trix Vs madza3 5 door

[bowlofturtle]

Hey guys, i'm looking for more space and better gas mileage. i went from a 4 banger 3rd gen camry to a 98 maxima. I loved the power gains and the aftermarket support, Its not as big as a honda but its still bigger and better. Well now i'm looking to give my maxima away to my parents and picking up a car in the $15,000 range give or take. I'm now looking for a peppy engine, since i got used to my v6. I recently wanted a more roomier car because i'll be traveling from detroit to chicago often and gas mileage plus cargo room is needed. If anyone knows much on the madza3 sedan VS a trix please give me info


I'm mainly worried about gas millage my max was 25mpg on 93 octane, camry was 27 on 87octane. I heard trix's are about 30-35 on 87.

Is there a lot of room? I know they have the fold down rear seats but are they easy to bolt on and off as well?

hows is the aftermarket support? its TRD treatting the trix good? when i had my camry was there was nothing really. unless you swap it out.

How is the clutch on those cars? This will be my first manual. i've driven manual about 5 times in my life. takes me a couple of tried to get used to the car and then i really have no problems.

I'm not interested in the AWD version at all. What other cars was everyone looking at while they were shooping for a trix.


I'm in between both the madza and the trix. I dont know how madza is in quatilty and power. I know toyota has been known for majority of their cars hitting 200k miles and what not. I think the madza looks a lot smoother then the trix tho. Oh yea, also another car i was looking at was the Impreza wagon, eitehr WRX or base. not too sure on that.

I'll be test driving these cars out in the next couple of days and wanted everyones reviews on the cars. What are 3 things you love and 3 thigns you hate.

[thebarber]

a base or XR 5spd matrix will more than likely have better economy than a 3 wagon (which, at least in canada, are only available with the 2.3L 160hp engine)

in my xrs i get about 31.5mpg on the highway and about 25 in the city (but thats with intake and exhaust) - - though i found my mileage didnt get too much worse after the mods - - but the 30/40 city/hwy that was projected wasnt too too acurate from the get go

i think an unmodded XR would get about 35 hwy....in real life

the trix can hold more than a 3, which was why i ended up with a matrix....i can hold the musical equipment for a 3pc band in my trix and still have the front seats open....(thats with large speakers for the bass and guitar....)

- - though i dont really like the styling of the 05+ unless its slammed

in the end, for economy, id go for a trix....but a stock 3 looks better....

[BAM6I4]

I actually own both of these cars, lol. An 06 Mazda 3s hatcback with a 5spd and the 2.3l motor and a 2004 Matrix base with the 5spd. The matrix gets much better gas mileage, 40+ on the hwy, where as the the Mazda3 gets around 30ish. Should get better once its more broken in, only have 1800miles on the Mazda but 37k on the Matrix. The Mazda is MUCH more refined, quieter, FASTER, etc, everything better all around I think, except for MPG, but really not that bad. I bought the Mazda3 last month for $16,795, its got power everyting, 17" alloys, 5spd etc, and we bought the Matrix back in May of 04 for over $17k. My wife LOVES the matrix over my Mazda because of how much higher it sits, but I think she's crazy, lol.

[Trixter]

In my opinion, the 3 is more stylish (body-wise) from the get go, but the trix has better instruments. TRD offers the base and XR models the accessory of a very cool supercharger (sorry XRS owners :P). Btw...the supercharger is covered under warranty also In addition, although accessories are lacking in my opinion for the trix from TRD, but common accessories such as air intakes and strut bars they do offer. The trix in terms of mileage-wise I'm not sure how much mpg i get but on a full tank of gas (91 octanes), i get roughly around 460km before the fuel warning light comes on (mind you the fuel light comes on for a while before you totally run out of gas). Hmm...it really depends on your own preference on deciding which car to get because they really are two different types and styles of cars. One is a compact car while the other is a semi-wagon. The trix will definitely have more cargo room and passenger room than the 3 if you are concerned about that. However, with the budget you have you would have to consider which vehicle you can afford or willing to pay for more.

