Hi, has anyone compared these head to head? I like the idea that the Forester has an available manual transmission. The Mazda looks reliable and very fun to drive. The frontend/grille looks kinda stupid.
We’re in very rural northern Vermont with quite a few dirt roads, usually but not always pretty well maintained.
Car dealerships aren’t close by. The Subaru dealer is just under an hour drive, the Mazda/Volkswagen dealership just over an hour and a half each way. Locally we have Ford, GMC/Chevy, and Chrysler/Jeep/Dodge.
I’d probably buy new this time although I’ve had good luck buying ‘certified’ used cars off of leases, most recently a 2015 Audi A3 off of a 36-month lease cancelled after 24 I think? so pretty close to new - with manufacturer + dealer warranties; someone else having eaten the depreciation; low mileage, and full confidence that scheduled maintenance has been adhered to, prior to my taking ownership. Comfort and tech, of course reliability, and ease of third-party servicing and parts are all considerations for me.
Reasoned opinions very welcome; TIA for any thoughts at all. Buying is hard.
I have a 2022 Mazda 3 Sedan 2.5 turbo with the premium plus trim. It’s not the hatchback, but I also test drove the hatch back and I liked the sedan a little more for visibility.
I also test drove a WRX and I choose the Mazda3 for multiple reasons. The interior is fantastic, the infotainment is made to keep you focused on driving, and basically all of the non music controls are physical buttons. I also just do not like CVTs at all, so the Mazda3 won for me there as well.
Before this 2022, I had a 2016 Mazda3 and never had to do anything other than the maintenance in the manual for the 70k or so miles I drove it.
If you have any questions about mine, feel free to ask. It’s not the 2026 hatchback, but I may be able to help.
I also live in the northeast, and the 2022 with AWD handled snow and ice without any issues, where my FWD 2016 struggled sometimes. I work in pharma manufacturing and the facility does not close, so I needed something that could handle ice/snow that I also wanted to look good. I just do not like the black cladding on the bottom of most Subarus.