Had my Audi stolen, may need to replace it, trying to decide between the Mazda3 and the Impreza. Other than AWD favoring the Impreza, any clear winner here? The Mazda is quite a bit cheaper, a big plus, and better on gas mileage, but I'd love to know how it performs in snow conditions.
Hi, KLS, my son has a '99 Impreza so I hang out here as well as the Audi group..... The Mazda3 is certainly a lot better looking than the Impreza, regardless of which year Impreza you're looking at.....! In
90% of the conditions, front-wheel drive is as good as AWD - I had VW Jettas for years and never had any issues in New England or Upstate NY winters, using all-season tires only. Personally, though, I always seem to have to be somewhere in that other 10%, and I like knowing that basically nothing is going to stop me. And the extra security AWD brings makes me feel better about my son's safety when he's driving.What type of Impreza are you looking at? I suspect the WRX can be found in your price range. That's a very nice car (but no A4, certainly).
Dan D '99 Impreza 2.5 RS (son's) '04 A4 1.8Tq MT-6 (mine's) Central NJ USA
I should tell you that we had a small snowstorm today, and I drove the Mazda3 manual tranny in it and was quite comfortable and satisfied with the performance. It skidded around a lot less than the 99 OBW wagon we have, and that's largely because of the traction and stability control built into these cars. Very impressive, and entirely satisfactory for my needs at this point, I think, given that Subaru is going to cost a couple grand more and has a mushier shifting feel than the Mazda. I think I'm sold on this car.
The Mazda is a LOT more reliable! You wont have to worry about blowing headgaskets and a shitload of other poorly designed problems.
Perhaps it is, but Mazda3 is not cheaper at all!
Maybe if you are comparing the 2.0L engine model, then it could be a grand or so less, but if you compare apples to apples, that is Mazda 2.3L with a base model Impreza, which is similarly equipped, and for 2008 is priced very competitively, then Subaru wins- both cost pretty much the same. Edmunds gives invoice of 16,800 USD for both 2008 Mazda3 s-model and Impreza base model.
The differences read: you get AWD and 15 hp stronger engine for Subaru, but give up rear disk brakes- base model Impreza has drums, and Subaru engine is not DOHC like Mazda, but a more docile single overhead cam.
My preference would be the Impreza, but I must admit the Mazda3 is very close, and far better looking.
Check the $$$ numbers for yourself at edmunds.com I may have missed something:
Having had experiences with both brands, my opinion:
Subaru gives you a bunch more hardware for the money. Subaru feels sturdier. Subaru all wheel drive a plus in the snow. Mazda experience much better than Subaru, i.e, no wind noise on the doors, no headgasket issues, no slipping tranny, no noisy lifters, better fuel economy, no rear wheel bearing issues, etc. etc.
Good luck!
KLS wrote:
I've owned Subarus since 1978 but in 2004, after much research and a test drive I bought a Mazda3 Sport. It was peppy, cornered like on rails, looked good, was a reasonable price, and had lots of nifty gizmos like rain sensing wipers and an immobilizer.
But the more I drove it, the less I liked it, and after 5000km ended up totally hating the thing. Taking a loss, I traded it for a 2005 OBW
2.5i and have never regretted it.Some of the many things I disliked about the M3:
I could go on...
Conclusion: Buy a real car - a Subaru!
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