Car Talk: I'm looking for a compact hatch

[Woochifer]

Here's the new ride!



So far, I'm enjoying the drive. The car is still in the break-in period, so I've not done a lot of hard accelerations or cornering yet (just one accidental run up to the redline when I had the transmission stuck in 1st gear in manual mode).

On the first tank, the trip computer is showing 34 MPG, with a lot of city driving and accelerating/decelerating cycles for drivetrain break-in.

The negotiated price on the car came out to about $20,300 (before tax, title, etc.), and the sticker price was $21,995.

In order to get the sunroof, I had to opt for a $1,400 option package that also included the dreaded Bose Centerpoint audio system. Bose's car audio systems cause every bit as much controversy on the car audio forums as they do with their home audio products here. Basically, the quality of the Bose systems can vary a lot from model to model, and I've been less than impressed with most them, especially considering the cost.

Ideally, I would have just gone with the factory head unit, and added my own amps and speakers later. So, I was bracing for impact, especially after I saw how the system came with 10 speakers, and a wild almost disjointed array of different speaker sizes (two 1" high mounted tweeters, one 3.25" center speaker, two 6.5" door speakers, two 5.25" door speakers, two rear mounted 3.25" mid/tweeters, and a 9" subwoofer mounted in the spare tire).



To my surprise, the system sounds fairly decent -- better than most of the other Bose car audio systems I've heard over the years. Like so many other car audio systems I've heard, it's a little bit bottom heavy, but not excessive like some of the others. The midrange is better than average and there aren't a lot of gigantic peaks and valleys in the frequency range.

The trunk-mounted subwoofer is an interesting design because it's mounted onto the spare tire. The same design was used in the Acura RSX, and not surprisingly, that was the other Bose car system that I thought sounded pretty good.



Of course, as with so many other purported Bose innovations, the system also has some gimmicky processing schemes with fancy trademarked names. The system actually sounds best with all of the processing turned off. The Centerpoint surround mode basically does the same thing as a Dolby Pro Logic II decoder, by creating a pseudo 5.1 effect with a two-channel source. The system uses a 3.25" center speaker, mounted on the dashboard above the center vents, facing straight up. Needless to say it timbre matches horribly with the L/R speakers, and it's apparent with the Centerpoint mode steering much of the sound into the center. The Centerpoint mode creates some ambient cues, but it also narrows the soundstage and muddies up the overall sound.

Another Bose car audio feature is the Audiopilot2 mode, which is Bose's version of noise compensation. Most other car audio systems with this feature will vary the level according to the car's speed. The Audiopilot mode uses a high mounted microphone to measure the ambient noise, and supposedly varies the level and also applies EQ. I say supposedly, because I have yet to notice much difference in the sound with the Audiopilot engaged. Definitely not as noticeable or effective as the more conventional speed-based level adjustment. The only potential effect is some strange phase shifting with a couple of MP3s. I've not done enough critical listening to really see if Audiopilot causes this or what benefit the feature has, but I'm leaning towards leaving it turned off as well.

It's too bad that Bose has to keep on touting these gimmicky processing features, because the audio system by itself is pretty good.

BTW, some other reviewers apparently agree with my assessment of the audio system. Edmunds' comparison test actually ranked the Mazda3's Bose system higher than competing factory-installed systems from Harmon/Kardon, Dynaudio, JBL, Alpine, and Rockford Fosgate.

Positive Feedback: Issue 55 - Bose Centerpoint Car Audio System
2010 Mazdaspeed 3: Audio Review
Comparison Test of Six Budget Premium Audio Systems - Edmunds.com

The option package was $1,400, and on other cars, the sunroof as a standalone option will generally cost $800 to $1,000+. So, I essentially paid at least $400 for the premium audio upgrade. Compared to the base audio unit on our Mazda5, the Bose system is a definite step up. And it might cost about that much for a decent system upgrade to begin with.