Hey guys, I'm looking to buy either one and need your opinions on both. FYI, I don't care about the sporty aspect like how fast it can accelerate; mostly city driven. I mostly care about how comfortable a drive is for me and passengers as well as cargo space. Thanks
Mazda3 hatchback vs Toyota Matrix
- Thread starter DrunkWhenSober
- Start date
I owned a Matrix from 2003-2009. Really roomy for cargo space and rear seats fold completely flat for extra room. Friends used to comment that the rear seats had more room than my friend's Nissan Pathfinder. In terms of practicality, it was great. Keep in mind that the Matrix was built on the Corolla platform so expect Corolla levels of driving fun...which isn't much.
I use to own a Mazda 3 Hatch, the 2011 one with the 2.5 liter 4 cylinder. Plenty fun to drive but I disliked it after a while. Felt cramped, like everything is pressed towards the driver. I hated the driver side door pull, always felt it was too big and intruded on my space. Now I only buy cars without that door pull sticking out.
I had 2 people say to me as riders say its small as well.
I had 2 people say to me as riders say its small as well.
I used to use Modo car share before I needed my own car, and still have a membership. They have a dozen or more of each of those vehicles IIRC. I think it’s only $20 a month, or a $500 refundable co-op share (what I have)or something then a reasonable hourly rate as well as a flat overnight fee of $30/$40 with 200km included, think. Can’t think of a more economical way to get an extended test drive. I owned a mazda 3 and loved it. Sporty, low maintenance and reliable.
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I've driven both and prefer the Mazda. The Toyota feels like an appliance (use it and forget it), the Mazda feels like fun (I looked forward to it).
I was going to say Mazda 3 but you don't care about driving dynamics and all that good stuff. In this case, test drive both and see which one you like more. You may need an extended test drive to fully see if you're able to live with one or the other.
Case in point, I was thinking of getting the Fiat 500 Abarth few years back and decided to take it on a 24 hour test drive. Took it on the Port Mann for work and I immediately felt claustrophobic. it felt like the interior of the roof was caving in (I wasn't high or on anything lol). My preference was towards smaller cars but I decided against buying it after that incident.
Case in point, I was thinking of getting the Fiat 500 Abarth few years back and decided to take it on a 24 hour test drive. Took it on the Port Mann for work and I immediately felt claustrophobic. it felt like the interior of the roof was caving in (I wasn't high or on anything lol). My preference was towards smaller cars but I decided against buying it after that incident.
The dullness of the Matrix has completely turned me off of Toyotas for the rest of my life. I happily replaced it with a Subaru Impreza in 2009 and just two weeks ago traded it in for the new Mazda CX-30 GT. Maybe it's the novelty of a new car, but I love the new Mazda.
The Matrix definitely has more room. The 2004 was so nice the front seat flattened out flush with the other rear seats. Rear seat passenger leg room was great, and the seats when put forward was awesome for getting tons of room in the back seat for boning chicks. The drives was clunky, noisy when going over train tracks, I didn't like the clunky jerky transmission shifting. Since I did so much shuttling of junk in the trunk, that car was far more preferable that the Mazda on that point. It's a stubby kind of odd looking design. Totally reliable.
The Mazda is less spacious inside and more 'cramped' feeling, but far less utilitarian/appliance looking. The driving experience was far better, 2.3L, lotsa pep. The newest Mazda's that Modo supplies are nice. Gas mileage is about the same. The air filtering was better in the Matrix than the Mazda... ( its a little thing but I place a high importance on being able to quickly block off outside smells). It has a good solid attractive design that doesn't look outdated as time goes by as compared to the Toyota. I think Mazda has a better design sense.
After driving a Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, I really do appreciate the extra spaciousness and immense gas savings, so I would dump either Toyota or Mazda in a heartbeat for that car if I didn't care about having the hatchback so much. It really is great to be able to quickly jump in the hatchback at a stop light and grab something that would be impossible to do quickly with a non-hatchback.
The RAV4 AWD I liked a lot, sad to see that returned on lease. That still remains my top choice of car style.
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