2012 Mazda 3 Hatch vs Ford Focus Hatch

[dutd33]

Hi Folks,

I'm in the market for a new car and I was wondering if anyone had experience with either the 2012 Mazda 3 hatch or the Ford Focus? I got to drive the Focus in Vegas (I even took it to the Grand Canyon) and I really liked the features in the car and the handling. I'm not quite sold yet on the reliability.

Thanks in advance.

[nabs]

i would say Mazda3 Hatch... its a lot bigger, there's a reason you see a lot more of them on the road than the focus, which I hardly ever see.

Anyone ive ever talked to that got a Mazda3 loves them.

[xerograv]

Wait for the new Focus ST to come here, it'll kick the Mazda off its rails. I don't like Mazda, you do see them everywhere, because they are cheap and rather popular, also, I'm biased, I love the focus, but before either of those, I'd go get a Fiat Abarth or the new Civic SI with the HFP package.

[Lomac]

We've got a large Mazda3 population on Revscene, so naturally the general slant is going to lean towards the 3. However, the Ford Focus is super popular in Europe for a reason, not to mention that it's outsold the 3 in North America as well. In Europe the Focus is regarded as a highly reliable vehicle, and since they're basically the same as those sold here, our models are typically quite reliable as well.

Personally I prefer the look of the Focus hatch over the Mazda3 and I also think it has a nicer ride as well.

[CorneringArtist]

Although I do like the 3 since I drive a second-gen myself, I like the styling of the Focus, but it was at a higher price point than the 3 despite the two cars sharing what is essentially the same chassis. Lots more standard goodies in the Focus though.

[snails]

i wouldnt worry too much about reliability, mazda is part owned by ford and they share alot of product between themselves, with that said, i do like the focuz quite a bit! plus they look better

[godwin]

Ford has reduced ownership to 3%, hence that's why Mazda is doing their own thing SkyActiv etc. The current 3 will be closest to its Ford cousins.. also the current Focus is no longer sharing platforms with the 3.

Originally Posted by snails

i wouldnt worry too much about reliability, mazda is part owned by ford and they share alot of product between themselves, with that said, i do like the focuz quite a bit! plus they look better

[FerrariEnzo]

i would much rather get the Fiesta over the focus

[Graeme S]

It's interesting that you bring this up, because this was a debate that my mom was having earlier this year.

Long story short, she'd owned her Mazda3 for 5 years, and had gotten a letter from her dealership that said "Guess what? We're short on used mazda3s and we want to buy yours for better than market value!"

So we went to Mazda to take a test drive on the new oh-twelve Mazda3 GT with tech package and all the toppings.

Car itself was very nice, and was essentially an updated version of the Mazda3 she'd bought before. It now has Radar at the rear to let you know that you've got a car in your blind spot (orange light on the rear view mirror), and a whole bunch of other decent gizmos--GPS, etc etc etc. It has lost some features, however: the 6-CD changer which was kind of a big deal for my mom. She's not exactly that big into MP3s.

the salesdude, however, was a total fuckup. He pitched blue book at my mom (despite the fact that the car had done 36,000km in 5 years) and then told her they'd take off an extra thousand for the fact that A) it had an ICBC claim (windshield/roof ribs replaced when a tree fell on it), and B) that she was a smoker.

So we walked out.

Then I pitched her on a Ford--the new '12s and up are now based on the Eurofocus platform, which is just a beautiful and amazing platform all around.

Focus has a bunch of nifty things on it that were not on the mazda: touch-screen controls for everything (phone/gps/ac/audio), speed-sensetive electronic power steering, two separate 12v plugs, and two USB ports. Oh, and a 6-speed electronically controlled manual transmission.

In the end, Mom bought the Ford. And I have to say, personally, I like the ford a lot more than I ever did the Mazda. Don't get me wrong, I liked the Mazda, but it was very much an A-to-B car. It had no personality. It was a decent, reliable, boring car. Normally, my mom names her car. But it took her almost 4 years to find enough feeling in it to give it a name.

