Personally I think the auto industry needs to slow down. Too much upgrades and improvements in too short of time. The technology push/craze in cars is getting out of hand. Mazda is a smaller player but the reason I like them so much is because they build a solid, reliable car at a decent price. I watched that Redline Reviews video and I can say the biggest thing he failed to mention is Kias turn to garbage after 20k miles. Rattle and shake and loosen up and they just feel like junk. Personal opinion but when you spend less thinking you’re getting the same or better think again, there’s more beneath the surface.
I will definitely say that my 2018 Mazda6 has held up very well versus the 2018 Kia Optima I had(totaled by being rear ended). After 30,000 miles of horrible San Antonio roads, the interior still feels as solid as I when I first bought it. I still think the Optima is a great car, but I'd be lying if I said that Mazda6's interior doesn't feel way more substantial.
Also, the new 3 gets a lot of hate but it's actually not that much more expensive over it's competitors when you compare features and the extra refinement you get with the 3. It's simply that Mazda doesn't offer an $18,000 MSRP Mazda3 with a hard plastic cabin, a 4" touch screen, and 16" steelies. The base 3 hatch I test drove came standard with leatherette seats, push button start, a big gauge cluster screen, the big infotainment screen, 18" alloy wheels, an actually good base audio system, ALL the safety equipment, the most powerful base engine in the segment, AND rain sensing wipers. To get a comparable Corolla hatch, I'm already looking at the top trim Corolla Hatch XSE before we add packages. The new 3 has strong value, it's just has a higher cost of entry.
Of course, the average Joe simply looking to find the cheapest appliance car he can find isn't going to care, although I don't think Mazda is shooting for that type of buyer. Being a small manufacturer, it probably makes more sense to differentiate themselves from the millions of Civcs and Corollas. I have my doubts, especially with the CUV craze, that if Mazda simply made a cheap Civic or Corolla clone that the Mazda 3 would be doing so much better.
In Sofyan's(Redline Reviews) case, he likes the attributes that make the Kia Forte a good car over the attributes that make new 3 a good car. For me, I wouldn't mind sacrificing some driving dynamics(which is over blown, IMO, the 3 hatch still handled very well) for extra refinement of the 3, especially considering that we spend most of our driving time doing errands and commuting, not carving corners.
Mazda chose to "move upscale" at EXACTLY the wrong time, unfortunately. With the inevitable recession/depression incoming, they may well not stay in America. Who knows? Might be a good time to bring back a bare bones Mazda 2 with a stick?
Mazda already sells the Mazda2, it's called the Toyota Yaris.
