Did you know Mazda is down to selling just one car? Well – technically – one sedan that’s also available as a hatchback’d sedan. This one being the 2025 Mazda3. But in either iteration, it is the last car Mazda sells that has more than just two seats.
That one being the Miata sports car. It is not a very practical car but gets away with it because it is a very fun car.
Other cars can’t get away with being not very practical. More finely, with having relatively little cargo-carrying capability because they have trunks and those always have less space than you’d have in a crossover’s cargo area. And that is why crossovers – which generally have 4-5 times as much cargo capacity as a same-sized sedan – have largely replaced the sedan in pretty much every vehicle manufacturer’s model lineup. You get more space for about the same money in a vehicle about the same overall size.
But why did this replacement take place?
The usual reason.
Beginning in the mid-1970s, a roundabout attack on cars – specifically, large cars with big trunks – began. It took the form of “fuel efficiency” requirements that pushed large cars with big trunks off the market without formally outlawing them. Cars got smaller (and smaller-engined) in order to meet the “efficiency” requirements. Instead of room for six – three across in two rows – and room enough in the trunk for whatever a family needed to carry there – room for five and a much smaller trunk. The full-sized sedan (as a mass market vehicle) went extinct in 2011, which was the last year for the last full-size, six-passenger American car, the Ford Crown Victoria.
It was 212 inches long and had a nearly 21 cubic foot trunk. The Mazda3 sedan is 183.5 inches long and has a 13.2 cubic foot trunk. The Mazda is a fine little car. Emphasis on little. What else is there – thats affordable? Very little. Mid-sized sedans such as the Toyota Camry – which are still a lot smaller than a full-sized sedan like the Vic – start just shy Of $30,000 and they are only mid-sized and don’t have much trunk, either (15.1 cubic feet for the Camry. 
For about the same or even less money, you can buy a crossover that’s got several times as much space for cargo and just as much space for people and that’s also got a small four cylinder engine driving the front wheels (or all four, if it has AWD) just like the handful of cars you’re still allowed to buy. The attraction of a bigger engine driving the rear wheels in a bigger car is gone, unless you’re in a position to be able to afford a six figure luxury sedan such as Mercedes S-Class, BMW 7 or Audi A8. And even they are not as big as the Crown Vic and none of them come standard with a V8 engine, as the big Vic did.
So now you know whey there are so few cars left on the market and why almost all of them are small. And now you understand why the few that remain probably won’t be around for much longer, either.
. . .
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As one who has always favored smaller, more efficient, designs I also lament the loss of choice. I think my ’06 Corolla is about the epitome of efficiency for moving 4 adults. It’s better than my ’90 Jetta which I thought could not be beat. However, its limitations are just that, limit 4 and you better pack soft luggage.
Two exceptions over the years are my current T-150 SuperCrew w/6-1/2′ bed and the ’76 Olds Delta 88. both have/had a 350 and a wheel base that was over ten feet. That made for the greatest interstate cruising ever in the 88. Deals Gap on the other hand…
Despite its massive presence the 88’s trunk was a disaster. Yes, it had a large area but, a full size spare was plunked right down in the middle and the overall height of the area seemed pinched. Add in the massive jack and it was a pretty poor excuse for a trunk.
Which brings me to the Space-Saver Spare. Have you ever tried to buy a new one? I tried to find one for my 32 year old Miata and it’s nigh on to impossible at any price. Are we to assume that a 30+ year old tire is road worthy? I don’t think so.
Rambling over…back to coffee…
Old cars rule….
They always have, even when I was younger, back in the 70’s and it was routine to see cars from the 40’s & 50’s used for daily driving. I always admired the lines and artistic designs of those old rides.
Why has our choice decreased?
Because the (((FEDGOV)))’s destructive regulatory reign has grown and is choking the life out of American business & culture.
In 1925, there were over 2,000 car companies, answering the markets requirements for what customers wanted.
Today, the (((FEDGOV))) tells customers and manufacturers what they call sell and buy. Crush the unconstitutional FEDGOV and watch choices explode and prices plummet.
Don’t believe me??
Look at the rest of the world, particularly Asia and see what has happened there…
‘the few that remain probably won’t be around for much longer, either.’ — eric
Tariffs are a crocodile-infested moat that will further reduce automotive choice in the USA:
‘[Trump] told Time magazine in an interview released Friday that 20%, 30% or 50% tariffs a year from now would be a “total victory.”
“The deal is a deal that I choose,” Trump said in the interview.