The Focus, on the other hand--boom. Within the month.

Upsides to the focus (keep in mind she got the fully-loaded top of the line absolutely everythign you could possibly imagine):

Transmission. I cannot stress enough how awesome this transmission is. Every single goddamned time I've gotten into a car with an auto transmission, I have felt like some part of my driving and experience has been cut off. This thing (when placed in S mode) learns how you shift and when, and will adapt to it. And I don't just mean "it shifts more slowly or more quickly when you want to go slow or fast", no I mean it will actually downshift for you when you're decelerating down a hill or towards a red light. If all auto transmissions were like this, I could live with it. Hell, I could like it.

Touch-screen navi and stuff. My mom is old. She can't see well. This thing has a 7" screen (compared to the mazda's 4-ish inch screen), and touch controls. When we first bought it, the touch controls were a bit iffy, but they reflashed it soon after and it's much more sensetive. Now, if you're expecting iPad like sensetivity...think again. This is an entry level car. It is, however, very logically done. All the functions are broken into colour-coded quadrants; touch the corner that has the function you want and it gives you a detail view of what's what.

Handling. Since she got the fully loaded everything all in, it came with the 18" wheels and the sport suspension. My mom is hilarious sometimes.

You know, I was driving down Burnaby Mountain onto Gaglardi the other day, and when I turned the corner at the bottom of the hill, the car stayed...well, it didn't [imitates body roll], you know? Is that...that's the sports suspension, right? Well, from now on when I buy a car, I'm getting that.

Yep, that's my mom talking about how she hates body roll. At sixty-four. She's awesome.

Miscellany. Full-sized spare tire. Fully fold-down-able 60/40 rear seats. Lift the seats themselves, put down the seat backs, and you get a flat(ter) loading area. 5-level selectable heated seats. Dual-zone climate control. Integrated blind-spot mirrors in the rear-view mirror. Rear-view camera. Front and rear distance-sensing radar (it beeps if you're gonna hit shit). Self-parallel-parking (mom loves this. And yes, it's freaky the first few times. But you get used to it). Transponder key (just need to be in the car with the fob and hit the start button.


On an unrelated note, my mom got the 0.9% financing over six years, and also decided to get the extended warranty/extended maintenance. For about $6k, my mom has to pay absolutely nothing other than insurance or gas. Is it a waste? Maybe. But it gives her a ton of peace of mind. And it means if she's too lazy or tired or busy to take the car down to get it fixed up, I or anyone else can just drive down to Ford and be like "yo, this shit needs fixing" and then pick up the keys after. Not too shabby.


Downsides:
Sport pack comes with 18" wheels and summer-only tires.
Touchscreen is kind of finnicky, had it glitch once and it froze--took about 20 minutes for it to unfuck. Couldn't change the radio station, and I was lucky I knew where I was.
No HID. This is the only option that the Ford didn't have which the Mazda did.


I'm wracking my brain trying to think of more downsides...but I really can't. Anyways, if it were my choice, I'd go Ford for sure. Did the Mazda thing, liked it. Got the Ford now, love it.

[dutd33]

Originally Posted by Graeme S

It's interesting that you bring this up, because this was a debate that my mom was having earlier this year.

Long story short, she'd owned her Mazda3 for 5 years, and had gotten a letter from her dealership that said "Guess what? We're short on used mazda3s and we want to buy yours for better than market value!"

So we went to Mazda to take a test drive on the new oh-twelve Mazda3 GT with tech package and all the toppings.

Car itself was very nice, and was essentially an updated version of the Mazda3 she'd bought before. It now has Radar at the rear to let you know that you've got a car in your blind spot (orange light on the rear view mirror), and a whole bunch of other decent gizmos--GPS, etc etc etc. It has lost some features, however: the 6-CD changer which was kind of a big deal for my mom. She's not exactly that big into MP3s.

the salesdude, however, was a total fuckup. He pitched blue book at my mom (despite the fact that the car had done 36,000km in 5 years) and then told her they'd take off an extra thousand for the fact that A) it had an ICBC claim (windshield/roof ribs replaced when a tree fell on it), and B) that she was a smoker.

