Bigger than it seems!

I am a big guy...6'4, 230, and this car still has plenty of room to give. I was skeptical about it but I couldnt resist when I took it for a test drive. This thing has more power than ever imagined and drives incredibly smooth for its short wheel base. There is definitely a lot more than meets the eye when it comes to space. The trunk is huge, and if you need more the rear seats flip down. Leg room is ample even for big guys like me, and the backseat is adequate for our kids and car seats. Its not the biggest backseat but its is more than enough. For a compact car the set-up and design is masterfully done for comfort. I have a 6 CD changer and a Bose sound system. The colors of the dash and controls at night are beautiful. The red background color of the controls and gages at start up, which turns blue afterwards, turned a few heads when I showed some friends. For $22,000 and a $330/mo payment, this car gives you plenty of bang for your buck.

The only con is have about this car, is about Mazda in general. I test drove the Mazda 6 and Tribute and all Mazda's seem to have something in common. The A/C unit is rather poor. The cold isnt cold enough (we live in Phoenix, Arizona...so A/C is a big deal for us here) and even at full blast it is not strong enough. The cold A/C seems to be cool or lukewarm at best. After walking around in 110 degree heat looking and test driving cars, the A/C just didnt do much to cool me down. The Mitsubishi Lancer I test drove had ice cold A/C, but the car just didnt have the attractiveness and lure of the 3. This is probably the only place on the car where it needs improvement. But with the rather small modest engine size, one may come to expect some weaker areas of the car.

Overall the weak A/C system wasnt enough to keep me away. And if you live in Arizona, the A/C is about the most important feature. But if I could do without a powerful A/C system, that speaks volumes about the rest of this car!