Do keep in mind:
Trix > 3 ------------------>reliability
3 > Trix ------------------>Stock performance

My 2 cents

[thebarber]

A. please try to fit a supercharger on your 06...
B. please try to fit a TRD intake on your 06....
C. youre throwing money away buying 91 if you have a 1zz

trix (base/xr) ---> economy and space
3 -----------------> style and performance

[MatrixXRS]

Originally Posted by Trixter

In my opinion, the 3 is more stylish (body-wise) from the get go, but the trix has better instruments. TRD offers the base and XR models the accessory of a very cool supercharger (sorry XRS owners :P). Btw...the supercharger is covered under warranty also In addition, although accessories are lacking in my opinion for the trix from TRD, but common accessories such as air intakes and strut bars they do offer. The trix in terms of mileage-wise I'm not sure how much mpg i get but on a full tank of gas (91 octanes), i get roughly around 460km before the fuel warning light comes on (mind you the fuel light comes on for a while before you totally run out of gas). Hmm...it really depends on your own preference on deciding which car to get because they really are two different types and styles of cars. One is a compact car while the other is a semi-wagon. The trix will definitely have more cargo room and passenger room than the 3 if you are concerned about that. However, with the budget you have you would have to consider which vehicle you can afford or willing to pay for more.

Do keep in mind:
Trix > 3 ------------------>reliability
3 > Trix ------------------>Stock performance

My 2 cents

It's okay, an xrs can still spank a s/c xr/base .

Originally Posted by thebarber

A. please try to fit a supercharger on your 06...
B. please try to fit a TRD intake on your 06....
C. youre throwing money away buying 91 if you have a 1zz

trix (base/xr) ---> economy and space
3 -----------------> style and performance

What he said .

[Trixter]

thebarber: Thanks for the valuable info you have provided me with. I was under the impression that both the supercharger and the TRD intake would fit my 06 since it is "newer." Please enlighten me with the reason why they both don't fit on the 06 and will fit on the 03. In addition, I choose to buy 91 octane even though its a 1zz engine because i figure that if i am only paying 3 dollars extra per tank of gas then why not buy premium? In the long run, I'm feeding more octanes into my engine and allowing it to run more efficiently by having less impurities in my fuel, so I feel it's worth it. If you were under the impression that my purpose of running on premium fuel is to gain horsepower then I can tell you that is not my reason. I prefer longevity and smoothness of my engine rather than performance gains. I just wanted to clear that up with you Thanks

[Super Matty P]

Just fyi, I am the admin of one of the oldest mazda protege/3 sites in the US. If you'd like to come by and get some reviews from 3 owners check us out

www.mazda3club.com

My name is "Roddimus Prime"

I've owned an 04 3S hatch and it was great. Very sporty, much more agile handler, much nicer interior. Also, if aftermarket is your thing then the Mazda should be a handsdown winner. There is already a good turbo kit on the market for it making 245whp @ 8psi on pump gas. It ran a 12.6 @ 109mph with a 1.9s 60'....all this for $3500. Not bad huih??

[thebarber]

good times for the turbo 3.....dang......very nice

trixster,
the trd intake and s/c wont work because you are drive by wire. and they only have ecu's from trd (for the s/c) for 03 and 04.....you could get a hydra ems or something to control the ecu....but itll replace the ecu entirely. im sure if you dont beleive me, you cant look on matrixowners.com to be certain.
as for the 91 octane....do what you want....its your money to throw away. but your 1zz is designed to run on 87.....the vvt will just advance or retard the timing because it wont be able to burn the extra octane. my roomate with a base 04 civic buys premium too.....and i cant convince him hes throwing away money either.....so i certainly dont expect to convince you.

[ksbrace]

Originally Posted by Trixter

In addition, I choose to buy 91 octane even though its a 1zz engine because i figure that if i am only paying 3 dollars extra per tank of gas then why not buy premium? In the long run, I'm feeding more octanes into my engine and allowing it to run more efficiently by having less impurities in my fuel, so I feel it's worth it. If you were under the impression that my purpose of running on premium fuel is to gain horsepower then I can tell you that is not my reason. I prefer longevity and smoothness of my engine rather than performance gains. I just wanted to clear that up with you Thanks

High octane fuel is not "purer" or "cleaner" than regular, is not "higher quality", and does not resist formation of deposits better, etc, and the only situation where it is in any way better for your engine is if your engine knocks or pings on regular. The thing that earns a fuel a high octane rating is that it is less likely to ignite on its own under higher pressure and temperature before the spark ignites it. They measure its tendency to ignite under light load("Research"), then they measure its tendency to pre-ignite under heavy load ("Motor") and they average those numbers ((R+M)/2) to get the number on the pump.

