May 23, 2017

This is the Philippines' First Machine Gray Metallic Mazda3. And It's With Us. (w/ 15 Photos)


UPDATE 1: Machine Gray Metallic finally joins the official palette of colors of the 2017 Mazda3 Speed (6/6).

You’re looking at the first Machine Gray Metallic colored Mazda3 in the country. While we’re no stranger to it, seeing it at Mazda’s Mine Proving Ground last 2016, there’s something about seeing it in the local setting that makes us all giddy.

It will be part of the top-of-the-line Mazda3 Speed range, joining the equally eye-catching Soul Red Metallic color. Like that trademark Mazda color, it comes with a slight price premium over the regular hues. Unlike Soul Red which instantly catches the eye, Machine Gray comes across as something more subdued. It’s most striking under a mix of light and shadow when the deeper metallic tones easily accentuated the car’s KODO design.



Like other versions of the Mazda3 Speed, the Machine Gray Metallic model comes with a wrap-around Mazdaspeed body kit comprised of a front chin, side skirts, and a rear diffuser. But unlike other Speed variants, opting for the Mazda3 in Machine Gray adds blue highlights to the body kit. You see them on the front chin, rear diffuser, and even brakes! Also unlike the other Speed colors, the high-gloss (Black Chrome) wheels have been swapped for even classier Hyper Silver ones.

The bad news is that Mazda Philippines is still on the fence on whether or not they’ll offer the Machine Gray Premium Metallic as a color on the Mazda3 Speed. The good news is that while they’re deciding, you can feast your eyes on this beauty as she joins our Long Term Test Fleet!



That’s right. In a one-of-a-kind arrangement with Mazda Philippines, they’re lending us this particular Mazda3 Speed model for us to experience the ins and outs of Mazda ownership. We’ll have regular reports as we rack up the mileage (and the corresponding dealer visits). Rest assured, we haven’t sought any sort preferential treatment and we’re paying everything out of pocket. This ensures that we’ll be very transparent with everything as we’ve always been. Will we still be in love with our Top Pick for 2016? Only this Long Term Test will tell.

In the meantime, if you see the only Machine Gray Metallic Mazda3 Speed on the road, give us a holler or a wave. If Mazda owners would want to invite us to any Mazda-related activity, we’ll also be happy to oblige, schedule permitting of course. We’ll also be happy to answer any question you may have about Mazda ownership (Mazda3 in particular) on this website.



70 comments:

  1. The best in its class just got another hot color.

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  2. This'll get you laid. Not kidding.

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  3. Damn! Take my money... luxurious and serious... only for gents...

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  4. The best got better.

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  5. Sir Uly, please message Sir Ritz Marcelino, the president of Mazda 3 Skyactiv club PH for a Mazda 3 activity(funrun, etc), we'll be happy to have you on our side. :)

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for the offer. I'll try to get in touch with Sir Ritz :-)

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  6. Baquette ngayon ka lang dumating? shakit bes

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  7. Ugly gray mouse.

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  8. Makapagbenta muna ng laman.. need ko yan.

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  9. Damn. I saw this somewhere. I'll give you a good honk next time Sir Ulysses.

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  10. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  11. i got the white one... but hot damn, this machine grey is something else...

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  12. Mazda 3 is king

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  13. Just noticed it now, the Mazda 3 is equipped with a driver side automatic power windows only while the Civic has the driver and front passenger auto power windows.

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    1. Oo kasi sobrang nakakatamad pumintod ng 3 seconds. (sarcastic)

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    2. Oo nga kasi okay lang kahit may shortcomings ang Mazda pero kapag ibang car brand asarin natin sila (sarcasm)

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    3. Naka honda city ako b*bo, gineneralize ko yang comment ko. Malay ko sa brand wars nyo.

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    4. Eh naka City ka pala, eh wala namang ganyan ang City kaya hindi mo alam ang convenience na naibibigay nyan, nakiki sabat ka pa. Mas b*bo ka naman pala

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    5. God did I just replied an idiot? tabi-tabi po.

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    6. Hehehe. Just focus in your subcompact, it's meant for newbies and noobs like you. You won't be able to fully relate with people who owns higher class vehicles, most especially with the convenience it brings.

      "You get what you pay for".

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    7. *on.

      Just focus on your...

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    8. Just drove a friend's Civic. The Mazda 3 is leaps and bounds better overall especially in terms of the drive, the quality of the materials. The first thing I touched is the door handle outside and it felt so cheap, like the interior, which is a far cry from the Mazda 3. Changing the gears from P to D feels so unrefined compared to the shifter of the Mazda 3, and many more. I wonder how people would pick the Civic over the Mazda 3 and I'm saying this wholeheartedly, no fanboyism included. It is more spacious in the rear however, but similar space with the Mazda 3 up front.

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    9. Ang gulo ng english mo boy! Hindi alam kng anu b pinupuna ko, minsan nsa civic point mo tpos sa mazda pla papuri mo.... iayos mo muna sarili mo!

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  14. Hi sir. I don't get it. Is this color/package already available or not? Thank you.

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    1. Not for the Mazda3. The color is slowly being rolled out throughout the Mazda line up though. But when asked whether we can expect the Machine Gray Mazda3, Mazda Philippines isn't sure about final availability yet.

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  15. Mazda Ph Marketing peeps are all over this website.
    So buyers(of any brand) - test drive, don't let this page fool you.

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    1. We maintain a good relationship with all the car brands. And we always say everything as is. What we love and what we hate.

      Try finding another site locally that does this. You won't.

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    2. We all know you maintain a very good relationship with them and other brands pops-up on this page.

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    3. Sir Uly is correct. You wont find a site (locally) that can be a reliable source of review and other people's experience pagdating sa cars. Definitely not the Topgear na exagerated ang praise sa kahit anong car ang ireview.

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    4. exaggerated*

      They also exaggerate reviews here, they need those brands/clients, so non-car brands will continue to buy space on this website.

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    5. *exxagerated

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    6. Exxagerrated**

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    7. Nope, we are not marketers of the Mazda 3, we are Mazda owners and we market Mazda from our own free will because we don't want other people to have lame cars from other brands. Once you own a Mazda, you'll never want to buy from another brand again, no fanboyism included, only the truth. Those Honda guys are really butt hurt of the reality.

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    8. I couldn't have said it better than what this guy ^^ said. We are not in war with other brands, especially with honda. We market mazda from our own experience, and we would like you to experience the same, if only you have an open mind. We get nothing from advertising, we just want to share the experience to you. But in the end of the day, its still our own choices.

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    9. Paid trolls. Mazda is not even a major brand anywhere in terms of sales and has very poor resale value. They do have very good PR team which dishes out good review in every website but poor reviews from others gets buried.

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    10. We were not talking about brand, how Mazda is not a major brand. Or how poor its resale values are. I definitely agree with you, it has one if not the least in terms of resale value. It is not a major brand also. But, we were talking about how good a driver car Mazdas are. It shows na hindi kami bumibili ng sasakyan para sa resale value, but for the fun of driving.

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    11. That's because Mazda's target market are the people who loves to drive, not the mass market people who just needs a vehicle to get them from A to B. And they have poor resale value here due to the poor close minded perception of people such as you who knows nothing but Toyota or Honda like the rest of the crowd.

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    12. Poor reviews from others? Mazda skyactiv vehicles have positive reviews all over the world, I haven't read a single review that is negative except for the CX-3 review here in carguide ph.

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  16. I agree to test drive but Nahhh he's not fooling anyone.

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  17. Almost considered buying a Mazda 3 last year when I was searching for a new car. The exterior looks really good and the interior has a very plush feel. Bahain nga lang lugar namin so I settled for a crossover instead.

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    1. I feel sorry for your lost.

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    2. lost? LOL
      Crossovers and SUVs are more practical. Flash floods are getting more and more frequent. One flash flood could totally wreck your car. If it survives, it will need at least an engine overhaul which will affect reliability.

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    3. It never flooded in the past 6 months here in my area in Manila. Maybe it will in july-august though, but I have a parking space that is 3 feet higher than the road and I'm lucky that it doesn't flood much in my street.

      But crossovers and SUV's aren't that great to drive compared to sedans/hatches. That extra ground clearance will cost you more money with a lot less equipment and features.

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    4. ^^ LMAO! This guy has gone crazy with his Mazda. He thinks his Mazda is the best of the best and anything that's not a Mazda sucks for him.

      Boy, never generalize all Crossovers and SUV's (although there are indeed CUV's and SUV's that'll cost you a lot w/ less features and equipments). Your Mazda 3 has no rich heritage to speak of. There are Crossovers and SUV's that'll decimate your Mazda 3.

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    5. ^You lack reading comprehension honda fanboy, I simply stated that sedans/hatches drive better than crossovers/suvs which is the truth. I don't need a rich heritage, I embrace modern technology, not heritage. If you want heritage, you can opt for the outdated Mitsubishi Lancer. Compact sedans/hatches are the better buy if you don't need that extra 50mm of ground clearance, a few mm of interior space and ride height.

      If you say that I think Mazda is the best, that goes same with you with your dream honda civic. Keep dreaming and hope you'll get that Civic RS soon.

      Decimate in terms of what? I simply stated that sedans/hatches are a better drive than SUVs, which is why I would prefer the Mazda 6 over the CX-5 for example.

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    6. Sedans/hatches indeed drive better most especially if you're talking about performance driving but the guy above bought a CUV for everyday practicality. "That extra ground clearance will cost you more money with a lot less equipment and features" LOL. You're not aware of the features of some CUV's and SUV's. The guy above wasn't even amused with you.

