Articles by Owner Review

In its day it would have been modern and top notch, however 20 years on it’s dated.Great interior, comfortable seats, wood grain finish and generous boot. I absolutely love driving it. Safe and great pick up. Holds itself well. Extremely high. Diesel and services are medium to high cost, repairs very high cost. Never let me down.

Safety is adequate without constant, annoying "keep your eyes on the road" intrusions. Screen access to the air con has been critized in a number of reviews but it isn't difficult with quick and easy access at the bottom. The Max de-fog selection for clearing the windscreen is the best in any brand I have driven or tested. Loving the heated mirrors and seats.It's a minor issue but the size of the cupholders could be better. Otherwise the layout suits us. The sunvisors are amazing, able to slide back and forth when on the side windows. Cargo capacity is a stand-out feature as we regularly have large loads to carry with seats up and down. Nothing in the price or vehicle size range comes close.This is one of the most under-rated cars on the market. With European styling and comfort it offers more bang-for-buck than any other brand including Chinese brands currently flooding the market. With Melbourne's pothole abundance the ride is challenged every trip and soaks up most irregularities extremely well. The engine isn't race car-like but is ample for us. Certainly one of the better CVT's (Continuously Variable Transmissions) I have driven and feels like a European car, making my daily trips to and from work and the occassional business pick up very enjoyable.With a seven-year, unlimited km warranty, seven-year roadside assistance and 30,000km or 12 month fixed price servicing, running costs was a big factor in choosing this car. Fuel economy so far for city driving is better than quoted with us averaging no more than 9.1L/100km, currently running around 8.6-8.7L/100km. Shopping around for insurance we found it comparable to Nissan/Toyota/Mazda insurance costs.With over 5000km we have no issues in our first three months of ownership, and with the backing of a well-known platform, we don't expect any.

Head-up display is great. Clear. Parking assistance collision works well but tends to be on the sensitive side.Yes, very spacious for family of four.Smooth and comfortable. Sporty if I want to. But on a ride from Sydney to Melbourne on Eco Pro - it’s super fuel efficient, giving me an extra 165 km!Fuel is 95 premium unleaded, which is on the expensive side. Maintenance, if you do it yourself, is just a bit more than a Japanese brand like Mazda.Very reliable. Can’t complain. I’ve owned Japanese cars in the past and this X3 (G01) sDrive20i is on par.

The multimedia set-up is basic. There are enough buttons on the steering wheel to avoid fiddling with the stereo but it hasn't aged well. Bluetooth drop outs are frequent.Car is very practical if you just need something to commute in. The interior is simple and the fabric seats are easy to clean with just a vacuum. Despite being a hatch the boot is more than big enough.Drives really well. The (manual) gearbox and clutch are super smooth. Auto stop/start sometimes leaves you waiting an extra second for the engine to restart, worrying someone's about to lean on the horn or run up your backside. Ride height is a pain. You have to crawl up and down driveways to avoid scraping the front bumper.Great on fuel, consistently averaging under 7.0L/100km. Insurance is fairly cheap, too (full comprehensive under $1000). Servicing is fairly straight forward. No major services required until you hit 120,000km.Never had major mechanical issues. Mazda originally had a recall notice out on the windscreen wipers, but it's never caused a problem.

Multimedia is the worst. Always freezes and blanks out. Sometimes it won’t connect to Apple CarPlay, doesn’t scan radio stations and has poor reception. The seats are really comfortable, the cargo area has a lot of space and it’s convenient with the two sliding doors.It has the power required but has a lot of issues with premature disc rotor wear (warping at 20,000km) and issues with first and second gear.It’s fuel efficiency is great and with the Eco mode you can use e10. Servicing is very expensive and a lot of things aren’t covered under warranty. The reliability is very poor. It has rust within three years, a lot of mechanical issues and electrical faults.

The tech transforms every drive — smart safety systems, cameras, adaptive cruise and driver assists make touring effortless, while remaining easy to customise and disable.Love the interior, so plush and comfortable. The plastic tub liner could be thicker and more substantial.Best car I've ever driven. It’s like it’s on train tracks. Power is smooth and plentiful.It’s a ute so the rego and insurance are higher. Fuel use is as good as you want it to be. Has not missed a beat. I’m getting oil done every 10,000km as all diesels need that extra care.

The safety technology is intrusive and the multimedia could be better.The car's interior is very well done - spacious and comfortable. The rear cargo area is efficient and practical. I can slot my tools in the back and have a very comfortable experience inside.The experience is very pleasant but the car's not as durable in the bush as I thought it would be. In suburbia it's a comfortable, easy drive, although its slow to take off.With today's fuel prices it is very expensive, especially if you use it in the bush as well as the city. Other than than it's affordable.It's a very reliable car. I have put it through a lot and it still runs efficiently. I damaged the drive shaft by running different size tyres but it still got me where I needed to go.

Has fuel injection.Car's interior is standard, the way it should be. It's a 1976 Holden Torana, so 1976 practicality. Perfect. Drives like a new car.It has a V8 but fuel economy is great because it is fitted with fuel-injection.Car is very reliable. Starts first time every time. Runs perfectly.

Speakers and headset unit work better than they would in most cars of this age.Interior colour isn’t that nice but with a few floor mats it’s perfect. Boot size is awesome for prams and shopping.The gearing is amazing and being able to change gears myself is better for fuel economy and comfort.Cost of fuel per week is only around $80-90 and range is between 700 and 1000km.Hasn’t missed a beat and even small things are fine and easy to fix if you have the knowledge. 

Basic multimedia with a Kenwood CD/tuner/Bluetooth unit with USB and auxiliary functions. However, it has good speakers, including large speakers in the rear of vehicle. There are minimal safety features, but it does have a rear emergency exit.There is a great seating arrangement with aisle access to all rear seats and three seats in the front of vehicle, consisting of a dual passenger seat and single driver’s seat.It is very comfortable to drive with excellent vision via the large windscreen. There are plenty of air-con vents, including ceiling vents in the rear of vehicle, allowing for a cool drive.Running costs are quite economical with plenty of kilometres per litre, especially highway driving, with the 3.0-litre diesel engine. The light weight reduces registration costs.It is generally reliable with the diesel engine handling long distance drives. The large battery keeps the vehicle starting up daily, and all accessories running properly and constantly.