Car and driver mazda3 vs focus svt

Onetime allies, mazda and ford fight for the compactcar crown. Its a compact car that can be enjoyable to drive when you want, or it can be smooth and quiet. What the mazda3 gets right the mazda3 starts things off with a sporty body and a chassis that carries the soul of a sports car, giving it unexpectedly precise handling for an economy car. Mar 03, 2015 over the years, ford has been working hard to repair the focus s image, but has it done enough to overcome the mazda3 s head start. None of the popular choices honda civic, toyota corolla, nissan versa, ford focus, chevrolet cruze, volkswagen golf match the driving experience and design of mazda3 for me. The compactcar market has come a long way from the days of the dreaded economy car. On the resale side, predicted fiveyear residual values are just 29 percent for the focus versus 28. I regularly detailed the car, and the interior was absolutely mint, but even after giving up and having the hatchback professionally repaired, the rust had taken root. Hatchbacks are known for their practical cargo area, but how do various hatchbacks compare to each other. Once close allies, mazda and ford fight for the compact car title. Aside from corporate hot rods such as fords svt focus, compact.

The center console has a deep tray ahead of the cupholders, and then theres the center bin between the driver and front passenger. Select make, acura, alfa romeo, am general, aston martin, audi, bentley, bmw. Aug 10, 2015 the mazda3 is a drivers car, like the ford focus and volkswagen golf. Originally posted by ucdchan hmm i kinda like having comparo in the thread title. The ford focus is a new breed of small car that combine european design and small car luxury with great gas economy while the mazda3 combines a. To quote a proverb, it is more fun to drive slow car fast than a fast car slow. But theres no way to deny how much fun this car is to drive. The best car from the drivers perspective is the golf, with some caveats, such as the occasionally lazy engine and hesitating transmission.

An interview with four fireballs that tip their hats to the lower tax. Forums car conversation cars by make chevrolet corvette comments on. What does the mazda 3 and ford focus have in common. It weighs in at 2892 pounds, or 107 pounds less than the ford, an advantage evident in curves. Chevy cruze, ford focus, hyundai elantra, mazda 3, vw. Ford focus hatchback for sale new and used price list april 2020. Compare rankings and see how the cars you select stack up against each other in terms of. Forget allwheel drive with electronically controlled differentials.

Since its introduction to the north american market in the mid1970s, honda has sold millions upon millions of this venerable model. The mazda 3 has been redesigned for 2019, and its taken a hard turn toward luxury. Toyota corolla vs mazda 3 vs ford focus which car should i buy. The svt trim level is fairly rare and comes with goodies like a highcompression engine, a stainlesssteel header, a sixspeed gearbox and stiffer springs. The official car of senior skip day and the churning white froth of teen apathy and the crisis that. We have put this comparison together to show you why the winner of the 20 mazda3 vs. Hyundai elantra v mazda3 v toyota corolla v ford focus drive. The 2016 mazda 3 and 2016 ford focus hatchback are two of the top performing hatchbacks around, but that doesnt mean theyre made equal. A forgotten hero that will make you money with the arrival of the brazenlyblue and incredibly drifty sensation known and the 2016 ford focus rs, all that i have been able to. By charles krome small car partners in the past, the blue oval and the former zoomzoom brand now compete against each other in the compact segment with the 2016 ford focus and 2016 mazda mazda3, both of which follow the popular strategy of offering both hatchback and sedan body styles. Inexpensive, simple to operate and easy to drive, the focus is offered in hatchback.

The car also benefited from suspension and chassis upgrades, including a. Ive highlighed the good and bad when autocrossing this type of ford focus. Focusing on a focus ford svt focus project car updates. Innovative infotainment systems in the form of mazda connect on the mazda3 and sync 3 on the focus.

A slightly biased oneman comparison test the furious blue hot hatch is a wildly capable car for its price. I know that the civic is 100% honda, but i want to know what part of the mazda s. Im currently stuck between a mazda3 grand touring, volkswagen golf tdi, and ford focus st. Once corporate siblings the mazda3 and ford focus have now gone their own ways so we ve brought them together again for a family reunion of sorts. That package adds leather seats, led lights, a headup display, floor mats, and navigation. The mazda3 was redesigned for 2014, including the suspension and steering system. In 2005, the svt was replaced by the ford focus st version, featuring a. Where the new ford focus really pulls ahead of the competition is in terms of cargo capacity.

