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rjastra
29th April 2004, 10:15 AM
Wheels has an 11 car comparison test in this month's edition.
Basically all the new small hatchbacks

Proud to say that the Astra CD came second to the new Mazda3.
Not bad for a car that is 6 years older in design than the new 3.

They praise the torquey engine and fine handling/ride compromise.
Criticise the boring interior and optional ABS.

Conversely the criticise the Mazda3 for it poor NVH (engine and tyre noise) and pedal placement.

Anonymous
29th April 2004, 10:17 AM
i read that as well, ive taken the sp23 for a right royal thrashing and was quite suprised how loud the engine noise was

rjastra
29th April 2004, 03:24 PM
i read that as well, ive taken the sp23 for a right royal thrashing and was quite suprised how loud the engine noise was

I took one (SP23) for a drive as well and wondered where all the power was. It certainly didn't feel any faster than my SRi 2.2L.... the engine felt alot coarser. Also notice all the road noise. Steering was good though. Rear end felt underdamped.
Bloody ugly :P

Anonymous
29th April 2004, 03:40 PM
definately didnt do anything for me, i drove the blue hatch, too wrxy look for me....

you got a good deal on that grill :wink:

My04SRi
29th April 2004, 08:50 PM
serious? guys when i was out looking to purchase a car.. that was on the top of my list... thought it may have been better then wat you guys a are saying.. :( the reason why i diddnt get one is coz it was bloody expensive.. sp23 go for around 28k-30k.. and the base model (wat i was looking at) was aroung 24k

astra_city
29th April 2004, 11:04 PM
What model Mazda 3 was it do you know? How much was it?
I didn't know the latest wheels was out yet...I'll have to buy it now.
What did they say handled better out of the Mazda 3 and Astra?

rjastra
30th April 2004, 08:25 AM
The Mazda does handle better.... no question. But you have to put up with heaps of noise (engine/road) and a funny clunky front suspension.

For me the Astra is a better compromise as I do either short city trips or long trips to the snow where quietness and cruise control mean more to me than pin sharp steering.

Marty
30th April 2004, 08:59 AM
I have heard a lot of comments that the engine is noisy on the new Mazda 3. :D

dazza015
30th April 2004, 09:26 AM
Was next to a SP23 at the lights the other day, I didnt realise he wanted to have a go, He took off and caught me by surprise, I thought, oh well i'll chase anyway just to see what happens, I only chased him over about 150 meters but caught him! and considering he had the jump at the start I was stoked! Had the road have been longer I would have passed him :twisted: