Hi guys. This is my first post here. My mom is planning on buying either a Mazda 3 or a 3 series. She wants a comfortable car that's quiet. I think the 3 would do fine, but just to be sure, how does the 3 stack up against the 3 Series in terms of ride quality and noise levels? Pretty close? We don't mind paying the premium for the 3 series if its "a lot" better than the Mazda.

Thanks a lot

Thanks.

 

Well... Anybody?

 

I think asking if we'd prefer our Mazda3's here over a 3 series BMW, I have the feeling you would see replies biased towards the Mazda3. The 3 series is considerably more expensive, but it comes with standard features that you may have to search around to find in a Mazda3. Things like heated leather, sunroof, premium sound, engine size, wheels, etc. Some features to weigh out would be 3 series has AWD along with the suspension that goes with that. There's a lot more but those are some of the main things she should weigh out.

In my opinion, I prefer the Mazda3 because my Grand Touring has most of the features that keep me comfortable at a lower cost to leave a little more dough in my pocket.
Your mom needs to see what fits her preferences. These two vehicles she has it down to are very different animals, and if she has the extra dough to kick out for the higher features in the BMW then I would say she would probably be happy with that choice. If she ends up finding that she doesn't need those features then the mazda3 would probably be sufficient.

Let us know what she chooses!

 

Yeah I know that the 3 series has a lot more features. But I'm only considering the ride quality and road noise. We have a 2008 Mazda 3 and its pretty quiet inside. I just wanted to know if the 3 series is "a lot more quieter" inside or if it's "pretty similar" or "close" to the Mazda 3. What we're after is comfort and refinement with good looks

Just to clarify, we're considering an E90. Not the new one

 

I feel the road noise is pretty loud for the 3, but the ride quality feels nice to me. BMW usually has a lot of undercarriage shields underlining the entire vehicle, providing sound reduction from the road. Mostly drivetrain noise I believe.


- John O.