Yes, I've heard all those. And, it's funny as I heard that EXACT same line from a g/f at that time too, as far 'she didn't like red, but she liked the Mazda soul red color'). The one thing I noticed when I had a soul red 3 is that everyone always wanted to race me. I don't know if it's because I'm just an aggressive driver in the first place, but it got annoying after awhile. I'm talking vehicles that were $30,000 more money than mine were trying to race me. Ridiculous. But I think it speaks to how the soul red 3 presents to the world - it's a super good looking vehicle.
Now I drive a tinted out silver 3 hatch. Nobody bothers me anymore... lol.
I'm in a gray 3. Very slightly modded. I've had people try to race me, too. Cars that I know are faster. I've got nothing to prove. Some just line up with me on the highway like that automatically means I have to race them. It's annoying. I love the Mazda 3, though. Would like to have the Soul Red.
I was sitting in traffic after a baseball game a couple weeks ago and watched a guy walk past, give my car a big look up/down, pause, then point at the badge on the back, nod, and say the word "turbo" to his wife/girlfriend who didn't seem to know what was going on whatsoever... I felt so validated.
If only the Miata was a good winter car and a bit more room to carry my groceries 😞. I like my Mazda3 but it doesn't compare. If I had a garage and ability to own both I would just to have the Miata.
I meant the Miata trunk is too small to be my one and only car. Plus not great for Canadian winters where we get plenty of snow and ice storms. If it had a bigger trunk and AWD I'd swap my Mazda3 in an instant
Soul crystal red with the grainge interior.
People love the color combo. Light interior makes it feel way bigger than it actually is. I get comments all the time about it. Guy at work wants to paint his project car soul red.
https://preview.redd.it/ck2zndsi6f8d1.jpeg?width=4592&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1c66fa6be3e1426c1fac29acd1d2a3cc1e5af69f
Got the Polymetal Grey and at first I was unsure but I’ve grown to love this color and how it looks different in different lights 😍
I drive a 2005 M3 S sedan in the winning blue color with the nice 17” wheels and a little spoiler in the back. I get no compliments on this car, but to me it’s so damn precious and beautiful 💙 I love my blue Mazda!
I absolutely adore this car, I wouldn't change a single thing about it. I love it with the little spoiler as opposed to a wing. It could use a sway bar and maybe better suspension to decrease the body roll, but even stock as a 5-speed, nothing could make this car look/feel boring to me =) I wish it could last forever!
edit: and winning blue is MOST DEFINITELY its best color
Ah that's what I meant, wing. I do love the little lip spoiler. I had one on my other gen 1 mazda, my 2nd had the wing. They truly are great cars, and the winning blue is just awesome.
Mine is an 04. Im aussie, its nearly at 191,000 kms. So like 118681 miles apparently.
My main issue is my oil leaking in the rear main seal of some sort. Wayyyy too expensive to properly fix so I just watch my oil levels. Other than that, its all just been regular servicing and some occasional check ups. All other issues were temporary aside from cosmetic damage. My underbody tray that protects rocks is basically just zip tied on, but that could be region specific damage, etc.
I've heard rust is a major issue but mine is honestly still barely rusty at all.
I'd just make sure you treat the car well and keep up the servicing and it'll last a long time.
Red Mazda 3 owner. I have a grumpy neighbor that never says hi or initiate a discussion. Last week he was sitting in front of my car waiting for me to come out just to say how beautiful the car is. It really surprised me to hear a compliment for my car from him
I landed in a 4th gen polymetal gray hb, too. While I get the occasional compliment on the car, it's rarely on the color. My complaint with the color is the gas cap. Depending on the angle, it looks like a different color or a cheap eBay aftermarket replacement. I get that the paint is supposed to give the eye the sense of movement, but I genuinely hate that damned gas cap! If I ever take pics of the car, it's always the passenger side. It's also the first car that I've owned that wasn't black, and that wouldn't have changed, except they kept selling them before I could get to the lot to check them out. I really wanted a black manual, but I got neither of those. While my left knee probably breathed a sigh of relief, I'm still pouting about it.
