The non-GVC Mazda 3 is still an amazing car and definitely worth getting. However you should bargain with your SA for more rebate as RM9K is on the low side.

Happy Chinese New Year to all Chinese Mazda 3 owners!

If you stay in the Klang Valley festivals are the time when we enjoy driving our Mazda 3 on uncongested roads. This CNY I taught a tailgater a lesson which I hope won't be easily forgotten.

I was driving on the fast lane of the Federal Highway at slightly over 110 km/h just following the traffic stream. A Myvi came up behind me tailgating very close. I ignored it. There were cars in front of me moving at the same speed so I couldn't go faster anyway. Why should I change lane back and forth just to let the tailgater pass?

The Myvi continued to tailgate me for a long distance. Then I saw a traffic break on the middle lane which I could use to teach the fellow a lesson. I accelerated towards the car in front, the tailgater accelerated with me. When I was close to the front car I suddenly switched to the middle lane. I heard brakes squeal, the Myvi almost banged the car in front. No doubt the driving stability and electronic stability control of the Mazda 3 assisted me in executing the maneuver perfectly.

In retrospect I'm not proud of what I did. I don't care if the tailgater got into an accident but it will involve an innocent driver. So please don't copy what I did. Just ignore the tailgater or switch lane.

Later the Myvi passed me. It was a lady driver. Probably a very troubled woman.

You should be able to gauge the brakes for the M3 hatchback by test driving the sedan. They should share the same parts.

The brakes on my M3 sedan are certainly not mushy. It grabs linearly and then a lot when you press harder.

It is the same for every car if you bother to wind down your window and listen.

Both HS and GL have the same engine and body. Essential safety features are present in both models but HS has some extra gadgets. The GL even has reversing camera, the same infotainment display and bluetooth telephony unlike some other makes who give you smaller display and omit basic features.

Basically the GL is a good car with all the essential safety and convenience features already included. The extra features of the HS are really "extras" which are good to have but not essential. If you are not a gadget man the GL is good enough and saves you RM15K.

If you are a reasonably careful driver you should not need any of the i-activesense safety features. The Smart City Brake, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Land Departure Warning and Blind Spot Monitoring will help a careless driver avoid accidents but still not essential for alert drivers.

The reversing camera will help you to see oncoming cars as it has a wide field of view. Not all cars have RCTA or reversing cameras and drivers are doing fine. The method is to come out a little first so you can see the oncoming traffic.

If you are alert and not distracted you don't really need the i-Activesense features. They are really backup warnings in case the driver makes a careless mistake like reversing out straightaway without checking for traffic. Same for smart city brake. You should never need to use it unless your eyes are not on the road.

Tell your Dad to buy the Mazda 3. It will make him feel young again.

The test car has probably been thrashed left and right by aggressive drivers. The condition of the test car should not bias you to the quality of the car which is better than most other CKD cars.

My apologies for reading wrongly. If it is a second hand car you should be concerned about the error indications. A weak battery can result in i-stop error (a flashing orange i-stop icon) but that's about it. There should not be other errors which have nothing to do with the battery. You should tell the owner to get the battery replaced and the errors fixed before you make a deal. Make sure he replaces with a Q85 EFB battery designed for i-stop as ordinary battery subject to i-stop will leak and give you serious problem down the road.

This post has been edited by kluseng: Aug 19 2018, 09:45 AM

i think you can claim warranty if it is below 1 year old and less than 20,000 km.

If problem starting car battery is weak and due for replacement. Your SC is bullshitting you to avoid honouring the warranty. Try another SC.

Did you hit anything? There are marks there which suggest a hit.

This post has been edited by kluseng: Oct 25 2018, 04:07 PM

Depends on the colour. The cars are produced in batches by colour.

I really doubt it. Maybe 2020 at the earliest (with the old Skyactiv-G 2.0L engine)


This post has been edited by kluseng: Nov 29 2018, 09:33 AM

If no more CKD Mazda 3 the upside is that we may get the new Mazda 3 with SkyActiv-X engine faster through CBU.

The downside is that price will go up substantially.

CBU import can adjust quickly to demand.

Just to be clear Mazda 3 is already CKD here but somebody speculated that the CKD will be stopped. Mazda 6 is still CBU.

A 1.5L M3 for RM140K? This can't be true. It's like selling a B-segment car for a top end C-segment price or a basic spec D-segment price. If this is the price Bremaz need to charge for bringing in CBU may as well not bring it in at all because nobody will be interested.

This post has been edited by kluseng: Feb 25 2019, 07:49 PM

It's unlikely for an AWD Mazda 3 to be sold in Malaysia.

3 years is pretty soon to sell a car. Why are you selling?