So we walked out.

Then I pitched her on a Ford--the new '12s and up are now based on the Eurofocus platform, which is just a beautiful and amazing platform all around.

Focus has a bunch of nifty things on it that were not on the mazda: touch-screen controls for everything (phone/gps/ac/audio), speed-sensetive electronic power steering, two separate 12v plugs, and two USB ports. Oh, and a 6-speed electronically controlled manual transmission.

In the end, Mom bought the Ford. And I have to say, personally, I like the ford a lot more than I ever did the Mazda. Don't get me wrong, I liked the Mazda, but it was very much an A-to-B car. It had no personality. It was a decent, reliable, boring car. Normally, my mom names her car. But it took her almost 4 years to find enough feeling in it to give it a name.

The Focus, on the other hand--boom. Within the month.

Upsides to the focus (keep in mind she got the fully-loaded top of the line absolutely everythign you could possibly imagine):

Transmission. I cannot stress enough how awesome this transmission is. Every single goddamned time I've gotten into a car with an auto transmission, I have felt like some part of my driving and experience has been cut off. This thing (when placed in S mode) learns how you shift and when, and will adapt to it. And I don't just mean "it shifts more slowly or more quickly when you want to go slow or fast", no I mean it will actually downshift for you when you're decelerating down a hill or towards a red light. If all auto transmissions were like this, I could live with it. Hell, I could like it.

Touch-screen navi and stuff. My mom is old. She can't see well. This thing has a 7" screen (compared to the mazda's 4-ish inch screen), and touch controls. When we first bought it, the touch controls were a bit iffy, but they reflashed it soon after and it's much more sensetive. Now, if you're expecting iPad like sensetivity...think again. This is an entry level car. It is, however, very logically done. All the functions are broken into colour-coded quadrants; touch the corner that has the function you want and it gives you a detail view of what's what.

Handling. Since she got the fully loaded everything all in, it came with the 18" wheels and the sport suspension. My mom is hilarious sometimes.

Yep, that's my mom talking about how she hates body roll. At sixty-four. She's awesome.

Miscellany. Full-sized spare tire. Fully fold-down-able 60/40 rear seats. Lift the seats themselves, put down the seat backs, and you get a flat(ter) loading area. 5-level selectable heated seats. Dual-zone climate control. Integrated blind-spot mirrors in the rear-view mirror. Rear-view camera. Front and rear distance-sensing radar (it beeps if you're gonna hit shit). Self-parallel-parking (mom loves this. And yes, it's freaky the first few times. But you get used to it). Transponder key (just need to be in the car with the fob and hit the start button.


On an unrelated note, my mom got the 0.9% financing over six years, and also decided to get the extended warranty/extended maintenance. For about $6k, my mom has to pay absolutely nothing other than insurance or gas. Is it a waste? Maybe. But it gives her a ton of peace of mind. And it means if she's too lazy or tired or busy to take the car down to get it fixed up, I or anyone else can just drive down to Ford and be like "yo, this shit needs fixing" and then pick up the keys after. Not too shabby.


Downsides:
Sport pack comes with 18" wheels and summer-only tires.
Touchscreen is kind of finnicky, had it glitch once and it froze--took about 20 minutes for it to unfuck. Couldn't change the radio station, and I was lucky I knew where I was.
No HID. This is the only option that the Ford didn't have which the Mazda did.


I'm wracking my brain trying to think of more downsides...but I really can't. Anyways, if it were my choice, I'd go Ford for sure. Did the Mazda thing, liked it. Got the Ford now, love it.

Thanks for the detailed response! I was wondering in the beginning did you have any problems during the break-in period for the clutch or tranny? I've been reading on some Focus forums that there's a break-in period where the car feels like it's going to stall when you start from a stand-still or stop at a red light.