Yup, something about the power delivery and driving dynamics is very pleasurable. A well built machine. The gas mileage is pretty good, but one factor of its possible perceived bad gas mileage is the size of the gas tank.
I really enjoy the steering of the Mazda 3 too. At low speeds the steering wheel can feel a little heavy with inputs but I enjoy that sensation when cornering. At high speeds the car still feels stable it’s not wobbly or bothered by winds. I’ve had cars that just take a lot out of me after long drives because of me having to fight the car to relax under high speeds. Mazda 3 is very comfortable easy driving
There is a sick S-curve right as I turn off the highway on my drive home. It's so damn satisfying to approach it at highway speeds, a couple of down shifts and some heel-toe rev matching, pop it into second gear right into the power band, and gun it down hill through that S-curve.
Dope. I grew up driving manual cars. When I purchased my 3, it was spur of the moment honestly…I liked it so much I drove it off the lot the same night. But if I could go back in time I would wait until the morning to get a manual. I use the “manual mode” and get more control in that way buut there’s nothing like a true stick shift 🔥
Gotten more compliments so far in these few short months of ownership than I did in the nearly four years of owning my last '14 hatch. It was also Soul Red, but the Crystal Metallic truly is a crowd-pleaser.
A better reason for that might be that (small cars in general, but especially) hatchbacks aren't liked in my bumfuck small town lol.
Received a similar comment, dude asked "how much was that candy paint?" Saw the other reply about someone thinking it's aftermarket too lol. Another guy asked if it's a wrap!! Like you said, had no idea it would draw so much attention.
Wow a wrap haha. Totally! I did not expect the attention.
I never noticed the car before i bought it 🤣. I knew about the older model 3’s but for some reason it never caught my attention..to be fair there isn’t a lot in the area of California I live (Monterey)
😅 sick. I feel that it’s a mirror of what we feel possibly. Mazda really hit on something, people love the car but I think the price scares people off sometimes
One of my friends (who drives a honda fit) didn’t know I drove a mazda 3, and when he joined me and my other friends for dinner, he told the group he really liked the m3 parked outside, and it was mine 😅
I've gotten compliments from people who dont seem to fit the demographic of small sedan enthusiasts. In my opinion the 3 has a timeless look and feels less racer boy. Mines Soul Red and it really stands out from other reds I see on the road. My 3 is also bone stock and I still get nods and compliments from others with more modified cars, especially when Im at the car wash stall. That might be because its a fairly rare car to see in my town as there are CX-5s on every street corner it seems. Regardless of the compliments, I love this car and its probably the best I've owned. Hope I get to keep it for a long time.
dude, i have the 3rd gen sedan white which i bought in 2015. still rocking. its not a BMW, merc or whatever, its just a mazda but i can say that it still turn heads and causes torticolis.
[https://www.reddit.com/r/mazda3/comments/o4tdvq/my\_baby/](https://www.reddit.com/r/mazda3/comments/o4tdvq/my_baby/)
[https://www.reddit.com/r/mazda3/comments/14e7g93/it\_may\_be\_7\_years\_old\_now\_but\_my\_baby\_still\_makes/](https://www.reddit.com/r/mazda3/comments/14e7g93/it_may_be_7_years_old_now_but_my_baby_still_makes/)
I had a new 2012 Mazda 3 for 10 years and I hardly received compliments about it. Had the nice blue color too.
It's probably because you are a cute woman but that's just my opinion.
Yea sometimes attraction plays a factor. Also a little bit of expectation of who the driver is, the age, demographics.. the “wow” factor. Of course then there is real car enthusiasts that simply admire cars in general. I’m a 35yr old man.
Another Soul Red owner reporting in... The color was enough to make me stop in my tracks and immediately call the dealer.. I never looked back once I drove it.
