Mazda 3 2016

Mazda 3 2016 Q&As

Check out real-world situations relating to the Mazda 3 2016 here, particularly what our experts have to say about them.

• Why does my speedometer go so high if the car can't go that fast?

  It’s a bit silly, isn’t it? There’s absolutely no reason for a speedo in an Australian delivered car to read to 260km/h, particularly in a car that would never manage to gain that much velocity without the help of a mine-shaft. There’s no ADR requirement for it, either, so it’s probably a hang-over from other markets where average freeway speeds are much higher than they are here. In Germany, for instance, where there are still unrestricted sections of autobahn, the 200-plus-km/h speedo makes more sense.

  You’re probably right when you suggest this is all a one-size-fits-all approach by Mazda (and many other car-makers) who can save a few dollars by making only one speedo calibration and fitting it to cars for every market. More recently, a lot of cars have both a conventional and a digital speedometer fitted. Many owners have come to rely on the latter for clarity. My preference is for an analogue (needle) speedometer that has 100 or 110km/h at the 12-o’clock position on the dial.

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• Mazda 3 2016: Paint scratching

  It appears to be a problem with the red. Contact Mazda on 1800 034 411.

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• Mazda 3 2016: Pinging sound

  Has it just started making the noise, or has it been doing it since new? Try running it on higher octane fuel and see if the noise goes away.

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• What's a good sedan under $17,000?

  I wouldn’t recommend the Cruze, there have been too many problems with them. The Toyota Corolla, Mazda3 and Hyundai Elantra are all good, reliable cars with plenty of performance for the class. Any one of them would be a good choice.

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