[Graeme S]

Originally Posted by dutd33

Thanks for the detailed response! I was wondering in the beginning did you have any problems during the break-in period for the clutch or tranny? I've been reading on some Focus forums that there's a break-in period where the car feels like it's going to stall when you start from a stand-still or stop at a red light.

Yeah, they say it's a "problem", but as a manual driver myself I think it's actually just the computer being momentarily confused as it tries to learn what you want to do and kind of...hiccups.

The way it feels is like when you let out the clutch too fast and almost stall, but manage to get it back. I never really saw it as a 'flaw', exactly, but that's probably because most of the people who bought the automatic transmission were expecting a quote-unquote "real" automatic transmission, rather than a computer controlled double-clutch manual.

I actively like driving that thing. Whereas with the Mazda...I drove it.

Also, despite going from the 2.3L in the GT to the 2.0L in the Ford, in terms of driving feeling, there's no appreciable loss of power. Maybe if I took it to the drags and went up against an Mz3 I'd see what the differences are, but it does me well. Though the gearing with six gears may have something to do with it.

Actually, no. Scratch that. The only noticable thing is that in the Mazda when you let off the brakes it'd creep forward, but on the ford you have to lightly ease on the gas to move forward.

[k3mps]

I drove the focus twice at two different dealers.
The first time I went was when dealers first took delivery of them.
My first visit was worrying because I asked the salesman if I could look at the car and possibly test drive it, and he returned and said "the car seems to be in the shop getting work done, it will be ready in half an hour".
Since I didn't half anything to do, I waited. Then he told me I could take it out.

My first impressions was that I thought the car looked amazing - both inside and out.
It handled well and had pretty good power.
I wasn't a big fan of the transmission though. It felt jerky at low speeds and a bit jerky in traffic (test drove during rush hour) which was a bit annoying.
I read that the transmission was updated though.
Now back to the worrying bit...CEL came on near the end of my drive.

I test drove the focus again when I found a dealer with a hatchback. The transmission felt the same. Like Graeme said it probably goes away but shouldn't be a problem anymore with the update. CEL didn't come on this time.

The 3's interior seems a bit more bland compared to the focus' interior but still a nice place to be. They are just as good handling and nice low end grunt. Gas mileage has never been a selling point for them though.

On a side note, I don't see focus hatchbacks very often.
I would've loved to get the Mazda 3 Sport GT with a 6sp manual.

Good luck with your hunt

[Graeme S]

Oh yeah. Should mention. Mom's is a Ti hatch with the tech & handling pack--so I don't know if the sedan seats fold down too.

Also, since she got tech, she also got a sub which takes up a teensy bit of room in the back on the right side. 'sall good.

[BrRsn]

at my summer job we had tons of fords and mazdas and i drove em all.

My favorite between the two is definitely the Ford Focus. After being rented, abused, and driven like hell for thousands of kms by hundreds of different people, the focus still felt brand new when you sat in it while the mazda 3 just felt beat up. The titanium is amazing, the features in it are above and beyond anything in its class. Get the focus and never look back!

[Great68]

Originally Posted by godwin

also the current Focus is no longer sharing platforms with the 3.

Both the current Focus and Mazda 3 use the Ford C1 platform.

[too_slow]

The Focus has a very tiny rear-seat, and the Powershift DCT is god-awful (They should take a look at how VW programs their DSG.)

What's your price range? Only asking because the Focus can go from 20-30k easily.

You may also look at the Hyunda Elantra GT. I really like that car for some reason. $21k gets you panaroof (only 5dr hatchback to offer this @ this price range), heated seats, 6spd manual, a some-what rev-happy DI 4 cylinder.

The 2.5 on the Mazda is a sweet , yet thirsty engine, especially around the city.

If you are thinking about the Mazda 3 hatch, you may also look at the base CX-5 FWD with the 6spd manual. It is better built, much quieter, and surprisingly fun to toss around for a cute-ute (not to mention much more rear/cargo space). In fact, I think the CX-5 has better handling than a regular Mazda 3

[Graeme S]

I can't comment on the new oh-twelve mazdas, but the '06 that my mom got had something of a cramped back seat. I'm 6' tall and I could never sit up straight.