While the svt focus might not be a financial success for ford it is an absolutely success in terms of attracting car enthusiasts back to the ford brand and the other brands under the ford empire. Not a lot of fuelefficient compact cars are much fun to drive, especially in base form. Both are modified slightly, st also running 93e85 mix with a tune. C1mca isnt that different, the mazda 3 is still based on the earlier version of the c1 platform, yes, but its not like the new focus is as big a leap from this mk2 euro focus as it was from the three sub revisions of the original c170 platform that stayed here for a decade past its sell by date. Compact sedan comparison of 2005 mazda3 5door, 2005 mitsubishi lancer ralliart, 2005 mini cooper s, 2005 scion tc, 2005 ford focus zx4 st. Select your favorite drive out of available 3 cars and make your dream come true of buying. I was just wondering what everyones opinion was on the cars mentioned above. A midcycle refresh came in 2005, bringing updates to the interior and exterior, plus a sporty new zx4 st sedan to replace the svt model. Take a look at modern compact vehicles and things look drastically different from 10 years ago.

We think the svt focus adds up to a pretty good deal. The steering always lets you know what the car is doing without being uncomfortably heavy and the car responds quickly to. There are quite a few compact cars to choose from in this genre, but three we would recommend given your circumstances would be the ford focus trend, the mazda 3 maxx, and the toyota corolla sx. After watching this video, youll know exactly what to expect. Read on for a detailed look at the features and specifications offered by the 2017 mazda3 hatchback and 2017 ford focus hatchback. And yet many new compact cars, such as the honda civic or toyotas new 2020 corolla, still fit a. But as an everyday commuter car, drivers should find the accommodations quite comfortable. Pick the pebble you want to fling from the white line, and the focus will point you there. Its hard to choose which car is the best for you if you dont know that much about the competition. Compare msrp, invoice pricing, and other features on the 2012 ford focus and 2012 mazda mazda3.

Compare rankings and see how the cars you select stack up against each other in. Used ford focus is fun to drive and not very expensive, but is it reliable. I test drove a few mz3s the other day and today i drove a zx3 with the 2. As with the focus, the 3s finest attributes are its suspension and chassis. Who knows, one day when i win the lotto i might get an aston martin and the svt focus would be. After dominating the hot hatch segment in north america for years has the mazdaspeed3 finally met its match in the european inspired focus st. Both cars are available in fourdoor sedan and fourdoor hatchback models, but the fords model range is a bit wider. The 2019 mazda3 has a high starting price compared to most vehicles in our compact car rankings. Chevy cruze, ford focus, hyundai elantra, mazda 3, vw jetta comparison test car and driver. It started at the airport in detroit when a representative from honda, which builds one of the cars in this comparison test, stole our boarding. Ford svt focus zx5 fords inhouse gofastlookgood group svt special vehicle team has a way of bringing out the best in any vehicle on which it lay its hands, and the focus is no exception. Ford svt focus, mazdaspeed protege, nissan sentra ser spec v the featherweights. Toyota corolla vs mazda 3 vs ford focus which car should.

The first time that i prefer the look of the sedan vs. The focus st satisfies performance fanatics who cant afford the trackready focus rs or want more power and practicality than the terrific albeit tiny ford fiesta st. The mazda 3, however, does have an edge on looks and sportiness compared to the fuel efficient and reliable civic. Throughout the model run the focus zx3 and zx5 rusted in the same places under the trim piece on the hatchback and the rear bottom corner of the rear passenger door frame. Compare rankings and see how the cars you select stack up against each other in terms of performance, features, safety, prices and more. The mazda3, redesigned just last year, is one of the most elegant compact cars on the market, and unlike many others, its a lot of fun to drive.

When youre in the market for a compact car, the 2018 mazda3 and the 2018 ford focus should top your list of options. Looking for a hatchback with good gas mileage to buy new. The 2020 mazda 3 isnt the most fuelefficient compact car, with some rivals cracking an eparated 40 mpg on the highway, but its realworld mpg exceeds those. Mazda3 sport gt sporty, compact hatches do fierce battle, but only one can come out the victor. The 2017 ford focus and 2017 mazda3 are two of the sportier entries in the compact car segment. Ss carlisimo mentioned, there are a lot of better competitors for the mazda 3 than the focus st.

The compact car segment is one of the most competitive in the auto industry. All three have good fuel economy, excellent safety, are affordable to keep. Ford claims the 2005 focus zx4 st, with its 151horse, 2. And anyone who has ever had to pack up a car knows every little bit helps. The focus and mazda 3 both perform well, with a sportier driving. Turn off the stability control and youll find that mazda doesnt have anything to hide. Both are decent in crash tests so thats not so much of a problem. Modern compacts are packed with the latest tech features, have highquality materials, are fuel efficient, and have more dramatic styling than ever before.