Car and driver mazda3 vs focus svt

Ss carlisimo mentioned, there are a lot of better competitors for the mazda 3 than the focus st. And anyone who has ever had to pack up a car knows every little bit helps. Pick the pebble you want to fling from the white line, and the focus will point you there. Ford claims the 2005 focus zx4 st, with its 151horse, 2. An interview with four fireballs that tip their hats to the lower tax.

Mazda3 sport gt sporty, compact hatches do fierce battle, but only one can come out the victor. It might not have the power or flair of a brandnew focus rs, but youll get a heck of a lot of car. And yet many new compact cars, such as the honda civic or toyotas new 2020 corolla, still fit a. Compact sedan comparison of 2005 mazda3 5door, 2005 mitsubishi lancer ralliart, 2005 mini cooper s, 2005 scion tc, 2005 ford focus zx4 st. What does the mazda 3 and ford focus have in common. All three have good fuel economy, excellent safety, are affordable to keep. Onetime allies, mazda and ford fight for the compactcar crown.

Ive highlighed the good and bad when autocrossing this type of ford focus. Turn off the stability control and youll find that mazda doesnt have anything to hide. Where the new ford focus really pulls ahead of the competition is in terms of cargo capacity. That package adds leather seats, led lights, a headup display, floor mats, and navigation. Since its introduction to the north american market in the mid1970s, honda has sold millions upon millions of this venerable model. Which to purchase mazda 3 sport gt vs ford focus st. 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. Forums car conversation cars by make chevrolet corvette comments on. 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. Jan 19, 2008 ive been looking for a car, and i am currently considering the mazda 3 and honda civic. On the resale side, predicted fiveyear residual values are just 29 percent for the focus versus 28. Ford svt focus, mazdaspeed protege, nissan sentra ser spec v the featherweights. Its a compact car that can be enjoyable to drive when you want, or it can be smooth and quiet.

The mazda 3 has been redesigned for 2019, and its taken a hard turn toward luxury. Used ford focus is fun to drive and not very expensive, but is it reliable. Forget allwheel drive with electronically controlled differentials. The 2019 mazda3 has a high starting price compared to most vehicles in our compact car rankings. Aug 10, 2015 the mazda3 is a drivers car, like the ford focus and volkswagen golf. Both are decent in crash tests so thats not so much of a problem.

Compare rankings and see how the cars you select stack up against each other in terms of performance, features, safety, prices and more. Inexpensive, simple to operate and easy to drive, the focus is offered in hatchback. The best car from the drivers perspective is the golf, with some caveats, such as the occasionally lazy engine and hesitating transmission. 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 center console has a deep tray ahead of the cupholders, and then theres the center bin between the driver and front passenger. Looking for a hatchback with good gas mileage to buy new. The focus sedan and hatchback were last significantly refreshed in 2015, with. In order to get a better look at the mazda 3, we invite you to get behind the wheel for a test drive get a feel for the 2016 mazda 3 hatchback in birmingham al for yourself. Im currently stuck between a mazda3 grand touring, volkswagen golf tdi, and ford focus st.

Who knows, one day when i win the lotto i might get an aston martin and the svt focus would be. The steering always lets you know what the car is doing without being uncomfortably heavy and the car responds quickly to. Ford focus hatchback for sale new and used price list april 2020. Its hard to choose which car is the best for you if you dont know that much about the competition. Toyota corolla vs mazda 3 vs ford focus which car should i buy. Both cars are available in fourdoor sedan and fourdoor hatchback models, but the fords model range is a bit wider. Compare msrp, invoice pricing, and other features on the 2012 ford focus and 2012 mazda mazda3. 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. We think the svt focus adds up to a pretty good deal. But as an everyday commuter car, drivers should find the accommodations quite comfortable. But theres no way to deny how much fun this car is to drive.

The official car of senior skip day and the churning white froth of teen apathy and the crisis that. Not a lot of fuelefficient compact cars are much fun to drive, especially in base form. To quote a proverb, it is more fun to drive slow car fast than a fast car slow. 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. The first time that i prefer the look of the sedan vs. Toyota corolla vs mazda 3 vs ford focus which car should. 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. Chevy cruze, ford focus, hyundai elantra, mazda 3, vw jetta comparison test car and driver. The car also benefited from suspension and chassis upgrades, including a. Hyundai elantra v mazda3 v toyota corolla v ford focus drive. In 2005, the svt was replaced by the ford focus st version, featuring a. The mazda 3, however, does have an edge on looks and sportiness compared to the fuel efficient and reliable civic. The 2016 mazda 3 and 2016 ford focus hatchback are two of the top performing hatchbacks around, but that doesnt mean theyre made equal. 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.

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. Select make, acura, alfa romeo, am general, aston martin, audi, bentley, bmw. The svt trim level is fairly rare and comes with goodies like a highcompression engine, a stainlesssteel header, a sixspeed gearbox and stiffer springs. 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. I test drove a few mz3s the other day and today i drove a zx3 with the 2. When youre in the market for a compact car, the 2018 mazda3 and the 2018 ford focus should top your list of options. We have put this comparison together to show you why the winner of the 20 mazda3 vs. Both are modified slightly, st also running 93e85 mix with a tune. Compare rankings and see how the cars you select stack up against each other in terms of. I was just wondering what everyones opinion was on the cars mentioned above. 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. The compactcar market has come a long way from the days of the dreaded economy car.

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. 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. The mazda3 was redesigned for 2014, including the suspension and steering system.

Select your favorite drive out of available 3 cars and make your dream come true of buying. Read on for a detailed look at the features and specifications offered by the 2017 mazda3 hatchback and 2017 ford focus hatchback. After watching this video, youll know exactly what to expect. 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. The compact car segment is one of the most competitive in the auto industry. Compare rankings and see how the cars you select stack up against each other in. 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. It weighs in at 2892 pounds, or 107 pounds less than the ford, an advantage evident in curves. 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.

Originally posted by ucdchan hmm i kinda like having comparo in the thread title. Chevy cruze, ford focus, hyundai elantra, mazda 3, vw. 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. After dominating the hot hatch segment in north america for years has the mazdaspeed3 finally met its match in the european inspired focus st. Focusing on a focus ford svt focus project car updates. See who wins this headtohead matchup between the 2019 mazda3 and the 2018 ford focus. Aside from corporate hot rods such as fords svt focus, compact. 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. 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. Modern compacts are packed with the latest tech features, have highquality materials, are fuel efficient, and have more dramatic styling than ever before.