It's been awhile.....I've moved on from BMW

[AzNMpower32]

I know I haven't frequented this board much in the last few months, but I thought I'd check in after taking delivery of my new 2014 Mazda 3 hatchback. I'd actually swapped with my parents back in mid-May, so that was the last time I drove my X3......in the interim I had the 2006 325i which is a downright brilliant car in the mountains.

Back in May, I made the decision and ordered the Mazda 3 GT w/Tech Package (Astina trim in Australia). In North America, there aren't a lot of hatchbacks to begin with, and my insistence on features like xenon headlamps and low CO² emissions and fuel consumption really whittled down the list to the Mazda or the Golf TDI. And honestly, I just got tired of waiting 2 years for the Mk7 Golf TDI. After 3 months, I took delivery of the Midnight Blue Mazda3 with just 10km on it.







It has a vastly improved interior over its predecessor, reminiscent of modern BMWs, especially with the MZD Connect interface that surprisingly intergrates well with the Nokia Symbian Belle OS on my phone. Being able to read SMS instead of picking up my mobile is nice, and all the safety and efficiency features reflect my preference for staying ahead of the curve in the automotive world. High Beam assistant, City Braking Assist, Forward Obstruction Warning, regenerative braking....and more. It's all there in a practical, well-built package.

Fuel consumption is rated at 6,1 l/100km overall on the ECE cycle and CO² emissions are a reasonably 143 g/km (my maximum is 160g). I immediately ditched the rubbish OEM tires and have been riding on ContiSportContact 5 SSR run-flat summer tires since Day 1. The automatic gearbox is quite good if not as good as the 8-speed ZF unit, and the engine is reasonably quiet, responsive, and efficient. I can see why it's perennial best-seller in Canada- 4th best for many many months now, and has helped Mazda grow in the double-digits in Europe (like +46% in Germany)

I still believe BMW makes some of the best cars and my X3 had 280k km (176k mls) on it when it was let go to a relative in New York City. It was clean, ran very smoothly, and was a joy to drive through all sorts of conditions. Hopefully I will be back in the BMW fold someday......when I can afford one of their diesel wagons or hatchbacks.