Compare the2024 Mazda 3VS 2023 Volkswagen Jetta

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Mazda 3 have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Volkswagen Jetta doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Mazda 3 are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Jetta doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Mazda 3 has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Jetta doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Mazda 3 has standard Whiplash Reducing Headrests, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash Reducing Headrests system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Jetta doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Mazda 3 Turbo Premium Plus has standard Smart Brake Support that use rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. The Jetta doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Mazda 3 offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Jetta doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The Mazda 3’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the Jetta.

The Mazda 3 Turbo Premium Plus has a standard 360-Degree Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Jetta only offers a rear monitor.

The Mazda 3’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Jetta doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Mazda 3 and the Jetta have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras and rear cross-path warning.

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

	Mazda 3	Jetta
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	89	247
Neck Injury Risk	17%	31.7%
Neck Stress	214 lbs.	354 lbs.
Neck Compression	27 lbs.	58 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	153	315
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.7 inches
Neck Injury Risk	30%	41.6%
Neck Compression	20 lbs.	141 lbs.

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 Mazda 3 is safer than the Volkswagen Jetta:

	Mazda 3	Jetta
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.9 inches	.9 inches
Hip Force	239 lbs.	317 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	10 inches	13 inches
HIC	199	239
Spine Acceleration	30 G’s	38 G’s
Hip Force	527 lbs.	627 lbs.

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

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Mazda 3 Sedan is safer than the Jetta:

	3	Jetta
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	122	226
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Torso Max Deflection	1.65 in	1.85 in
Pelvis	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
Pelvis Force	1004 lbs.	1182 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	156	274
Neck Compression	22 lbs.	45 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	MARGINAL
Shoulder Deflection	.87 in	1.97 in
Shoulder Force	268 lbs.	379 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	.87 in	1.69 in
Pelvis	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis Force	335 lbs.	1049 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Mazda 3, with its five-star roll-over rating, is 3% less likely to roll over than the Jetta, which received a four-star rating.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, and daytime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Mazda 3 the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2023, a rating granted to only 54 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Jetta last would have qualified as a “Top Safety Pick” in 2017.

Warranty

Mazda’s powertrain warranty covers the 3 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Volkswagen covers the Jetta. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the Jetta ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

The Mazda 3’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Jetta’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

Reliability

A hardened steel chain, with no maintenance needs, drives the camshafts in the Mazda 3’s engine. A rubber cam drive belt that needs periodic replacement drives the Jetta’s camshafts. If the Jetta’s belt breaks, the engine could be severely damaged when the pistons hit the opened valves.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Mazda vehicles are better in initial quality than Volkswagen vehicles. With 46 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Mazda higher than Volkswagen.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Mazda vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Mazda above average in long-term dependability. With 13 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Volkswagen is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Mazda vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Mazda fourth in overall reliability. Volkswagen is ranked 23rd.

Engine

The Mazda 3’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 33 more horsepower (191 vs. 158) and 2 lbs.-ft. more torque (186 vs. 184) than the Jetta’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder. The Mazda 3’s optional 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 92 more horsepower (250 vs. 158) and 136 lbs.-ft. more torque (320 vs. 184) than the Jetta’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Mazda 3 (except Turbo)’s fuel efficiency. The Jetta doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

Transmission

The Mazda 3 comes standard with an automatic transmission, for driver comfort, especially in the city. Automatic costs extra on the Jetta.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Mazda 3 AWD’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Jetta:

	Mazda 3 AWD	Jetta
Front Rotors	11.61 inches	11.3 inches

The Mazda 3 stops much shorter than the Jetta:

	Mazda 3	Jetta
70 to 0 MPH	164 feet	191 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	125 feet	135 feet	Consumer Reports
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	134 feet	138 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Mazda 3 Select Sport/Preferred/Carbon/Premium’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Jetta (215/45R18 vs. 205/60R16).

The Mazda 3 Select Sport/Preferred/Carbon/Premium’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Jetta Sport/SE/SEL’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Mazda 3 Select Sport/Preferred/Carbon/Premium has standard 18-inch wheels. The Jetta’s largest wheels are only 17-inches.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Mazda 3’s wheelbase is 1.6 inches longer than on the Jetta (107.3 inches vs. 105.7 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Mazda 3 is 1 inch wider in the front and 1.8 inches wider in the rear than on the Jetta.

The Mazda 3 Premium Hatchback AWD handles at .88 G’s, while the Jetta pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Mazda 3 Carbon Edition Sedan executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Jetta SEL (26.7 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 27.6 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Mazda 3’s turning circle is 1.9 feet tighter than the Jetta’s (34.8 feet vs. 36.7 feet).

Chassis

The Mazda 3 Sedan is 10.9 inches shorter than the Jetta, making the Mazda 3 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

As tested by Car and Driver while under full throttle, the interior of the Mazda 3 Premium Hatchback is quieter than the Jetta Sport (74 vs. 75 dB).

Passenger Space

The Mazda 3 Sedan has 1.2 inches more front legroom, 1.6 inches more front hip room and .1 inches more rear headroom than the Jetta.

Cargo Capacity

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier, especially for short adults, the Mazda 3 Turbo Hatchback has a standard power trunk, which opens and closes automatically by pressing a button. The Jetta doesn’t offer a power trunk.

Ergonomics

The Mazda 3 Premium has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, warning and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Jetta doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

On a hot day the Mazda 3’s driver can lower all the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Jetta can’t use the remote to operate the windows.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Mazda 3’s headlights were rated “Good” to “Acceptable” by the IIHS, while the Jetta’s headlights are rated “Marginal” to “Poor.”

When the Mazda 3 Preferred/Carbon/Premium is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Jetta’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The Mazda 3’s optional rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Jetta offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Both the Mazda 3 and the Jetta offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Mazda 3 Select Sport/Preferred/Carbon/Premium has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Jetta doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

Model Availability

The Mazda 3 comes in sedan and four door hatchback bodystyles; the Volkswagen Jetta isn’t available as a four-door hatchback.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Mazda 3 is less expensive to operate than the Jetta because it costs $127 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Mazda 3 than the Jetta, including $405 less for a water pump, $307 less for a muffler, $357 less for a starter, $157 less for fuel injection, $202 less for front struts, $144 less for a timing belt/chain and $21 less for a power steering pump.

Recommendations

The Mazda 3 has won recognition from these important consumer publications:

	Mazda 3	Jetta
Consumer Reports® Recommends	TRUE	TRUE
Car Book “Best Bet”	TRUE	FALSE

Car and Driver performed a comparison test in its October 2021 issue and they ranked the Mazda 3 Carbon Edition Sedan AWD higher than the Volkswagen Jetta SEL.