So after all the questions and looking around, we decided on a '07 Axela sedan (swmbo likes the sedans)
It's a 2 litre sport (yeah right lol, don't know how or what Mazda class as 'sport')
We picked it up last Thursday and then took it for a day trip to Welly & back on Monday.
I must say, it's a great small(ish) car and ideal for what we (she) wants.
BUT,
Have found the road noise a bit high but will work my way through that with tyre choices.
Suspension is firm. However i can live with that.
Finally my main gripe is the SILLY auto wipers. If the screen in front of the sensor has anything at all in front of it, slight road dirt film or a smudge of any kind they just behave madly.
Have found a "reset" for them so will clean the screen (when it stops p*ssing down here) and reset them to see if they behave.
All in all very happy with it.
tamarillo,
Jul 4, 3:23pm
I found a couple of import ones i tried had totally different feeling suspension than NZ Mazda 6, much firmer, too firm for our roads IMO, yet not very good damping. And they were even noisier than the Mazda 6 which was already known as being a bit noisier than others. What sized wheels and section tyres? A change can change it hugely, I went from 18 with 35 to 17 with 55 and the ride and noise was much better on that car, an older BMW that would have had 16 I think as new.
stevo2,
Jul 4, 3:42pm
I never had any probs with the auto wipers, they were great. You can turn them to manual if you like. They do have quite a bit of road noise, We ran GT Radials, Nexen and some other brand that I have forgotten, they were all noisey. Ours wore 215/45x17 although 205/50x17 are factory fitment on the SP23. I understand the lower versions with 16" rims and a higher profile are a little quieter
brapbrap8,
Jul 4, 3:47pm
It's a small car, they are all noisy unless you spend lots more on a quality euro.
ceebee2,
Jul 5, 9:04am
I agree as I also owned a NZ Mazda3 and the road noise with frequent trips from Auckland drove me to trade it on a brand new car. Despite test driving the new Mazda3 and others, Mazda have not fixed the issue enough to convince me to buy it. I test drove several cars in the same class on the same noisy piece of highway and the Mazda was the noisiest of all.
gunhand,
Jul 5, 9:36am
Good for you, Yea bloody modern tech for ya. Who needs auto wipers and auto lights and other crap. I have some of these in my car in the off position. If you can't see it's raining or decide when lights are needed then driving shouldn't be you thing. Ad as you said half these things don't work when you want them too or work when you don't. HOWEVER, it could be useful for those "drivers" who are so focused on "driving" they can not remove their hands (or sometimes just a finger flick) from the wheel to perform such functions as it will disturb their hard fought "racing line" on the road.
trogedon,
Jul 5, 9:47am
Manual or slushbox?
dublo,
Jul 5, 10:04am
What they really need is an automatic indicator switch. If they could invent a sensor connected to what passes for many "drivers''' brains which detects which way they intend to go it would save a lot of frustration for everyone else on the roads!
fordcrzy,
Jul 5, 5:21pm
i dont mean to sound harsh, but road noise and firm ride are the two main well known faults of the mazda 3. no point changing tires it'll still be there. maybe invest in some dynamat instead.
ceebee2,
Jul 6, 8:35am
+1 totally agree as new good quality tyres made little difference.
saki,
Jul 6, 8:42am
Mazda sp23 awsome firm aftermarket suspension auto this auto that, magik after hopping out of my MK2 cortina GT.
vtecintegra,
Jul 6, 8:48am
Tyres do make a difference - it's never going to be a quiet car but some models are definitely worse than others
family007,
Jul 6, 9:44am
My car is noisy with tyre choices as well. My partner suggested its the tread pattern on some tyres being quite open.
_peas,
Jul 6, 4:33pm
Just bought the wife a 2007 Axela and very happy with it. It is the 1.5 as she's usually sitting in traffic on her commute anyway and has enough get up and go for her. What we found with a bit of research was that the Axela had a fairly significant upgrade between 2006/07. This included suspension changes and road noise reduction. Ours is great on the open road, very quiet and comfortable. 14" wheels may have an impact on this however.
trogedon,
Mar 18, 9:21pm
Tyre noise in late model cars. first world problems. turn up the radio.
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