A little ridiculous to say "undrivable" no? It takes getting used to!! You're test driving cars. If u bought the koup, in a week you'll be used to the difference and it'll become second nature. Throttle mod, short shifter, remote starter...3 things that help everything involving shifting!

 

I wrote "almost un-drivable". Something tells me that even with the short shifter and throttle mod, I'll always be fighting the car. Whereas with the M3, it is nothing but smooth shifting and clutch feel every time I drive it.

How dose a remote starter help with shifting? I am guessing that you're saying I should warm up the car well in order to heat up the transmission fluid for smoother shifts.

All in all, I really like both cars. And yes, I am one of those that really like the Mazda 3 styling, including the front grill. I even find myself taking double-takes whenever I see a new M3. I think it is beautifully sculpted and sporty yet elegant and fun all at the same time.

The decision will come down to whether or not I can live with a cute coup with 2 doors versus a 4-door sedan with less warranty but better driving dynamics. I liked the koup engine sound a lot and overall interior feel. The M3 has slightly more comfy seats.

As far as who drives what, I see pretty much nothing but girls driving koups here. A cousin even told me:"Don't buy a Kia, all I see is girls driving those koups". Even saw a white one on my way home from my test driving last night. Same for M3 though. So they are both popular with girls. I think all small cars are though. So can't really let that affect the decision.

Both cars are good buys in my opinion. Just one is more practical and fun to drive while the other has a nicer interior and better warranty. Gas mileage appears to be identical. The big drawbacks to the koup is that I'll dread seeing the creases next winter and the many reports of creaks/squeeks. And resale value. M3 has a very good resale; and that is the most important factor in determining how much a car will cost you.

If the Elantra had a decent suspension, the decision would have been a lot easier.

 

i hate that smile face of new mazda3
looks like its creepying on you..
and its look like a girl car .
i love my koup sx 2011 fully loaded.
almost the same price but more feature in koup ...
only car i like from kia is koup sx

if mazda did"t change thier face i would defintaly buy that .. but koup is much more sportyer

 

my koup SXR kills the mazda hands down .

 

^ that is what I meant about the remote starter. Since having an always warm car and the short shifter, shifting is a breeze and not nearrrlyyy as choppy and is very very smooth. Idk how to compare it to the Mazda cuz I've never driven one but Im not sure how it could be much better. And by value: you never really know about resale value because there's rumors of the koup being discontinued for another model which would make the koup rare and probably more valuable then an everyday Mazda 3. And also with the warranty, the amount you would save in repairs if anything were to happen could add up to the money you'll save if the resale value is lower then the 3. On top of that, you would be getting more features for less money with the koup. Yea it may be a biased opinion but it's true too. Not that hard to get around the clutch and shifting situation.

 

Yes those are good points. You never know how things will play out. So just gotta go with whatever makes more sense today.

I asked a Kia dealership to perform the throttle mod. I doubt they will actually do it. I will find out next week. If they do it then I'll go try it out. I'll know right away if it makes a difference. I think it would though.

 

Im sure you'll enjoy either car, i too was looking between the 3 and forte,

I test drove the Kia on some backroads and fell in love right away

Once again it comes down to what kind of driving you'll be doing
I ussually do 20% country / 60% highway / 20% city
I got stuck in traffic the other day and rolling at 10-20km/h was very jerky in my koup sx... but it sure felt nice to blast by everyone once it cleared up

 

i also traded a 2007 mazda 3 for a koup,based that decision on the fact that the new mazda model i wanted was gonna cost me 8k more than the koup and was'nt 8k more car, BTW. i thought personally that the 3 and the koup are pretty equal in the handling department with the edge on the better ride going to the 3 ,koup looks way better though

 

You should just get both.

But in all seriousness, it seems like you're leaning towards the Mazda a little bit more. Go with your gut, you should get that.

 

Well I've changed my mind multiple times between the two cars in the last few days. Right now I'm thinking more of getting the koup since it has the better warranty and that also includes 2 years more of roadside assistance (5 years with Kia Canada vs 3 years with Mazda).

I agree that the ride/handling is actually quite good on both cars. I actually seemed to like the Kia ride better last night. What I really liked about the Forte though was the sound of the engine. It was just the right amount of roarrrr. I also liked the acceleration. It seemed to have just a bit more zoom than the zoom zoom.

If I decide to go with 4 doors, then I will go with the M3. I like the look of the Forte sedan in the showroom but don't like it so much when I see them on the road. There was even one parked at the mazda dealership last night. And I had just come from the Kia dealership. Car just did not do it for me outside the dealership.

I think the Koup would be a fun car to drive once I mod the throttle and install the short shifter. If other ppl can get used to the transmission without the mod and short shifter, then I am confident I'll adjust easily with the mod and short shifter.

I won't decide for another week though, so who knows what will happen until then.

 

If I decide to go with 4 doors, then I will go with the M3. I like the look of the Forte sedan in the showroom but don't like it so much when I see them on the road.

Why not the Forte 5 door?

The sedan's a non-entity for me. If I decide the utility is more important to me I'll be getting the hatchback. Don't know why anyone would take the sedan(other than those who purchased before it was released).

 

I am a SX Koup owner. I drove a 92 MX3 for nearly 18 years. I spent a lot of money on repairs, but since I paid cash for it, I thought it would be cheaper just to keep fixing it. Finally the last straw was when the water pump went, necessitating a new drive belt (that was just 6 month old)because it got wet.
After driving many cars, including the Mazda 3, I decided on the Koup SX for a lot of reasons, value being the foremost. I also took into consideration who designed the car, plus the great warranty. I also have an in on the data on the extended warranty and, other than the Honda, most of the cars I tested had major problems.
I'm still happy a year plus later with my Koup and have not seen the crease problem on my car. Mine was built in November 2009 so maybe the build date has something to do with it.
It took me no time to get used to the 6 speed manual, I only stalled it a couple of times.
Good luck with your decision.

 

if anyone is gonna buy a mazda 3, don't be a wuss... at least get the Mazdaspeed 3.. only mazda 3 worth anything and that's just cause it's fully loaded, you can get it in a 6-speed, and 263hp is a wonderful thing in a small car

 

As much as I'd like to have all that power, I also don't feel like spending all that money on a car that I'll use mostly to get work. Also, I don't wish to get speeding tickets. Because if you give me that power, I will use it! If i were shopping in that category, I would get the Subaru Impreza WRX. It simply can't be beat. To have power is one thing, but to be able to place the power to the road through 4 wheels instead of 2 is huge. Also, a guy at work has the speed and I just don't like the back end. Looks like a toyota matrix. That kills it for me.