2007 Mazda Speed3
2007 Mazda Speed3: Makes driving fun again
Mon, Nov 12th 2007
| VEHICLE SPECIFICATIONS | |
|---|---|
| type | 4 door, hatchback, 2wd |
| msrp | $22,975 |
| trans | manual |
| gas mi. | 18mpg/26mpg |
| rating |  |
When did we forget how much fun driving could be? If you're looking for something to remind you, drive a MazdaSpeed3.
When the Speed3 arrived, I wasn't that excited. I looked it over and figured it for one of what I call a "city dog car" – small, easy-to park and relatively inexpensive both to buy and to drive.
The four-door hatchback will never be used to haul a team of sled dogs, a load of pet crates or a ton of gear, but the seats fold flat leaving a comfortable cargo area for small crated dog or a seat-belted larger one. Nice, but nothing special.
But then you turn the key.
The spine-tingling rumble of the Speed3's 250 turbo-charged ponies lets you know right away you're not in some economy hatchback. Strap in the pup: We're talking g-force when you punch it, and thrilling stickiness on the curves.
City car? Oh sure, the front-wheel-drive wonder is easy to park and no problem in traffic, even with its six-speed manual transmission. But you and your canine companion will soon be thinking up reasons to get out of town, trying some twisting mountain roads just for the fun of it.
Prices start at $22,975. Fuel economy is a decent 18/26 miles per gallon, although it does require premium (91 octane).
The bottom line: A great city dog car, totally unleashed. And more fun than is legal in many states.
-- Gina Spadafori
Carguy Comments:The MazdaSpeed3 is the flagship of the Mazda3 lineup, which also includes the MazdaSpeed Protégé, MX-5 and MazdaSpeed6. With a lightweight body and more than 250 horsepower produces by a 2.3-liter direct injection spark ignition turbo engine, the MazdaSpeed3 is one of the highest performance front wheel drive cars on the road.
-- Keith Turner, The Family Car
MazdaSpeed3: Get ready to Zoom!
Barking Lot Banter: OK, so you are looking for a dog car that has reasonable space, lots of logical features and gets great gas mileage. But then you see the MazdaSpeed3 and something inside you stirs just a bit. Strap in the pup and take a test drive. Zoom, zoom, zoom – driving is fun again.
Comments
I have the Mazda 3 Hatchback and find that it’s the perfect balance between being spacious (for a small car) and gas efficient.
I do a lot of traveling to agility trials with my two dogs (Sheltie and Border Collie). I put the two dogs in a crate in the hatchback/trunk area and the trial gear (tent, chairs, bags, etc…) in the back seat. Sometimes I put the gear in the trunk and put the dogs in their seatbelts in the back seat. Both options leave the driver and passenger seats open for humans.
It’s tight, but for the gas efficiency, I’m not switching to a SUV!
2009-04-22 14:19:29
Fun and great for 2 labs. But I never speed with dogs in the car, and neither should anybody else! Be responsible!
2009-04-04 10:21:16
The seat cushions fold forward (pull the headrest out), or can be taken out entirely very easily for flat cargo space. ‘02 Protege5, nice little hatchback. The 2.0 gets 30mpg, I drove an ‘88 2.2 Plymouth (very similar size, etc) that got 38 mpg. This car should get 40+, making it a technological, 21st century failure, in my book. eli
2009-03-31 12:47:32
i took the netting from the 2004 mazda6 wagon and added it 2the mazda3 wagon 2keep “Bagel my bulldog” from jumpin 2into the front seat. plenty of room for him and my sub woofer huge duel subs by polk. i think he thinks its a massage since he lays on the side of it. i dont turn it loud when he’s in the car since i dont want 2hurt his hearing. but its a great car. windows go down far enough for bagel to stick his head out 2catch some air. The seats do fold 2 an incline. about 95% down so its doesnt bother me. and bagle knows not 2sit on the cloth seats only on the cloth backing of the back of the seats. so i can fit 2people with bagel in the back thanks to the 60/ 40 split.
GREAT JOB MAZDA!!!
