hi, i wanted to test drive 3 cars today. a mazda6, mazda3, and the new s40. i went to pickup 3 friends who were interested also, and we went to the volvo dealer first. the person who helped us just asked for my license and gave us rear plates to stick on a 2.4i. i have to say, the refinement is excellent and the look and feel is amazing. the seats felt a little cramped, my protege had much wider seats and more leg room. the center console looks intuitive, but i didnt get to test it out as i drove about. first thing i wanted to do was see how it accelerated. well it doesnt. i started out slow incase it was a lot of power, but it was slow no matter what. i tried to floor it and the car hesitated, made a weird vibration and then started to go. could be that volvo is limiting it for safety reasons... the turning was tight as i had to make several u-turns because i was unfamiliar with the roads in the area. with TCS off, i did feel a little more power when accelerating out of a u-turn. i wanted to try out the manu-matic and found that the volvo wouldnt downshift from 3rd-2nd, or 2nd-1st i had to put it back into drive...then again, i have never driven a stick, and i was just trying to test shifting both ways so i dont know if 3rd-2nd or 2nd-1st shifting is a bad thing. i was impressed with the looks of the car and the luxury comforts, but the drivability felt a little to be desired. for $25k i think volvo could've done better.

next was to the mazda dealer. we only had 1/2 hour left till closing when we arrived, so i only tested the 3. the salesman took me out to the lot and asked me a lot of questions about what i drive now and what i'm looking for. i told him i had a '95 pro and he asked whether it was the 120 hp or 100 hp and i told him neither, i barely breaks 90 hp. and he goes "oooh, ok. that must be the base model" and i told him, "yea when i turn on the A/C the thing barely feels like its moving" he reassures me that the 148 hp trim is a peppy performer, but i ask him if i could test the s and he was happy to oblige. we got into a sedan with him in the passenger seat and my 3 friends in the rear. and boy does it zoom. when i slowly press the gas the thing feels like its going to rocket out. he said the s has a lot of low-end torque so accelerating from a stop or off the line is going to be quick. "definitely more than youre used to" he said, how true. more than the new s40 also ^_^

my friends couldnt believe how much more room they had in the back. in the s40, 2 were in the rear, 1 in the passenger seat. with the 3 of them in the back they said they werent as restricted and were more comfortable. auto shifting was smooth like the s40, but the acceleration was much smoother, torque felt much more linear. 30-60 acceleration again, wowed me. i got up to 70 passing a slower car and i didnt even feel it. when i try to go onto the highway in my pro the car shakes like a polaroid when i go past 55. the seats and dash trim werent as refined as the s40 but it did have a leather-wrapped steering wheel, it felt equally as responsive and comfortable in my hands. one of my friends wasnt keen on the 2-color seats, but i can live with that. they also were bothered by the extremely bright electroluminescent gauges, but they are adjustable. it wasnt an issue when i was concentrating on the road. seating was noticably roomier, although not as comfortable as the t-tec seating in the s40. all in all, a much more comfortable ride from my comrades in a much more affordable package.

though the s40 has more standard options and safety features like whiplash protection seats, STCS, side curtain airbags, ABS, "performance" sound system, DRL, etc., i felt like the mazda3 was the winner. its built on the same chassis, and i thought interior space would feel about the same, boy was i wrong. the mazda3 has the same "triple H" construction, but as far as i know volvo touts that their chassis is built w/ 4 grades of steel for safer crumple zones and more rigid protection in a rollover. the safety really appeals to me, especially in this area where everybody thinks they own the road. however, what good is all that luxury if i'm not content with the quality of the ride? the base msrp of the s40 is $24,875 while the base msrp of the mazda3s is $16,405 or $17,305 for the auto. is it hard to learn a stick? hehe, thats $900 to play around with...i'm a fast learner and gas mileage is the same anyway (btw the s40 2.4i and T5 have practically the same mileage too). unfortunately the HID (and i'm a man who likes HID) is not something mazda can upgrade later, it comes as part of a package w/ the sport & ABS/side airbags packages bringing it up to $19,295! still $5k less than the volvo...

give me some of your thoughts
-meGrimlock

 

If money isn't a major concern, buy the 3s, load it up with options, but don't buy the automatic! If you plan on doing many mods, or are really after ever drop of performance, the manual is the way to go. I had to buy the auto for my wife to drive, she hates manuals, and I feel more comfortable with our 3 year old in the car, but I'm seriously thinking about buying another for myself so I can get a stick and mod the hell out of it! Our auto is doing great, and the autostick is pretty cool, but its just not the same.

 

i think the most "mods" i'd ever do is just a stereo upgrade. unfortunately both the s40 and mazda3 cdplayer is integrated into the dash so i'd either have to get some ugly conversion dash or add on to the factory setup. my friend's dad who works for volvo can attest that upgrading the stock stereos are a pain in the rear. if i wanted to do real mods, i'd wait until the warranty was over to do any power mods. i personally dont believe a cotton-gauze air-filter is a mod. i may consider adjustable sport dampers if i were to mod anything.

if learning a stick isnt hard, i may consider it. but traffic here in northern VA especially around the DC beltway is totally nuts. an auto is practically a necessity. not many dealers here even offer stick shifts anymore. not to mention, new volvos are standard autos. when the 2005 s40 comes out (the 2004.5 is the 2005) in july they will offer stick to help bring down the price point of their lowest end vehicle. my friend's dad says that the s60 R and the v70 R are lagging greatly in sales because of the stick. thanks for your input.
-meGrimlock

 

No problem, based on what you've said, the auto might not be a bad choice for you, it does make commuting a bit easier.

 

well for me,

i've only ever driven stick, learned to drive on a stick too..... in traffic i dunt find it a problem at all cuz i'm so used to it, i dunt even have to think about shifting, it just comes naturally, which will happen after like a couple of months to a year of driving stick....

its really easy to learn...

 

If you consider price and upgrade...m3 is to go for!!! I did research and test drive other cars.....from toyota's to ford and mazda 3 is the only zoom zoom car out there....good acceleration and low torque...dang...this car kicks a lot of power especially auto stic mode..and this car is for my wife( she don't drive stick) . But i love this car and the price i paid of only few hundred dollars above invoice price and i got all the upgrades including dvd navigation except leather seating (i think its a bargain for a small car)...xenon lights upgrade and ABS/SAB package...go get it. U don't want to be one of the wanabee drivers upgrading their headlight with fake/look a like white light....happy driving..later

 

i dont care if i move to downtown LA, i'll never give up my 5 speed. There's nothing in the world like taking off in a 5 speed and ripping through the gears, or going aroudn turns while downshifting, hearing the engine rev up as you pop the clutch out! Whoo! I need to go for a ride on a really twisty road, be right back....