Mazda 3 diesel or Honda civic diesel

nanker

a pal has asked me which might be the better car for her and her two youngsters (1 infant and a two year old). I have driven the Honda and quite liked it apart from rear visability. I have not driven or had a good look at the Mazda though. She is looking for a reliable safe car that will transport them in comfort with a fairly large boot.

i am looking for opinions on which car would suit her best. if you have any suggestions on an alternative car please feel free to mention them. I should also mention that she has a fondness for Jap cars for their reliability. she has a budget of about £10k

many thanks

vikingaero

The Honda has the larger boot by far. As you mention the lack of a rear wiper is a pain and the split tailgate windows is even more of style over function. Reversing sensors help but not much.

If she favours Jap cars then why not look at Korean cars such as the Kia Ceeds and Hyundais which have 5 or 7 year warranties.

nanker

thanks viking, i quite like the ceed myself. it seems the Mazda is out then due to lack of boot space.

AdrianHi

Is the Mazda 3 boot really that small?
I'll have to take your word for it.
You could get a decent Mazda 6 for £10K, looks big but the rounded nose makes it easier than you would think to shift around in car parks. My wife has had a 6 from new for just over 6 years now. *Big* boot.

Honda diesel engine is excellent though so either car is a good choice. She'll need to try driving both to see what she prefers.
Kia Ceed impressed me with the quality of it's interior, unexpected for what we regard as a budget car.

If she keeps the car long enough it's worth bearing in mind the Mazda diesel is a cam belt engine which needs changing at 6 years or 75,000 miles and that service will cost you not much less than £800. Other services higher in price than petrol equivalent too. She would have to be doing quite a few miles to make the diesel pay over the petrol. By the time you offset higher servicing costs after paying for the 75K £800 service you've only save about £400 compared to running the equivalent petrol engine. Only company car drivers with lower BIK are likely to benefit much from a Mazda diesel

Lincoln_Imp

I have the Civic 2.2 diesel ,1st diesel i have owned and couldnt believe the amount of torque the car has ,pulls easily in any gear
In fact its quicker to 60 than the petrol model (apart from the Type R obviously)

Had the car 2 years now ,servicing not that cheap but dont suppose its any different to the Mazda
Replaced pads at 20k and now at 36k the Discs have about worn out but apart from that its been brilliant
Yes the back window is a pain but you soon learn to live with it

More info on the Civic can be found here
http://www.civinfo.com/

Sorry cannot help with the Mazda

fergies_army

AdrianHi wrote: »

If she keeps the car long enough it's worth bearing in mind the Mazda diesel is a cam belt engine which needs changing at 6 years or 75,000 miles and that service will cost you not much less than £800.

Currently looking at the service schedule. This is the MZR-CD engine (think this is on the MPS/sport etc) needs replacing at 75k, the standard 1.6D is the MZ-CD engine the belt doesnt need changing until 150,000 miles or 10 years. Same engine as 1.6D Focus!

sandiep

Mazdda 3 has a lot of road noise.

Cool_Username

As far as looks go I'd plump for the Civic every time - I really like the look of the car but, as others have pointed out, I think the issue with the back window would begin to annoy me after a while.

I've heard very good things about the Kia Ceed - the seven year warranty is obviously a big plus point for the car, perhaps worth going and having a test drive in one just to see what you think.

emmell

I've had a civic and never found the rear window a problem, lovely car to drive, nice size boot and I loved the the fact the rear seat bottoms lift up and reveal a flat through load, ideal for a 'rocking horse' (well that's what I used it for).
ML.