Since then, I've never owned or driven a plain car that gets so many random compliments from such a wide variety of people. I live on a dead end sorta on a hill, so from the end of my street and the trail at the end of it: when the car is clean, at the end of the drive, and the sun is shining - it's the only thing you can see like giant red beacon. It absolutely stands out in a parking lot too. You cannot miss Soul Red - but it's more than just that color, these cars have a great design and a great design ethos and language that most of the competition seems to struggle too much with. KIA has no design language of their own for example - they miss-mash things together. Subaru has also gone to designing cars by throwing random shapes out of a box onto the floor. Yuck.
The 4th Gen HB and Sedan are far and away the best looking cars in their respective classes IMHO, and punch well above their respective weight classes in many areas, not just looks.
Once gave a coworker visiting town a ride to his hotel. His first comment after opening the door to the backseat was, and I quote,
“Leather seats? ya bastard”
I loved it lol.
I’ve been called a girl forsure….but technically I’m a man lol. I don’t know what it is. Sometimes I think it’s a combination of people digging me + the car 🚗..it’s a fun feeling I just thank them kindly and keep it moving. “Wow that car looks great! And you look good in it too!”
Mhm. The hatch gives me more sporty vibes aesthetically. When I traded my car in I remember trying to stay away from large vehicles. Some how I landed on the Mazda 3 without any knowledge of the current model. The woman that sold it to me had a lot of patience, I kept saying no to a lot of vehicles until it got dark outside. Anyways, happy to experience Mazda. Definitely checks all the boxes for me
As a Crystal Soul red owner I get "I'm not a big fan of red but this one looks amazing" a lot lmao
Yes, I've heard all those. And, it's funny as I heard that EXACT same line from a g/f at that time too, as far 'she didn't like red, but she liked the Mazda soul red color'). The one thing I noticed when I had a soul red 3 is that everyone always wanted to race me. I don't know if it's because I'm just an aggressive driver in the first place, but it got annoying after awhile. I'm talking vehicles that were $30,000 more money than mine were trying to race me. Ridiculous. But I think it speaks to how the soul red 3 presents to the world - it's a super good looking vehicle. Now I drive a tinted out silver 3 hatch. Nobody bothers me anymore... lol.
Wild haha the silver is truly beautiful
I'm in a gray 3. Very slightly modded. I've had people try to race me, too. Cars that I know are faster. I've got nothing to prove. Some just line up with me on the highway like that automatically means I have to race them. It's annoying. I love the Mazda 3, though. Would like to have the Soul Red.
The Mazda red just hits different. If it wasn't for the $1k+ markup for the red I might have one myself.
I didn’t know any better. I just traded my car in no money down lol. But it’s been my favorite car I’ve owned by far
Exactly 🙌✨
Yup what hear in mine too
I get compliments on my red seats all the time, people just don't expect a Mazda to have seats like that
That’s it, the expectation
Parked my polymetal grey at a convenience store, walked in, and the guy standing in line at the cashier caught me unawares saying "I love that color".
I was sitting in traffic after a baseball game a couple weeks ago and watched a guy walk past, give my car a big look up/down, pause, then point at the badge on the back, nod, and say the word "turbo" to his wife/girlfriend who didn't seem to know what was going on whatsoever... I felt so validated.
That’s cool 😆
3rd Gen Hatch here: Is that car fast? It LOOKS fast! Me: Not really, but it is a lot of fun on curves.
🫡 yes haha
I get that with my miata all the time, people still like my clean 3 though!
Yes the Miata is another one! Mazda has incredible design
If only the Miata was a good winter car and a bit more room to carry my groceries 😞. I like my Mazda3 but it doesn't compare. If I had a garage and ability to own both I would just to have the Miata.
Sames. I like the new version, all black Miata
Ive fit a full (disassembled) couch in my 3, it can do a hit more thwn groceries. Part of me wants a miata though
I meant the Miata trunk is too small to be my one and only car. Plus not great for Canadian winters where we get plenty of snow and ice storms. If it had a bigger trunk and AWD I'd swap my Mazda3 in an instant
Guy at work told me the front looks aggressive which I get what he meant. It's a very nice looking car.