      Decimate in terms of what? Power, overall features, practicality, and fuel efficiency. A car having a rich heritage doesn't mean it is outdated, it only means a certain car has proven itself since time immemorial. i.e. Forester, Pajero, etc...

      A Civic is not and will never be dream for me, it's just a daily car that gives a lot of people the best of both worlds. A daily drive that can smoke your Mazda 3 whether in the streets or in the track stock vs stock.

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    7. *a Civic is not and will never be a dream car for me

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    8. Seriously, honda fanboy. Walang masama sa sinabi ni Mazda fanboy, nag-generalize lang sya. Focus on your civic, boy.

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    9. More power but also significantly heavier. Those cars with rich heritage tend to have limits in technological advancement due to their heritage. And the mazda 3 has been in the market from the 323 in the past.
      Smoke the mazda 3? In a straight line, yes but on the track or in mountain roads, your civic doesnt stand a chance against the superior handling and chassis of the mazda 3.
      He, the honda fanboy doesn't even have a Civic, lol. So technically, it is still his dream car

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    10. Mazda 3 has marginally better handling. But lets face it, its a budget compact car and every other compact sedan trumps it in space (Civic, Altis, Elantra, Cruze). It probably has the same space as the City. So you are paying premium price for much tighter room. Maybe that's why its not selling well anywhere.

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    11. ^^ The City has bigger space than the Mazda 3 sedan/hatch. It's much worse in the hatch coz it'll make your rear passenger feel claustrophobic.

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    12. Among gagawin mo SA better handling Na hindi nga Maka overtake SA hiway especially the 1.5 one. Its not a real mazda. Yung 2L merong better acceleration but the istop dulls the experience. Maybe we should have the 2.5l other countries have

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    13. CUV's and SUV's that have a rich heritage doesn't mean it can't have a good technological advancement, take for example the Forester XT. It's the best in its class in several categories, only being beaten by the CX5 in some (most especially in the design caregory) due to it being a newer model. The Pajero however, has become a little bit outdated. Mitsubishi has become lazy to push it up further.

      I currently drive a 3.5 sedan but i'll be replacing it with a Civic. By then we can race in the track stock vs stock. You'll see for yourself what you and Mazda's PR team are all blabbing about.

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    14. Yan na naman yung "I currently drive a 3.5 sedan but i'll be replacing it with a Civic. By then we can race in the track stock vs stock" mo. For all we know mahirap ka lang at nagpapanggap ka lang jan, with all your current "knowledge" in cars na ginoogle mo lang. Don't push it, sorry-for-a-human-na-nagpapanggap-may-pambili. :)

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    15. The 1.5L is good for city driving, designed for city use Japan and in Europe but I agree that it lacks grunt in the highway. The 2.0 is more than sufficient and the istop is annoying in city driving, so I tend to turn it off anyway.The 2.5 should be offered in the Mazda 3 Speed variant to justify the Speed moniker, but the 2.0 is so punchy and linear, an excellent engine compared to the nonlinear turbo engines of its competitors(Focus, Civic), and it is worse for the Civic because it is matched to a CVT that is occasionally confused what ratio it will use. I wish they would just ditch that awful CVT for a conventional automatic.

      You should get that dream Civic your talking about first before you challenge me to a track run, lol. I really find it weird that you'll be choosing a compact car if you already have a 3.5L midsize sedan, you should've moved up in life and bought a new midsize or a compact premium sports sedan such as the Lexus IS350 F Sport.

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  18. Am very interested to know maintenance costs after the Yojin-3 period.

    Contemplating on a Mazda once I graduate (ie. pay off the loan) from my current car. When that time comes, hope to convince my wife na we don't need an MPV :D

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  19. Im torn between mazda 3 and honda city and jazz which is ok mazda offering yojin 3 years dont need to pay for 3years and another 2 years for free parts oil and filter just pay for the labor

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  20. Hi Ulysses , what's the recommended fuel for the Mazda 3?

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    1. Can't go above 91 octane?

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    2. You can, but there's no reason to.

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    3. It won't affect the performance the engine?

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    4. Nope. You can go 95 octane if you want, but you're not going to be gaining any performance if that's what's you're asking. The Skyactiv-G engine in the Mazda3 was tuned already to use 91 octane so going any higher would just be wasting money hehe.

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    5. Ohhh okay , thank you

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  21. I'm seriously considering getting the m3 1.5. Kindly enlighten me on some things:
    1. Fuel efficiency with and without istop?
    2. Is it true that mazda parts are expensive?
    3. battery is expensive? Easily drains due to iStop?

    Thanks.

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  22. I got 20018 mazda 3 sedan on machine gray.the best car i bought but fuckin mazda is launching the mazda 3 2019 and now im thinking of trading in my 2018 for that newer one

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