Dec 9th, 2011 by Ross Edwards
If you’re looking for a sporty, stylish small car that doesn’t remind you of settling because you couldn’t afford the Camry or Accord the way a Corolla and Civic would, the 2012 VW Jetta and 2012 Mazda3 are probably two cars you’re considering. The 2012 VW Jetta starts at $15,365 and the 2012 Mazda3 starts at $15,200, so you won’t break the bank with either sedan.
The 2012 VW Jetta
The Jetta and Mazda3 both offer a sportier driving experience with more powerful engines available. The VW’s styling should appeal more to traditional sedan fans while the Mazda’s flame-surface styling is either forward thinking and more in touch with the times, or chasing a trend, depending on your personal opinions.
The 2012 VW Jetta is powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine in base trims that makes 115-hp and gets 24-mpg city and 34-mpg highway or a 2.5-liter five-cylinder with 170-hp and 23-mpg city, 33-mpg highway ratings. The Jetta is also available in sporty GLI trim with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with 200-hp. The GLI is rated at 22-mpg highway and 33-mpg city. The 2012 Mazda3 has four options for engines. The base 3 comes with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder with 148-hp that gets 23-mpg city and 33-mpg highway. The 2.0-liter Skyactiv engine makes 155-hp and gets 27-mpg city and 39-mpg highway. The 2.5-liter Mazda3 engine makes 167-hp and gets 20-mpg city and 28-mpg on the highway. The monstrous Mazdaspeed3 (only available in hatch back bodystyle) gets a 263-hp engine rates at 18-mpg city and 25-mpg highway.
The Mazda3 and VW Jetta are both available with heated seats, navigation, keyless ignition, satellite radio and a host of other gadgets that make the hours you spend in your car comfortable. The Jetta is not available with an automatic climate control system, while the 3 is.
The 2012 Mazda3
The Mazda3 is a little bit bigger inside than the Jetta in just about every way. The 2012 Jetta has 38.2 inches of front head room, 41.2 inches of front leg room, 37.1 inches of rear head room and 38.1 inches of rear leg room. The 2012 Mazda3 has 38.9 inches of head room up front along with 42.0 inches of leg room, 37.5 inches of rear head room and 36.2 inches of leg room in the back. The Jetta has a much larger trunk with 15.5 cubic feet to the Mazda 3’s 11.8.
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