“What I’m doing is I will, at a certain point in the not too distant future, I will set a fair price of tariffs for different countries.”
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/stocks-stumble-after-trumps-china-comments
‘L’etat, c’est moi.’ — Louis XIV
Meanwhile, 13 states have sued in federal court, pointing out that the unclothed, narcissistic Orange Emperor is defying Article 1, Section 8, which unequivocally assigns such duties to Congress.
‘It’s just a goddamned piece of paper.’ — George Walker Prescott Algernon Plantagenet Bush
The states (12) listed as plaintiffs in the lawsuit were Oregon, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York and Vermont.
Notice anything?
So why haven’t automobile manufacturers put pressure on the Trump administration for deregulation? It’s because they’re not interested in bringing the cars we want to market.
Maybe if push comes to shove. That’s not the goal here. The goal is keep the status quo and disparage Trump at all costs. Blame him for the total obliteration of choice they’ve fomented and are satisfied with.
Hi Steve,
Ok. But has Trump or his EPA rescinded or even challenged the premise of CAFE? How about “safety” compliance costs? These are largely responsible for the high cost of vehicles available here and also why it’s illegal to import affordable vehicles like the $13k HiLux Champ here. Trump talks a lot – but does little that meaningfully helps average Americans.
Has anyone even asked? This grinds my gears. Stellantis is expecting CAFE to not get worse, and the japs are tooling up for something. I think they want more in on the $40,000 grey blob market, not anything they would consider importing, while they claim to want reciprocal trade.
I don’t think anyone is interested in asking. I think everyone is vying to compete keeping the rules as they are.
I see a BINGO! “everyone is vying to compete keeping the rules as they are.”
…Same, as it ever was.
As ‘ole OffGrid Doug on YT was saying today, ~ the Democrats never stopped shoving Bills down The People’s throats, day after day, nonstop. One, after another, bam, bam, bam. But, now that the other wing is in power, all ya hear is little nothing chirps & a slow crawl. Why is that?
Mothering.
All the bits online about how Trump/the Republicans have only been in power for 3 ‘only’ months. …Catha Quando?
[Could Greg, interview Doug? That would be something.]
Anyway, a regional sandwich chain here, Hungry Hobo, is now giving discounts if you pay with cash. That’s refreshing.
Imagine if, businesses offered discounts if a person paid with gold or silver?
[Insert old old video from the backroom of a grocery store, the employee using a scale to accept gold and silver as payment. Only, nowadays, they’d have to use one of those metal scanner guns. I’d sure like to have one of those. $?]
FAK! I’m more sun-burnt, sore muscled & tired than I thought I was. Half that comment was ‘sposed to go here, summwhere’s:
https://usawatchdog.com/stop-the-digital-control-grid-catherine-austin-fitts/
…Kinda, all one & the same?
Hi Steve,
See today’s lead article. Isn’t Trump supposed to be a “leader”?
Due to regulation, we have fewer and fewer choices when it comes to vehicles now-a-days.
I don’t hate crossovers and SUV’s but it would be better if they hadn’t replaced all the choices we had in the past. Large sedans, large premium coupes, sports cars, pony cars, muscle cars, convertibles, small pickups, medium pickups are all choices banned, yes banned by government. They would all sell if government hadn’t made them so they couldn’t make money. Minivans are on the chopping block. I bet getting the large pickups will be made harder too. (some places like England, they aren’t allowed to be personal vehicles already).
Sedans are getting too impractical if you have a family, or take road trips.
In the 1980’s land yachts, you could 6 people and probably fit 6 more in the trunk, they were massive, nobody needed an SUV.
Then came your ubiquitous sedan that sat 2 in front, 3 in back, and they were pretty nice if you had up to 5 people.
Now, most of the sedans are designed to sit 4. They put a hand rest in between the rear seats, or a depression that clearly isn’t a center seat, just a place holder that’s not great on longer drives – this Mazda 3 has that issue too.
The proles have spoken; they demand trucks, CUV’s and SUV’s
Funny thing is marketing has spent the last 20 years telling them this is what they want.
Similarly, the government has spent the last 20 years continually ratcheting up impact standards such that the only thing that does well in testing is . . . You guessed it . . . Trucks, CUVs, and SUV’s.
Nothing to see here – move along.
Just bought a ’25 CX-30 turbo for my wife. Solid car, good build quality and fast. No complaints here it’s a great little car. Compared it to the Subaru Crosstrek during the research phase and both are basically the same car as far as specs go. About 37k each but the Mazda has 250 hp as opposed to the 190 hp in the Subaru. No brainer there. We are a horsepower family. Also Mazda financial is/was doing 2.9% financing.
