If you are a new driver, whether that be a teenager who is just getting their license or perhaps an adult who is leaving the city for the suburbs, it’s easy to get bogged down on what car to buy. We’re here to make this easy for you, just get a Mazda3.
The Mazda3 in all its generations has remained a staff favorite and it seems to be the other Mazda that is constantly recommended to folks asking what car they should buy. I owned a 2010 Mazda3 manual hatchback for many years before upgrading to my GTI. Even though the 3 was a bit funky in the styling for that generation, it was an almost perfect commuter car.
A Better Balance Of Fun and Features
The two most obvious competitors to the Mazda3 are the Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic. Both of these are objectively good cars, but when comparing prices Mazda offers a little more car for your dollar if you happen to be shopping for something new. Moderately equipped versions of the Mazda3, Corolla, and Civic all retail for about $26,000, but the Mazda will give you something that feels a bit more upscale and sporty and a few more standard features.
Also for those of you who insist on buying a crossover, Mazda makes the CX-30 which is literally the exact same car as the Mazda3. So if you need a bit more ride height and plastic fenders, the Mazda3 is still the perfect car.
Better Powertrain Options
Earlier generations of the Mazda3 offered two engine options, both naturally aspirated four-cylinders in 2.0 liters and 2.5 liters of displacement. There was the turbocharged MazdaSpeed3, which is probably overkill for new drivers.
The current generation model uses the 2.5-liter as the standard motor making around 190 horsepower which out-muscles the base engines from its competitors. A turbo engine is offered on the upper trims for those who need a bit more performance. Mazda offers both front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive options for its compact model.
Unlike most of the competing models that transitioned to a CVT, Mazda stuck with the traditional torque converter automatic. And for new drivers wanting to change their own gears, an easy-shifting manual transmission was available in various generations.
The only real downsides to the Mazda3 are that there was never a hybrid option and some of its competing gas model cars have a slight edge in the MPG department.
A Better Used Car Value
When most shoppers look for a pre-owned import compact the default choices tend to be Honda and Toyota. The reason for this is pretty obvious, those brands have historically made quality cars that are known to last. However, due to the popularity of these brands, their depreciation curve on the used market isn’t as sharp, so buyers end up finding lightly used models that are almost as expensive as brand-new cars, or really used models at a lower price point but with a lot of age and mileage.
A good sub-$ $20,000 car is now harder to find than ever before, but there is a solid selection of Mazda3s in either body style with very reasonable miles. You can even find some nice examples under $15,000.
Of course, this isn’t to say that the Mazda3 is the only car for new drivers, there are many models that will suit a new driver just fine. However, if you are an inexperienced driver and don’t want to spend hours of research on the various brands and their offerings, just find the nicest Mazda3 you can afford.
Tom McParland is a contributing writer for Jalopnik and runs AutomatchConsulting.com. He takes the hassle out of buying or leasing a car. Got a car buying question? Send it to [email protected]