2009-03-13 12:34:06
I own a 2006 Mazda3 4dr Hatch (not the speed version). I absolutely LOVE it! The back seats have been folded down since the day I bought it for my 2 large Labradors, however I don’t travel them in crates…The Mazda is super fun to drive; no, it’s not the fastest car on the road, but for someone who isn’t looking to pimp out their dog friendly car, it’s great! I get 30 MPG and a great warranty with no problems of the slightest. I recently added a 3rd Lab to my house so the room inside my car is getting very cramped, the ONLY reason I’m considering something different! The rear seats in mine fold down almost completely flat, a very slight angle, hardly noticable, but may interfere with a crate.
2008-10-10 09:10:30
Dont be a jerk…we dont care about your 450hp blah, blah. The Speed3 is a blast for human and canine! ROAD TRIP!
2008-09-22 22:41:53
Love my Mazda3! The back folded down has the same lenghth x width as my 2 door Exporer, just not the height.
Now trying to get a crate fit in my car: I do not sell this product; rather I was looking for a crate that I could fit in my Mazda3 hatchback, no not a speed3, but just as much fun with better gas mileage. I first had a plastic crate, but it blocked my view out the back and started to become too small for my poodle. After looking all over the web, I found the General Cage Slant Front Crate. I bought it from www.futurepet.com but also saw it at www.cagesdirect.com/general-cage-slant-front-crate-36l-black-p-83.html The manufacture does not sell direct
http://www.generalcage.com/Shopping/category.asp?catalog%5Fname=GeneralCage&category%5Fname=Slant+Front+Crates&Page=1
It works great.
Hopefully this info will help others find a crate that is compatible with their slanted hatch cars.
One other note, I could not just put this crate in my car, rather we laid it flat inside and then unfolded it. It’s a little close to the roof (because the seats do not lay flat), but its okay. I was also able to secure the crate, would not want it flying around if it became necessary to stomp on the brakes.
Hope this info helps other dog people, thanks.
Zoom, zoom, zoom!
2008-07-05 14:56:24
Ignore the one paw from someone who never drove the car but disses it anyway because the person they were “racing” didn’t drive like a moron.
Have owned the car for a year and everyone in the family loves it. Windows are the right height for even medium dogs to see out when belted in. While the seats do not fold flat, we regularly haul two medium size crates with just a VERY small lean towards the back (which I prefer anyway). Got rid of a full size four door truck for this and don’t regret it for a second. Bottom line, it’s FUN and at a budget price no less.
2008-05-29 17:40:26
I actually own the 2002 Protege5 hatchback and me and my favorite little wolf girl LOVE this car. Though the seats don’t fold down 100% flat, they fold down enough to make room for me, my boyfriend, our airmatress, and the 55 pound mound of fur we take everywhere with us. She drives well, I feel safe with the dog straped in the backseat, and is can be found at an affordable price. THANK YOU MAZDA!!
2008-05-29 17:11:51
I dusted this car with my supercharged 350z, but I didn’t really embarrass it. It made a pretty good showing. Don’t know if he had more work done to it or not. My car is over 450 HP, so again, it did pretty well for a 2.3 liter.
2008-02-07 01:07:10
I noticed this review says the seats fold flat. I was interested in a Mazda 3, but I found in my test driving that the seats do not fold down quite flat, making it a deal breaker for me and my dogs. After looking at the Mazda website again, I see the features page simply says “60/40 split fold-down rear seat”. It doesn’t say they fold down flat.
2008-01-29 15:36:08
I have a 2006 Mazda 3 hatchback. And I 40lb Brittany Spainel. The seats are black and the dog air is everywhere! It get’s woven into the seat and you would need tweezers and lot’s of time to get rid if the hair. I tried folding down the seats, but the dog hair was still a problem. So I have one of those seat covers that attaches to the headrests on the front and rear seats. It’s sorta of like a hammock. It works with helping keep the seats clean. But if anyone knows anything about a Brittany. They have lots on enegry and when she gets into the car she jumps onto the front seat. And therefore she gets the front seats full of dirt and sand. If I knew that I was going to get a dog when I was buying my car in 2006, I would have bought a Honda Element!
2010-01-11 11:32:24