Higher compression engines NEED higher octane fuel because lower octane fuel would pre-ignite. Most of those vehicles have knock sensors and can adjust themselves to tolerate regular, but will in fact get better fuel economy on high octane. The 1zz engine is not like that, and regular is just as good for it as higher octane, but costs much less.

Years ago when fuel injection was new and found only on expensive high performance vehicles, oil companies only put the necessary detergents (to keep injectors clean) in their high octane fuels. As injectors appeared in more cars, the oil companies encouraged us to spring for the higher-priced fuels. But then BMW did tests and created report cards on fuels that clog injectors and Consumer Reports spread the word and almost overnight all octane grades got the detergents to avoid failing the tests. Some fuel companies continued to imply that their higher octane fuels were better for your car, and they were taken to court and fined by the US Federal Trade Commission for false advertising. But the misconceptions from that misleading campaign remain, and the fuel companies are happy about that.

[thebarber]

very nice ksbrace, ive sent this to my roommate.....but hes i know he'll be too stubborn to start putting 87 in his brand new, leased civic, hahahahaha

[Trixter]

thebarber: Thanks for your explanation, i understand now why the supercharger and intake will not fit in my 06. Haha...Toyota basically screwed the ppl who bought the trix after 03 then.

ksbrace: I agree with your the explanation you have given me and it makes sense to me now. However, perhaps you can give me some reasoning on why putting 91 octane gas in my 91 corolla actually increases fuel economy (i've tested numerous times while trying to control for driving habits) and performance (i feel a more smoother drive and more responsive)? Thanks

[thebarber]

ya, dealers are stupid and dont, generally, seem to know much about the cars theyre selling and usually tell you what you wanna hear...

i was told the trd intake would work for the 04xrs...but it doesnt.....technically.....but it CAN work as glaaber on mo.com has one on his.....

but if you want a decent, inexpensive intake, look at cosmoracing.com....big zee on mo.com has an intake on his 05 base (though i dont recall if its a SR or CAI) PM him - - the 05's and 06's are the same

[ksbrace]

Originally Posted by Trixter

ksbrace: I agree with your the explanation you have given me and it makes sense to me now. However, perhaps you can give me some reasoning on why putting 91 octane gas in my 91 corolla actually increases fuel economy (i've tested numerous times while trying to control for driving habits) and performance (i feel a more smoother drive and more responsive)? Thanks

I searched with google and found some descriptions of how some engines after they get high mileage may benefit from slightly higher octane. The theory is that there are a number of things that can "go wrong" with an engine to cause it to need higher octane fuel to run normally. Examples are: carbon deposits on the cylinder, or a timing problem, or a stuck exhaust gas recirculator (EGR valve). Each of these problems causes the engine to run better on higher octane fuel for a different reason, but what they have in common is that these failures cause pre-ignition or detonation. The engine knock sensor detects this and adjusts timing (and fuel mixture?) to compensate, and this hurts your fuel economy. If you fix the problem you will get good performance out of 87 octane again.

For example: Carbon deposits create hot spots that directly cause preignition. Or, a stuck EGR valve that doesn't redirect some exhaust gas to mix with the intake air when the engine gets hot will make for a hotter burn, causing either preignition, or, more likely, cause the flame front once started to burn in an explosion instead of a fast burn (detonation). High octane fuel counters these problems because it doesn't pre-ignite as easily (so it waits for the spark), and once it starts burning it resists detonation.

I had a 93 Saturn that would ping after driving it gently for a month or two on quiet back roads at 35-45 MPH. Moving to 89 octane fixed it temporarily. But 10 minutes on the highway in 3rd gear fixed the problem so I could go back to 87. Clearly I had carbon deposits, and the higher revs burned them clean. They used to call this an "Italian Tune-Up" because some high-perf Italian sports cars had to be run hard like this now and then to work properly. Techron fuel additive also worked, making the pinging go away over the course of one tank of gas in normal driving. Many fellow Saturn owners who didn't normally drive on the highway reported that the Italian Tune-Up and Technron both worked well to clear up pinging.

[thebarber]

nice write-up ksbrace

i dont think ill have a problem with carbon build-up in my car