Drove a Mazda pickup for a few years, slave cylinder was a problem, head gasket leaked and the repair was made. Then it got sold.
Mustangs are Mazda-esque.
Three dollars per share today, Mazda is thinly traded, 2201 shares this morning so far, not much, last dividend date was September of 2024. The PE is 4.05, the earnings are 74 cents.
There is one bid at 2.95 USD for 306,100 shares.
Mazda does have nice cars.
I bought a made in Japan Mazda3 back in 2014, 2.0 L engine gets over 40 mpg. I’d planned on getting a new vehicle by now, perhaps a made in Japan CX-5, but I discovered that they no longer make any new vehicle I’d have. No thanks to the driver assistance/awful start-stop/automatic brakes crap. I’ll just hang on to my old Mazda3, never had to do anything to it anyway.
The Mazda 3 sedan w the 2.5T is IMO the best little sedan out there. Drove one and it rips.
My bud owns one too, and loves it as his commuter.
My daughter was interested in one but couldn’t find ANY. Either they sold out or they’re not bringing them over. Is demand low?
It looks good too in the sedan. She wasn’t interested in the hatch version.
Boy to I still miss the crown vic and now the charger/300. RWD cars in general.
There are some in mid-size suv style (not trucks like tahoe, etc…) such as the explorer and grand cherokee. I think all others are FWD based (yuk).
“I think all others are FWD based (yuk).”
Couldn’t agree more! RWD = more robust drivetrain, whereas FWD = cheaper, compact, fuel-efficient. The latter (usually) means LESS reliability.
Compliance cars are a self-imposed tariff on ourselves. It is a barrier to owning what we want, and how we want it.
Just got back from Spain. Not saying they got things right, for sure they don’t. (It’s a lazy culture based on smoking/drinking and finding reasons for time off) My son in law owns a SEAT-Ateca. The small SUV which appeared well made and drove very well which is made in the Czech Republic. I’m sure it does not comply with any or all our safety-emission regulations hence we can’t own one over here, nevertheless the car drove and felt solid. I mentioned to my son in law that the European Union are fools not to agree to drop their own tariffs with the USA because the USA can’t compete with them in manufactured goods in their own markets due to the high costs of USA compliance regulation. Our manufactured products are too expensive with air bags galore. They would benefit biggly in my opinion with open trade. Now if the European union wants Nvidia semi-conductors and laser guided missiles, that is another story. (As soon as we find a way not to source our materials from China)
I would contend that we’re getting back to the seating position/profile of the 1940s sedans with the SUV and the crossovers. Sitting more upright, with better visibility is more comfortable on a long drive, and makes navigating traffic easier. Of course that is multiplied and enhanced by the proliferation of gigantic 4wd pickups blocking visibility in traffic, also an unintended consequence of government rule making.
The sedan has seldom been sexy, exceptions like the 4dr hardtop and the Kia Stinger proving the rule.
I personally lament the loss of convertibles, due as much to women not wanting their hair mussed by the wind, and by a pampered, decadent, and effete population, as by gov rules.
I would agree with the height of today’s SUV’s crossover with 1930-40s cars. I saw late 1930’s Buick parked next to a Tahoe at a car show and came to the same conclusion as they were about the same height.
I made the observation probably a decade or so ago that crossovers were basically the way cars were in the 1940s with some slight differences like the rear hatch. There may be some comments on this website somewhere from me regarding that.
Anyway somewhere I did a photo comparison between two Fords, a CUV and a 1940s sedan, pretty dang close in overall form.
Drove a mazda 3 2 door hatch once as a loaner. Put it in drive without looking and that’s how I discovered the manual/automatic transmission.
Once I hashed that out it seemed like a good car.
I prefer a smaller car that provide a more fun drive on rural roads, so as they go away it does make me a little sad. Crossovers are bland to ugly and seem to be often driven by people that would benefit from taking their license test again.
I see why manufacturers built the first SUV’s after the @$$#0le$ in the fedgov made luxury sedans unaffordable with taxes. I never saw the reasoning behind buying ANY SUV when vans and station wagons offer more value, features, safety, and are more economical than any SUV.
“No one in this world, so far as I know—and I have searched the records for years, and employed agents to help me—has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people. ” – H.L. Mencken
Had 2 Madza Protages, both good vehicles that made well over 200,000 miles each. Also had the 1st year Miata. Just bought a VW GTI 380 with manual, not too interested in Mazda today.