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

Zoom Zoom!

6.5 years ago, I got my first car, Perodua Kelisa 1.0

It was fun driving it because of the small size and fast acceleration. However, the car is getting older year by year and the need of long distance travel is killing me.

With the increasingly number of accidents everyday, the lack of safety features in Kelisa is starting to give the cold chill. Especially whenever a big transportation passed by.

I did had a dilemma what car to choose.

Between Volkswagen Polo, Honda City and Proton Inspira at first.

Dad wasn't convinced enough on Volkswagen as their parts are expensive and after warranty maintenance will cost a bomb. 

As for Honda, I was more interested in Civic but the price exceed the budget hence the choice is City. The car was slightly under powered when I test drove it and the seat doesn't makes me feel like home. Plus the audio player does not have numbering. How can I pay so much and get no numbering player!

Inspira? Needless for me to say more about it. The word "Proton" says it all.

In the end, I gotten Mazda 3 1.6 Sedan instead. 

It has 5 years warranty + 5 years free maintenance *excluding brake pads, battery*

How cool is that when I just walk in and walk out without any payment :)

Zoom Zoom

After few weeks running this Zoom Zoom, here's my opinions on the car:

Exterior - Looks "ganas" at the front and big at the rear. Trunk was spacious to fit a lot of things though I'm yet to utilize it.

Performance - Slightly slower due to its 1.6 engine stored in a C Segment car chassis and part of it is 4 speed. However, once you reach 80-90km/h, you will feel the power is there. The suspension make the car do cornering easily but I can still feel the stiffness at the rear.

Features - 1.6 does not comes with full features such as auto-rain sensor, more information in MID or cruise control. The addition of reverse camera, multi-touch display, statistics calculation add some value onto the car.

Price - Couldn't complain much since I bought a C Segment car for less than 100k along with the promotion. Still how I wish that I could get the 2.0 version.

Day 2 - Macau/Hong Kong

Second day in Macau. Woke up pretty early and head to Wong Chi Kee for breakfast. It's famous for Dumpling Noodle.

Then we went to St. Paul ruins and Lover Lane. The ruins only left the entrance but inside it's a big area and there's a underground tomb. 

Later on, we pay Pousada de Sao Tiago a visit. It's a famous Portuguese hotel and won awards such as Pomme d'Or Award.

After all the sightseeing, it's time for us to leave the hotel and head on to the another side of Macau, the Venetian. First stop, the Fisherman's Wharf. The surroundings are very "rocky" as if it's in the Roman empire.

Next, the Venetian. The hotel was amazing and the shops are worth entering to shop. Lol.

Venetian's boat singer

We had Pork Chop Bun as our lunch @ Cafe Tai Lee Loi Kee

After lunch, it is time for shopping!

90% discount on lingerie

Lord Stow's Bakery

Portuguese Egg Tart

Manchester United Store - Biggest in Asia

Next, City of Dreams!

Hard Rock Hotel entrance

Flo Rida attire

We're @ Hard Rock Hotel, Macau

Abas and HR Hotel ambassador

The HR Hotel Tower

View of Venetian from outside

Finally after all the touring around Macau, we head to Taipa Ferry Terminal to board the ship to Hong Kong.

When we arrived, we first bought the attractions tix from Ding Ding Travel Agency and then went to Empire Hotel @ Causeway Bay for check-in.

Then it's time to do street exploration. First would be the Mongkok as it's one of the busiest district in HK.

Landed in Mongkok, Hong Kong

Tung Choi Street

Sai Yeung Choi Street South

Silver 

Mobile Ice-cream truck

Police truck, the same as we saw in television

Then we went to Hui Lau Shan for dessert and later on to Ladies Market & Temple Street. I find it almost similar to our KL own Petaling Street.