RIP Kizashi :-(

[CLLee]

Thx

Yea... Cross checked with redbook and carsales figures.
Seems decent. No better no worse.

[bootymac]

Congrats on the new car! I'm a big fan of the new 3.

[smsmart]

After the test drive and checking out the car up close, I bought the new Mazda3 SP25GT.

How do you feel about the license plate mounting in the front of the new 3? In my opinion it really ruins the look of the otherwise awesome looking grille:

[SamirD]

Just curious, was it the guardrail that caused the front end damage?

The only front end picture appears to be of the Mercedes B200- showing the matching impact area which connected with the Kizashi's boot.

Aha. Now I get it.

Thanks

Now i get it too. Thought that picture was the front of the Kizashi. Looking forward to the pictures of the new Mazda.

Don't you guys ever look at the front of your Kizashi's? (You must have fun finding your cars in car parks. )

Me too! I was wondering why there where chrome strips on the upper part of the bumper and the owner painted the fog light trim silver.

That was a solid hit from the Mercedes side and the Kizashi beautifully absorbed it. It was almost as if the metal turned liquid and absorbed all the energy. These are the crash test results you never see.

[CLLee]

How do you feel about the license plate mounting in the front of the new 3? In my opinion it really ruins the look of the otherwise awesome looking grille:

I'll be ordering slim black plates with white lettering. I actually like it in that combo.
Keeps the lines of the car cleaner.

You're right though. Plates design and colour will have an impact on the front look.

[CLLee]

Exactly 2 weeks after my beloved Kizashi was written off, I picked up my new Mazda3 SP25GT. In Australia, it's the second top line up... similar price to the Kizashi XLS/Prestige.
As requested... here are some photos.

I reckon black slimline plate is the only way to go with the grill design.








Some interior pics:








Dash and Heads Up Display




DRL and Angel Eye parkers


Overall, I'm over the moon with the new car. There are a number of Kizashi features that I miss:
The Kizashi's seats are much more comfy esp side support. Only driver power seat and no memory function with the Mazda.
I actually miss the CVT... LOL. Maybe I'm too use to it. And also the feel of a heavier car. I'm sure, I'll grow into the new car very quickly...

One thing I notice...the Mazda's HID is significantly brighter and wider than the Kizashi. Perhaps higher wattage???

I'll be dropping in from time to time to read up on the Kizashi. Funny, I've been seeing 1-2 Kizashi's almost everyday ever since the accident

[SamirD]

I really like some of the finishes on the Mazda like the red stitching and the carbon fibre on the steering wheel--very classy.

I think it's a great replacement for the Kizashi that you'll love just as much. How does the dial thing in the center console work? I've always hated those things.

[CLLee]

The dial system is very intuitive. An improvement over the Mazda6.
I could do everything without reading the manual.

[bootymac]

One thing I notice...the Mazda's HID is significantly brighter and wider than the Kizashi. Perhaps higher wattage???

Did you have drop in HIDs in your Kizashi? It could be because the 3's projectors were built for HIDs while the Kizashi's were for halogen bulbs

Anyway, the 3 looks great! Looks like a smaller 6, which is a good thing.

[SamirD]

The dial system is very intuitive. An improvement over the Mazda6.
I could do everything without reading the manual.

Good to hear. When these started coming out they were so cumbersome. The only one I ever liked was in the Audi A8.