Over Winter break, my little family and I decided to head South. We left the cold of Louisville and headed for Crystal River Florida.
I have mentioned it before, but we love to take a road trip, there is something to be said about the little towns that you find along the way and the mishaps that are bound to happen.
Our ride for the week, the Mazda 3s Grand Touring Edition
We were lucky enough to exchange my car keys for a set of keys to the 2017 Mazda 3s Grand Touring Edition.
I have, to be honest, I was slightly apprehensive because the car is considered a 5 door or in layman’s terms a hatchback. Since all 4 of us were heading out on this adventure I was afraid of the car feeling cramped.
To my pleasant surprise, it was fairly roomy and very comfortable.
What makes it even better is the fact that it had a sporty feel to it, so say if this momma got to go on a sacred solo target run, you might just feel like you are 21 again. Especially, if you have the sunroof open and the windows down on a pretty day.
The
Mazda 3s Grand Touring Features
This zippy little car had a ton of features that were a bonus both for safety and comfort reasons.
- Heads up display with sign recognition and navigation instructions. So, you’ll never miss a speed limit sign again and your next turn is displayed right in your line of vision. This means you don’t have to take your eyes off the road.
Blind spot monitoring. This feature is forever one of my favorites, the side mirrors indicate when there is a car in your blind spot. If you turn on your signal and there is a car in your blind spot, you will hear a beep letting you know that you shouldn’t make your move.
- Backup Camera. Most all of the newer cars these days are equipped with a backup camera but since my daily driving car doesn’t have one I always enjoy getting to drive a car equipped with one.
- Power. There were 2 USB ports in the front of the car and an
adaptor plug in the armrest. Which meant that there was never the fear of one of the entertainment devices for the kids losing power. Trust me, this is a biggie for my family especially when we travel long distances.
My Takeaways
This car is perfect for a family with young children, or even a couple without kids. Once the kiddos get a little bit bigger and start needing a little more leg room it will be a bit cramped.
The car got fantastic gas mileage averaging about 30 miles per gallon, which is always a bonus. Even though the car was a hatchback, it had ample room for luggage, fitting our 3 full sized suitcases easily.
The price for this car with all the bells and whistles was 27, 730 fully loaded.
