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I dig it. I reckon some folks won’t like the Civic-style dual cowl, but I appreciate the return of driver-oriented dashboards.
Picture is courtesy Speigel.de.
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“Civic-style dual cowl”
I appreciate the tach and speedometer being located next to each other in the same tier, though.
Not bad, but they break context by having the display so far from the controls. Saab did it in the 2003 9-3, and it was a bad idea then, too.
I used to own a 3. I wish they’d LHD-ize it a bit more… I see the cup-holder cover still opens away from the driver, betraying its RHD Japanese origin. Still, it’s an exceptional interior.
Yet another steering wheel with a wide spoke at the 6 o’clock position.
It would appear to be an improvement on the Civic dash. Anyone care to disagree?
As a former 3 owner, my biggest gripe was the cheap looking, hard plastics inside with a dizzying array of mismatched textures.
Unfortunately, it looks like the mew model continues this tradition.
eh_political
Yeah, I think the Civic looks better inside and outside, and that the previous 3 looked a lot better. But hey, to each his own.
The bulging, pregnant center stacks in new cars need to back off.
I like it. Although the lighting under the ‘cowl’ could annoy me over time.
And while we’re on the topic of displays, how about a standard HUD in all Mazda Speeds and RX-8’s? In this age of inexpensive electronics, are HUD’s that difficult?
Not bad, but the steering wheel is ugly. I prefer the interior in my ’04.
Looks like the handbreak could be in a bad spot.
Like the large handles on the doors though.
That dash. looks like the unhappy result of a tryst involving a Honda Civic and a Pontiac G6.
This actually manages to look worse than the gawdy Honda Accord 2008.
Too many damn buttons.
No navigation option?
It’s not really the dual-cowl thing that drives people (me, anyway) nuts about the Civic, it’s the dumb digital speedometer. All the instrumentation here looks nice, readable, informative, and clean by comparison. Though, as no_slushbox says, the center stack doesn’t need to be taking up all that room. And it does have a nearly Acura-like case of buttonitis — look at all those identical little chiclet-style things and tell me how easily you could tell the A/C from the stereo presets from the heated seats at 70mph.
I got an 08 Mazda 3 and was starting to worry I’d like the new one better. Not after seeing this. Way too many buttons on that dash. This is obviously a top-spec car and mine is not, but still. Is that an i-drive like controller with no Navigation (pop up or fixed) in sight?
The current one (like mine) has, IMO, much cleaner lines in a much simpler layout. K.I.S.S. Mazda.
@Flashpoint:
There will definitely be a navigation option. Just wasn’t in the car the spy photographers snapped.
I think it’s okay, but it reminds me of the Chevy Cruze interior for some ungodly reason. Maybe, in the immortal words of Reese Bobby, I need to lay off the peyote…
I think it looks good, but isn’t it time to give the circular, blow-dryer-like dash vents a rest?
Additionally, I hope the plastics are of higher quality than those of my 2008 Miata. They might look business, but they scuff and scratch way to easily.
The only thing I’m not digging is the steering wheel; too Civic-ky and not distinctive enough (especially with all those buttons). Other than that, the interior looks more upscale than the current gen.
I think it looks good, but isn’t it time to give the circular, blow-dryer-like dash vents a rest?
No. These vents are so much easier to position than square vents. If anything, I’m disappointed Mazda is abandoning the round vents for the center stack.
This new Mazda3 dashboard looks the illegitimate child of a Chrysler Pacifica and a Honda Civic — call it PaCivica. It seems like a step backward in perceived quality from the upscale, restrained interior of the current car, which is right up there with VWs in my opinion. I was hoping for something more along the lines of the new Mazda6 dash in the new car. Maybe it’ll look better in person. Hopefully.
I was utterly amazed when I bought my 2006 WRX Limited wagon that there is not a SINGLE button on the steering wheel. All the cars we’ve owned in the past 5 years (Civic, Xterra, S4, 325Ci, 350z, FX35) had buttons on the steering wheel. It was refreshing. The car says “you are here to drive, stop f***ing with buttons”.
The car says “you are here to drive, stop f***ing with buttons”.
I use cruise control often, and I love the cc buttons on my Mazda3’s steering wheel. It even has a cancel button, something that most vehicles lack. The buttons on the new steering wheel don’t look like they’re set up as well. It looks like I’d have to reach with my thumb to access some of the buttons.
I’m sorry, but the red illumination would be a deal-breaker for me; too hard to focus on quickly. (my 50 + old eyeballs talking, here.)
Lotsa small buttons, too.
Cripes, I need an AARP Buick Special, or something.
As a current owner of a Mazda3 S GT 5-door i’d have to say the dash is better in some ways, worse in most.
Moving the speedo and tac next to each other is an improvement but i already miss how the needles used to point 6 o’clock at rest like more racier cars do. They could have used a few 5 or ten more buttons on the wheel — there’s still room for me to put my hands. I can see where they wanted to mar the range’s interior but the new switchgear looks been bin when compared to the 3’s original 2004 intro. I was surprised at the 09 6’s HVAC in a good way, i hope my time in a 2010 3 isn’t on the other end of the spectrum.
Seats (er, at least the bottom half) look to be a huge step backwards in bolstering and visual design. Hopefully they were just borrowing a few seats out of a 2003 Corolla on this pre-production mule.
It’s really hard to judge an interior until seat-time can be had. What sometimes looks ludicrous from afar becomes love-inducing upon a drive or two. Despite the aped 07 Sebring rear (nee 159), i actually dig the Nagare-themed exterior of the sedan. One can definitely tell this is still based on ford’s C1 as the layout of… well pretty much everything is right as it always has been more or less (though the second dual exhaust is probably purely cosmetic). I’m just hoping (on a distant star) that the 5-door hatch has a different interior. Where’s a genie when you need him
Pretty cool, even with the shiny-cheap finish. I like the asymmetry of the dash cowl… the way it tapers off behind the instruments makes the previously-glitzy Civic look dowdy all of a sudden.
I’ve always liked the current 3, as a slightly funky, affordable little BMW for the masses. Looks like the new one will continue in this role.
I like it. It goes well with the exterior. Can’t wait for them to start rotating into the fleet at work.
hmmm as an owner of an 06 (see my Tag) with a Pioneer D3 Nav HU & amp; the temp/mileage mod, I can see that Mazda is continuing the trend of making aftermarket products difficult to impossible to install.
What is the deal with that. for peeps like me, who know better, I will never pay the 1500 & up premium that new car manufacturers want for Nav/Satty, etc. Why do they go out their way to make it difficult for me to personalize my car?
More interesting than the interior: The new 185hp 2.2L diesel engine. That could be something.
I think we should reserve judgment until we see an image from the driver’s perspective. There is really no way to tell how well the whole things works (split displays) until you try it while driving. I could see the split display being a benefit for an experienced user (owner) since the majority of the radio buttons appear to surround a central knob/button/thingy. This would seem to facilitate no-look control while keeping the eyes much closer the road.
Definitely not a fan of the bulge-out rounds…way too late-90’s Pontiac for my tastes.
There needs to be a cell phone + iPod bin und the HVAC controls…always. Don’t know what those two controls are that are there in the image but I’m sure they could be located elsewhere (right side of the shifter) and still maintain usability.
Finally, the cup holders and the e-brake need to change positions, with the later be recessed somewhat when in the down position.
Being a former CX-7 owner, I rather liked the display being up under the “cowl”. It really keeps your focus on the road.
What’s better about the CX-7 though, is that you can easily access the controls while resting your arm on the arm rest and gear shifter. The size of the 3 doesn’t warrant a high enough center console to accommodate that luxury however.