gen1 more hatchbacks
gen2 slightly more sedans
Haven't seen any gen3's except for 1 sedan.
Preference:
Gen2: hatch >>>sedan
Gen3: stock sedan >>> hatch. The rear end on the stock hatch feels like it's missing something...like a large spoiler. However, once you lower the hatch and throw on the aero kit (like the SEMA concept hatch) I prefer the hatch over the sedan.
Hatchback seems more practical, but the sedan looks better because the shape seems more balanced. As someone mentioned previously, adding the wing helps the look, but doesn't the increased drag negate the practicality? Or does it actually make it slip through the air better?
Given how small the wing is and the fact that it doesn't replace the original, I doubt whether there is any functionality. My guess is that it disrupts the air flow more and thus makes the car less aerodynamic. It certainly adds a small amount of weight. I would add anything in the back to reduce how dirty the hatch gets, but I haven't heard this helps much.
I'm disappointed at how the sedan lacks the versatility it could have had, had they built it like the first gen 6.
But also worried about the plastic trim on the hatch, and how it would rub on the metal and make the hatch rust in 6-8 years. It is a Mazda after all, and I'm not fully convinced about them solving their sheetmetal issues.
I am not sure what sheetmetal you are referring to but recently my Gen1 was in a hail storm for like 15 minutes straight where the hail was the sizes of small coins & it came out with no damage.
On a 8 year old car, that was amazing to see.
Yes there are some small nicks that have rusty microscopic spots on my car (looks like dust!), but that's just me not putting touchup on bare paint on it when it happened.
I would have got a sedan if they simply decided to have exposed dual tailpipes for the 2.5L. I like the hatch a lot though- there's really nothing else like it.
I went with the hatchback. I liked the looks better than the sedan, plus for us it's more practical. Sometimes I have to move awkward size objects, and the hatch makes that a bit easier.
The plastic trim doesn't come close to touching metal on the hatch model. It's adjacent to the (apparently too small) spoiler, which is plastic.
Of course I live in a climate where cars die from old age or neglect years, usually decades before rust takes them-- Japanese cars included.
Also, hatch. Had the car come only in sedan, I probably would not have considered a 3. It's just that simple. To grudgingly consider a sedan in this segment, I'd have to go through every single hatch and rule them all out first. Several competitors with a hatch aren't as nice, but probably would have been acceptable. Then there's the problem of the 6. If you're buying a sedan anyway, the 6 is painfully close to the 3 sedan in pricing, isn't too much bigger, offers a stick, and looks more aggressive from the rear.
Not to say the sedan doesn't look good, but a hatch was one of my priorities and when the new 3 came out it was like WOW that's pretty cool. Throw in everything else I was looking for and the M3 hatch was a no brainer for me.
Plus the wagon has a strong Alfa Giulietta vibe, but with an interior that cribs the Germans. With an engine that unfortunately shames what the Giulietta's likely to have it ever comes over to the states, that made the wagon that much more desirable
Im starting to feel like the sedans rear end is more hatch like if anything. The super short trunk and angle of the rear window make it feel like such.
What I am curious is the hatch's rear window visibility because in my sedan its a pain backing into spaces due to the height of the rear seatback/bench;shelf parcel/angle of rear window. I am thinking the hatch may be easier to navigate into a spot when reverse parking.
But despite this, I still prefer the sedan more but the hatch looks good too.
The front blind spots for me are much more troubling than to the rear. The rear view mirror really ought to be much higher up, and the fat A-pillars necessitated by rollover standards aren't helping.
It's funny - I always thought that with my 2006 3. For awhile I had the mirror reversed up, then I finally put it down and forced myself to get used to it.
Let me chime in here. Either option is fine. They are both the same cars. There are functional reasons and aesthetic reasons you can use. I chose the hatch because I carry things and that is the better option. I happen to like a mini-crossover look, but that is just personal choice. The sedan is slightly better proportioned and is 4 inches longer -- and you don't have a messy hatch all of the time. If there is no functional need to carry something, then stand back, look at the two side-by-side, and choose. I don't think you can go wrong either way.
I bought the sedan cuz its lighter, has better drag coefficient, cheaper, I kinda liked the sedans look better(back then, now, dont care) and generally hatchbacks can be a bit louder on highway.
If I was shopping now, I think I was leaning more toward hatch Bcuz of practicality. I mean if I choose to buy a TV, with the sedan I need to make a stop at uhaul, or stay under 32inches or so (which is a monitor size these days)
The 2014 hatch better looking than the 2013 and earlier hatches but we liked the sedan better and went with that. The last fews years the back end was improved with the longer and narrow tail lights make it look much better. Like a tinier butt, as my wife put it. And of course the Soul Red !
hatchback gets my vote . Its great mazda offers both options and the hatchback doesn't feel like an addon like the others. Only wish they added some buttons like on the sedan(hatch open on keyfob and drivers, plus one click fold down)
I like hatches, as my last car was a hatch. I think the only time we really used the cargo space was when we bought a 65" TV and when we hauled a Christmas tree.
However, I believe the sedan got the looks this time around so we chose that.
My 2013 hatch is the 5th car I've owned (all purchased new at the dealer). This is my first hatch - all others were compact sedans (same class - my first car ever was an `89 323). I decided to try a hatch for practical reasons - looks aren't bad either. Only time will tell, but I have no regrets. I have noticed, however, that visibility is a bit less in my new car than what I've had in the past.
Hatchback. The sedan just looks like a shrunk and inferior "poor man's" Mazda 6. On the other hand, to me, the hatchback looks better than both the 3 and 6 sedans. Also, the sedan version seems like an afterthought for the last gen Mazda 3, which it seems they designed as a hatchback first.
I am generally not a fan of small sedans. I like the sedan configuration for bigger cars. More often than not I find that for compact cars hatchback is the best configuration, both for looks and practicality.
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