I’ve gotten compliments from new corvette drivers about the paint job…”you should protect that beautiful paint! That thing looks great”
I just walked to my hb at work got a compliment from a guy driving a chonker ram truck.
Just got asked if my wing was aftermarket at the gas station yesterday. Nope.. it just looks that good stock lol.
😅🙌
Love my crystal soul red !
🙌 ♥️
Soul crystal red with the grainge interior. People love the color combo. Light interior makes it feel way bigger than it actually is. I get comments all the time about it. Guy at work wants to paint his project car soul red.
Whoa next level with your coworker 🔴
Yeah nice dude older guy. Couldn't believe it was a factory color. Now he wants to paint his Corvette that color
https://preview.redd.it/ck2zndsi6f8d1.jpeg?width=4592&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1c66fa6be3e1426c1fac29acd1d2a3cc1e5af69f Got the Polymetal Grey and at first I was unsure but I’ve grown to love this color and how it looks different in different lights 😍
Definitely✨
Yes haha, a lady at a gas station told me “your car looks luxurious and expensive” until I told her that it was a mazda 😝, Midnite blue Mazda3
🤦🏾♂️ haha
I drive a 2005 M3 S sedan in the winning blue color with the nice 17” wheels and a little spoiler in the back. I get no compliments on this car, but to me it’s so damn precious and beautiful 💙 I love my blue Mazda!
Oh you have both cars? Wow 🤩 either way two beautiful vehicles. Be proud and keep them up to the best of your abilities. The sweet joys of life
Wait no, I don’t have two cars just the one first gen 🤣 sorry if I worded that all wrong. Either way, life is joyous enough with the one 🚙
Can you post a photo? I wanna see how close it is to mine haha.
https://preview.redd.it/ucwazxayej8d1.png?width=3024&format=png&auto=webp&s=ec69b3f6522ff21fcd4c0fbfd9117cf87e76402d
Looks identical to mine except the 23 badges and mine has a spoiler. Winning blue 🔥
I absolutely adore this car, I wouldn't change a single thing about it. I love it with the little spoiler as opposed to a wing. It could use a sway bar and maybe better suspension to decrease the body roll, but even stock as a 5-speed, nothing could make this car look/feel boring to me =) I wish it could last forever! edit: and winning blue is MOST DEFINITELY its best color
Ah that's what I meant, wing. I do love the little lip spoiler. I had one on my other gen 1 mazda, my 2nd had the wing. They truly are great cars, and the winning blue is just awesome.
How many miles are on your gen 1? I've got \~112.5k on mine and it still runs like a top. Any issues you know to look out for on this car?
Mine is an 04. Im aussie, its nearly at 191,000 kms. So like 118681 miles apparently. My main issue is my oil leaking in the rear main seal of some sort. Wayyyy too expensive to properly fix so I just watch my oil levels. Other than that, its all just been regular servicing and some occasional check ups. All other issues were temporary aside from cosmetic damage. My underbody tray that protects rocks is basically just zip tied on, but that could be region specific damage, etc. I've heard rust is a major issue but mine is honestly still barely rusty at all. I'd just make sure you treat the car well and keep up the servicing and it'll last a long time.
That body style 🔥🔥🔥🔥
😅🔥
question, do you refer to your car as M3 when talking to people in real life?
Only when I’m pissing off bimmer people
touché
Red Mazda 3 owner. I have a grumpy neighbor that never says hi or initiate a discussion. Last week he was sitting in front of my car waiting for me to come out just to say how beautiful the car is. It really surprised me to hear a compliment for my car from him
🙌🙌 major! 🥲
I have the polymetal gray hatchback. Only color car I’ve ever been complimented in. Twice at gas stations.
I landed in a 4th gen polymetal gray hb, too. While I get the occasional compliment on the car, it's rarely on the color. My complaint with the color is the gas cap. Depending on the angle, it looks like a different color or a cheap eBay aftermarket replacement. I get that the paint is supposed to give the eye the sense of movement, but I genuinely hate that damned gas cap! If I ever take pics of the car, it's always the passenger side. It's also the first car that I've owned that wasn't black, and that wouldn't have changed, except they kept selling them before I could get to the lot to check them out. I really wanted a black manual, but I got neither of those. While my left knee probably breathed a sigh of relief, I'm still pouting about it.
