Everywhere you look, this dynamic poise is enhanced by elegant detail. The five-point grille, defining body lines and powerful stance all show our design philosophy in action". 


New Mazda 3 2014 Soul Red
Malaysia has received its amount of CBU units to be sold to customers, however there are mixed reviews from the users. 

To prove them wrong, I decided to personally take a look of the car and test drive it and boy, it caught me by surprise totally. So here's my small review of this new Zoom-Zoom

1) The pick up acceleration is exceptionally good considering this is a NA car. For a short 500m run, I managed to clocked 140km/h while cutting cars left & right to test on the steering.
2) The steering is pure feather light due to it is electric power steering. 
3) Air-conditioning is rather cold but not as cold as Proton.
4) The command center is a lovely add-on to replace conventional buttons. It will take some time to get used to it but it definitely looks cool!
5) Sound system is crisp clear with 6 speakers. Much better than previous version.
6) CBU units produced extra horsepower compared to the CKD units.
7) Cool looking DRL which I feel it is similar to Range Rover Evoque.

There are drawbacks as well.

1) The price for this unit is a little bit steep for most consumers in C-Segment. With Rm139,000, there are more choices to choose from unless they decided to go for CKD units.
2) 18" rims which lead to expensive tires when replacement time comes.
3) Lack of additional features such as auto-wiper, auto-headlight, dual climate control, leather seat, cruise control, power folding mirror & etc. But I believe it will be added in the CKD units. So I can say consumers need to give & take.

Conclusion: 
If consumers have extra moolah and fascinated with the exterior, this new Mazda 3 is worth considering. 
If consumers need more features, he/she should consider other options such as Kia Cerato or K5.

Speed cluster with RPM display and fuel gauge

Dashboard

Gear knob with command center

Rear view

Front view with DRL


2 comments:

Lance Gross said...

The Kodo design sounds terrific! It has all the essence of all Mazda 3, Mazda 6, CX-5 and CX-9. With a rocking style and performance, I’m sure it was a hit in the market. Thanks for sharing your honest review, and I hope your Mazda 3 in still in great shape. Good day!

Lance Gross @ Royal on the Eastside

Lance Gross said...

The Kodo design sounds terrific! It has all the essence of all Mazda 3, Mazda 6, CX-5 and CX-9. With a rocking style and performance, I’m sure it was a hit in the market. Thanks for sharing your honest review, and I hope your Mazda 3 in still in great shape. Good day!

Lance Gross @ Royal on the Eastside