North Georgia Ford Compares 2017 Ford Fiesta VS 2017 Mazda 3 Near Chatsworth, GA

Both the Fiesta and the Mazda 3 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front-wheel drive, height-adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding and available rearview cameras.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Ford Fiesta is safer than the Mazda 3:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Ford Fiesta is safer than the Mazda 3:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

There are over 6 times as many Ford dealers as there are Mazda dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Fiesta’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2016 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Ford vehicles are better in initial quality than Mazda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Ford 11th in initial quality, above the industry average. With 25 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mazda is ranked 26th, below the industry average.

On the EPA test cycle the Fiesta SFE 3 cyl. Manual gets better fuel mileage than the Mazda 3 2.0 4-Door Manual with its standard engine (31 city/41 hwy vs. 27 city/37 hwy).

The Fiesta has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Mazda 3 doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

The Fiesta stops much shorter than the Mazda 3:

The Fiesta’s drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The Mazda 3 doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

The Ford Fiesta may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 350 to 450 pounds less than the Mazda 3.

The Fiesta is shorter than the Mazda 3, making the Fiesta easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces:

As tested by Car and Driver while under full throttle, the interior of the Fiesta Titanium Five-Door Hatchback is quieter than the Mazda 3 5-Door (75 vs. 77 dB).

The Fiesta Sedan has .5 inches more front headroom and 1.4 inches more front legroom than the Mazda 3 4-Door.

The Fiesta Sedan has a larger trunk than the Mazda 3 4-Door (12.8 vs. 12.4 cubic feet).

The power windows standard on both the Fiesta and the Mazda 3 have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Fiesta is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Mazda 3 prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Fiesta’s available exterior PIN entry system. The Mazda 3 doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

The Fiesta SE/Titanium’s available GPS navigation system has a real-time traffic update feature that plots alternative routes to automatically bypass traffic problems. (Service not available in all areas.) The Mazda 3’s available navigation system doesn’t offer real-time traffic updates.

Insurance will cost less for the Fiesta owner. The Car Book by Jack Gillis rates the Fiesta with a number “1” insurance rate while the Mazda 3 is rated higher at a number “5” rate.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Fiesta is less expensive to operate than the Mazda 3 because typical repairs cost much less on the Fiesta than the Mazda 3, including $47 less for front brake pads, $201 less for fuel injection, $66 less for a fuel pump, $44 less for front struts, $72 less for a timing belt/chain and $69 less for a power steering pump.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Ford Fiesta will be $340 to $4814 less than for the Mazda 3.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Fiesta third among small cars in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Mazda 3 isn’t in the top three.