The Ford, on the other hand, I have no problems. Now, since they do share a common platform it's possible the Mazda has improved, but I honestly couldn't tell you.

[k3mps]

I'm 6'1 and a 5"11 guy guy fit perfectly fine behind me

[hotong]

go with the mazda

[Graeme S]

Originally Posted by hotong

go with the mazda

Because.....?

[BrRsn]

^ because its revscene and 9/10 people are biased towards anything that's not USDM even if it is the better choice. In comparison to the titanium focus all the other cars in that price range feel cheap.

[k3mps]

If it wasn't for the fact that i come from a Mazda family,
I would've loved to get the focus in fact that was the car I initially wanted to get.
Depending on your price range, the focus HB does have a hefty premium over the sedan.
The 3HB is cheaper than the Focus HB so if you're looking for a HB, the price may or may not set you off a bit.
If performance is what you're wanting, I would wait for the ST. as sporty and fun as the 3 is with the 2.5, I would probably end up with the ST (disregarding mazda bias).

[m3thods]

Originally Posted by bonestock

If it wasn't for the fact that i come from a Mazda family,
I would've loved to get the focus in fact that was the car I initially wanted to get.
Depending on your price range, the focus HB does have a hefty premium over the sedan.
The 3HB is cheaper than the Focus HB so if you're looking for a HB, the price may or may not set you off a bit.
If performance is what you're wanting, I would wait for the ST. as sporty and fun as the 3 is with the 2.5, I would probably end up with the ST (disregarding mazda bias).

I went through this earlier this year. Coming from a family who previously bought a Mazda in 2005, I got a killer deal on my 2012. That said, if the prices were closer (option for option, my Focus was hitting close to 30k, where my Mazda was around 28).

That said, the things I loved about the Focus were the styling, both inside and out. The fit and finish of the Focus is miles ahead of the 3HB. The drive was more "comfort driven", and inside felt really plush compared to the 3HB. Spending 2 hours in a commute? I'd take the Focus for sure.

However, the auto transmission was wonky, and it only had a 5sp at the time where Mazda had the extra cog.

The Mazda "drove better", as in the handling was tighter and more responsive. Suspension was definitely stiffer so it wasn't as comfortable as the Focus. The new Skyactiv automatic transmission is one of the best auto transmissions I've driven (coming from a person who only drives econoboxes ). Shifts are smooth, only the slightest bit of lag, and the car downshifts on hills when braking (this could be a yay or nay depending on your outlook). To me it meant the car was always in a ready position to vroom vroom.

In the end it was a compromise between driving dynamics vs comfort. Of course price played a huge factor. However, price aside, I will still choose the prior. But that's just my opinion.

[EvoFire]

Looks are subjective, with quality, cost, fuel mileage aside, you need to test drive the car.

I think the Focus is a great car except for two things. I test drove the Focus awhile ago when it first came out and,
1, it has that wonky HVAC system that all Fords have that drive me insane. If you turn off the fan, the system is off, there is no circulation of air in the car. On my Toyota and my Mazda, even if the fan is off, if you put it to fresh air there is a ram air effect and you have some fresh air coming in. On the Focus you HAVE to turn on the fan and it bugs me.
2. I'm not sure why I have this problem as I'm not a small person. Not humongous mind you, but when I'm driving, I can't rest my arm on the door cause its too far away. Tiring on a long drive.

The HVAC thing is a serious break it deal. Even though the engine and tranny was great.

Oh and the Focus front seats feels more cramped than the Mazda does.

[Ronith]

If you decide to get the Ford Focus. Ensure you get X-Plan. It saves about a grand and admin fees are prohibited from being added on. Request a PIN here:
Ford X-Plan PIN Requests - Blue Oval Forums


Also if you have a Costco membership I beleive that is good for another 1000- off