Youthful, affordable, and luxurious

I recently purchased a 2006 Mazda 3s Grand Touring edition 5-door. Although the entire process was laborious, and my salesman could not have been much worse, after a 4-week wait to get the car, the wait was actually worth it.

Before I continue, I should state that my last car was also my first car - a 1992 Buick LeSabre Custom Edition. I also test-drove the Scion tC, and chose the Mazda over that for a number of reasons:

Interior room - I'm about 5'11", and sitting in the Scion, I couldn't adjust the seats well enough to fit comfortably. Once I took the time to adjust everything on the Mazda 3, there was plenty of headroom. The 5th door locks and opens like any other door with the key fob, and space seems sufficient. The rear seats fold down, and the shelf is removable for more space if necessary. There is also some "tray" space above the spare but under the top cover in the hatch. As my salesman put it: "to hide your stash". Yeah, but I think it can be useful when transporting something you don't want to shift, as the compartments looks as if they hold items in place well.

Affordable luxury - I purchased the Mazda 3 for $20,500 before tax and tags (a price I quoted to the dealer, and one that he had to fight me on, but I ended up keeping it). The Grand Touring edition comes with full leather interior, and heated front seats. That is one feature that is incredible in the winter. If you haven't tried heated seats yet, they are an option that is well worth it. I purchased the Strato Blue, which looks sharp with the black leather interior.

Awesome sound - I don't mean "awesome" as terrific or great; I mean "awesome" as actually being in awe. The 7-speaker 222-watt Bose in-dash 6-disc CD-changer is awesome. The sound is incredible, and really fills the car. The tweeters are up high on the pillars, and the door speakers provide excellent sound quality. The seventh speaker is located under the passenger seat. The audio system came along with the moonroof as an option package.

Gas mileage - On my first tank of gas, with some city and some highway driving, I averaged about 24 mpg. Not bad on a 5-speed automatic, considering my old car was in the low-to-mid teens in mpg. How do I know what my mpg was? The Grand Touring comes with an Info button on the console that displays current mpg, average speed, miles until your next fill-up, and more stats. Acceleration is quick.

The center display panel, just as in the Mazda 6, is the control center, displaying everything. Automatic features such as auto headlights and auto wipers really are a nice luxury. There are rain sensors mounted on the front windshield, as well as light sensors in the car to detect light levels (for the Xenon headlights). The only issue is that the automatic wipers aren't quite as fast as they need to be at times, but are still luxury-car material.

The climate control features are wonderful. You can set the temperature automatically, and the air system will heat or cool the car to reach the desired temperature. All of the controls, for the radio, climate system, etc., are within easy reach, and can be accessed easily while driving.

Handling is very good, and it takes corners very well. 17-inch alloy wheels really grip the road, and disc brakes all around provide excellent control.

There is also a slapstick manual included on the s Grand Touring automatic. I haven't used it yet, but would like to get a feel for it. There is a digital gear display in the instrument cluster to help in gear shifting.

Other interesting features included are a Tire Pressure Monitoring System, Security System, Automatic Volume Level control (for highway driving), radio controls on the steering wheel, tilt AND telescoping steering wheel, and cruise control. There is even a bottle holder on the door, perfect for holding a water bottle without spilling. Many of these features you would expect to find in a luxury car. It'll take a few minutes to get all the settings right, but you're assured of a comfortable ride once you have everything adjusted to fit.

The only major option I didn't get is the DVD-based navigation system. For the extremely luxurious. Sirius satellite radio is also an option, as are various moldings and exterior options. Different cargo mats and nets are also available. You can build your own at www.mazda.com.

I've owned the car for one week now, and have done some distance driving with it. I'm more than happy with the car, but the dealership and sales staff really caused more hassle than necessary. If you're in the Philadelphia area, I would stay away from S*ssman Mazda/Hyundai, since the run-around I got was really unbelievable.

I received 4 years (48000 miles) of free roadside assistance from Mazda, as well as (I'll have to really investigate this one) free state inspections for as long as I own the car. The bumper-to-bumper warranty seems very fair.

The only downside I see so far is no MP3 capability, but the Bose system makes up for that. I had power seats on my LeSabre, which I don't have now, but the seats are still comfortable and easy to adjust. It's a fun car to drive, although it was a hassle to get. My salesman said "Well, the car is just too popular, and I'm having a hard time getting it." Well, he was right about one thing - it is a popular car, and very well rated. If you're considering a new car, I would highly recommend test-driving the Mazda 3.