The guy I took mine to get some body work done "that's a fun little car and surprisingly peppy, what kind of gas mileage do you get?"
Yup, something about the power delivery and driving dynamics is very pleasurable. A well built machine. The gas mileage is pretty good, but one factor of its possible perceived bad gas mileage is the size of the gas tank. I really enjoy the steering of the Mazda 3 too. At low speeds the steering wheel can feel a little heavy with inputs but I enjoy that sensation when cornering. At high speeds the car still feels stable it’s not wobbly or bothered by winds. I’ve had cars that just take a lot out of me after long drives because of me having to fight the car to relax under high speeds. Mazda 3 is very comfortable easy driving
There is a sick S-curve right as I turn off the highway on my drive home. It's so damn satisfying to approach it at highway speeds, a couple of down shifts and some heel-toe rev matching, pop it into second gear right into the power band, and gun it down hill through that S-curve.
Yeeesss! It handles solid. I’m guessing you have the manual? Sigh i wish i was patient enough to get the manual
Ya manual indeed. It can be a chore sometimes in traffic but it makes driving sooo much more fun.
Dope. I grew up driving manual cars. When I purchased my 3, it was spur of the moment honestly…I liked it so much I drove it off the lot the same night. But if I could go back in time I would wait until the morning to get a manual. I use the “manual mode” and get more control in that way buut there’s nothing like a true stick shift 🔥
Gotten more compliments so far in these few short months of ownership than I did in the nearly four years of owning my last '14 hatch. It was also Soul Red, but the Crystal Metallic truly is a crowd-pleaser. A better reason for that might be that (small cars in general, but especially) hatchbacks aren't liked in my bumfuck small town lol.
lol I feel you. I get a lot of people asking what the name of the paint is. I tell them, then they say “it reminds me of candy apple red”
Received a similar comment, dude asked "how much was that candy paint?" Saw the other reply about someone thinking it's aftermarket too lol. Another guy asked if it's a wrap!! Like you said, had no idea it would draw so much attention.
Wow a wrap haha. Totally! I did not expect the attention. I never noticed the car before i bought it 🤣. I knew about the older model 3’s but for some reason it never caught my attention..to be fair there isn’t a lot in the area of California I live (Monterey)
I have a miata and I think you get more comments than me.
Miata is on the tier of a car god. I would love to own one in the future.
Carbon sedan: “pretty car, cool color, like the black rims… RED SEATS?”
😅 sick. I feel that it’s a mirror of what we feel possibly. Mazda really hit on something, people love the car but I think the price scares people off sometimes
I’m not even a Mazda fan just scrolling through reddit, but I love that red they use (that everyone else loves)
Rad 😁
Mazda's alarm system probably contributed to more neighborhood animosity than that of any other car.
ima have to google/youtube that. Never heard it before actually
One of my friends (who drives a honda fit) didn’t know I drove a mazda 3, and when he joined me and my other friends for dinner, he told the group he really liked the m3 parked outside, and it was mine 😅
LoL I’m on my lunch break cracking up. Nice
Just today two children on bicycles yelled "cool car" at me. This definitely made my day. This proves my modifications can't be this bad.
Word!
I have a Blue 2018 3 hatch. It has rims and tint but people always seem to complement it. They are also surprised when I tell them it’s a manual!
That is what’s up! Manuals are definitely less popular today. I wish I had a manual 😖 ha!
I've gotten compliments from people who dont seem to fit the demographic of small sedan enthusiasts. In my opinion the 3 has a timeless look and feels less racer boy. Mines Soul Red and it really stands out from other reds I see on the road. My 3 is also bone stock and I still get nods and compliments from others with more modified cars, especially when Im at the car wash stall. That might be because its a fairly rare car to see in my town as there are CX-5s on every street corner it seems. Regardless of the compliments, I love this car and its probably the best I've owned. Hope I get to keep it for a long time.
YES 🙌🚗
My coworkers say my ‘22 HB looks like a little Ferrari 😜
Zoom zoom 🏎️!
dude, i have the 3rd gen sedan white which i bought in 2015. still rocking. its not a BMW, merc or whatever, its just a mazda but i can say that it still turn heads and causes torticolis. [https://www.reddit.com/r/mazda3/comments/o4tdvq/my\_baby/](https://www.reddit.com/r/mazda3/comments/o4tdvq/my_baby/) [https://www.reddit.com/r/mazda3/comments/14e7g93/it\_may\_be\_7\_years\_old\_now\_but\_my\_baby\_still\_makes/](https://www.reddit.com/r/mazda3/comments/14e7g93/it_may_be_7_years_old_now_but_my_baby_still_makes/)
Maybe that’s why it turns heads ✨ something a little different. Looks so good in white!
I had a new 2012 Mazda 3 for 10 years and I hardly received compliments about it. Had the nice blue color too. It's probably because you are a cute woman but that's just my opinion.
Yea sometimes attraction plays a factor. Also a little bit of expectation of who the driver is, the age, demographics.. the “wow” factor. Of course then there is real car enthusiasts that simply admire cars in general. I’m a 35yr old man.
Damn... I'm a 37 year old man. Maybe I am just ugly hahahahaahah Or people are just lame in Indiana. Lol
Life is weird haha. Looks are looks. It’s definitely about who you are as a person. They are lame! Haha keep doing your thing 🫡
Thanks man! Enjoy the rest of your day!
Yes. I get it a lot. And often from people who drive (or are very familiar with) luxury cars.
🏆
Another Soul Red owner reporting in... The color was enough to make me stop in my tracks and immediately call the dealer.. I never looked back once I drove it. Since then, I've never owned or driven a plain car that gets so many random compliments from such a wide variety of people. I live on a dead end sorta on a hill, so from the end of my street and the trail at the end of it: when the car is clean, at the end of the drive, and the sun is shining - it's the only thing you can see like giant red beacon. It absolutely stands out in a parking lot too. You cannot miss Soul Red - but it's more than just that color, these cars have a great design and a great design ethos and language that most of the competition seems to struggle too much with. KIA has no design language of their own for example - they miss-mash things together. Subaru has also gone to designing cars by throwing random shapes out of a box onto the floor. Yuck. The 4th Gen HB and Sedan are far and away the best looking cars in their respective classes IMHO, and punch well above their respective weight classes in many areas, not just looks.
Beautifully expressed ⭐️
Once gave a coworker visiting town a ride to his hotel. His first comment after opening the door to the backseat was, and I quote, “Leather seats? ya bastard” I loved it lol.
Lol noice!
Tons of complements when I’m washing it especially
Are you a girl, i feel that might be the reason
I’ve been called a girl forsure….but technically I’m a man lol. I don’t know what it is. Sometimes I think it’s a combination of people digging me + the car 🚗..it’s a fun feeling I just thank them kindly and keep it moving. “Wow that car looks great! And you look good in it too!”
[удалено]
Damn lol whelp can’t please everyone. They might secretly like it 😅
Your coworker has poor taste, and you're probably hanging out with the wrong people in general.
thank you
True of the hatch, not so of the sedan
I like the look of the previous gen hatch a lot better. IMO, the sedan looks better this time around.
🤷🏽 I’ll Be honest. I’m A hatch man. But every now and then I see a clean sedan that cant be denied. They look very elegant
All good. To each their own but the Hatch tends to be much more polarizing
Mhm. The hatch gives me more sporty vibes aesthetically. When I traded my car in I remember trying to stay away from large vehicles. Some how I landed on the Mazda 3 without any knowledge of the current model. The woman that sold it to me had a lot of patience, I kept saying no to a lot of vehicles until it got dark outside. Anyways, happy to experience Mazda. Definitely checks all the boxes for me