Mazda Mazda3 (2006) vs. Subaru Forester (2015) Specs

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2006 Mazda Mazda3 and 2015 Subaru Forester Specifications

Model Year	2006	2015
Model	Mazda Mazda3	Subaru Forester
Engine
Transmission
Drivetrain
Body	4dr Hatch	4dr SUV
			Difference
Wheelbase	103.9 in	103.9 in	0 in
Length	176.6 in	180.9 in	-4.3 in
Width	69.1 in	70.7 in	-1.6 in
Height	57.7 in	66.4 in	-8.7 in
Curb Weight	2808 lb.	3296 lb.	-488 lb.
Fuel Capacity	14.5 gal.	15.9 gal.	-1.4 gal.
Headroom, Row 1	39.1 in	41.4 in	-2.3 in
Shoulder Room, Row 1	54.9 in	57.0 in	-2.1 in
Hip Room, Row 1	54.9 in	0.0 in	54.9 in
Legroom, Row 1	41.9 in	43.0 in	-1.1 in
Headroom, Row 2	38.4 in	39.8 in	-1.4 in
Shoulder Room, Row 2	54.0 in	56.5 in	-2.5 in
Hip Room, Row 2	53.9 in	0.0 in	53.9 in
Legroom, Row 2	36.3 in	38.0 in	-1.7 in
Total Legroom	78.2 in (over 2 rows)	81 in (over 2 rows)	-2.8 in
Cargo Volume, Minimum	17.1 ft³	34.4 ft³	-17.3 ft³
Cargo Volume, Maximum	31.2 ft³	74.7 ft³	-43.5 ft³

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What Our Members Are Saying about the Seat Room and Comfort of the 2006 Mazda Mazda3

2006 Mazda Mazda3 Seat Room and Comfort: Pros
Year	Body/Powertrain	Comment
2007	4dr Hatch 156-horsepower 2.3L I4 5-speed shiftable automatic FWD	Lots of leg space & head room, and seat adjustments possible. see full Mazda Mazda3 review
2007	4dr Sedan 156-horsepower 2.3L I4 5-speed manual FWD	Very sporty seats, excellent lumber support. Seats will ensure that you stay where you are supposed to be, even in tight cornering. After a straight 12hr trip, the seat still feels comfortable. see full Mazda Mazda3 review
2006	4dr Sedan 160-horsepower 2.3L I4 5-speed shiftable automatic FWD	For a small car there is more than adequate leg and shoulder room for two average sized adults. see full Mazda Mazda3 review
2006	4dr Hatch 160-horsepower 2.3L I4 5-speed manual FWD	One of the very few small cars which have a telescopic steering wheel - great for switching between short and tall drivers, pedals placed well for comfort, gear shifter just the right length, and clutch is goldilocks as well - just right. see full Mazda Mazda3 review

2006 Mazda Mazda3 Seat Room and Comfort: Cons
Year	Body/Powertrain	Comment
2007	4dr Hatch 156-horsepower 2.3L I4 5-speed manual FWD	Rear seats are really small and tight legroom. see full Mazda Mazda3 review
2007	4dr Sedan 148-horsepower 2.0L I4 4-speed shiftable automatic FWD	The Mazda 3 has very limited footroom except when the driver is of very small stature.it helps somewhat if you puchsae the model with the height adjustable seat.seat fabric on the none leather models goes bally,and becomes difficult to clean!! see full Mazda Mazda3 review
2007	4dr Hatch 156-horsepower 2.3L I4 5-speed shiftable automatic FWD	This IS a smaller car. That being said, if the front seats are all the way back, people in the back had better sit Indian-style on the seats. see full Mazda Mazda3 review
2006	4dr Hatch 160-horsepower 2.3L I4 5-speed manual FWD	Front seats are very uncomfortable. The side bolsters are hard and push your shoulders forward. The seat bolsters dig into your leg on the left side. The head restraints push your neck and head too far forward. The seat bottom is too hard. see full Mazda Mazda3 review
2006	4dr Hatch 160-horsepower 2.3L I4 5-speed manual FWD	small rear seat for adults see full Mazda Mazda3 review
2006	4dr Hatch 160-horsepower 2.3L I4 5-speed manual FWD	If you are over 6 foot like me, make sure you are not in the back. That simple. The folding seats on the hatchback are flexible though for longer items. see full Mazda Mazda3 review
2006	4dr Sedan 160-horsepower 2.3L I4 5-speed manual FWD	The rear seat is very comfortable for small to average sized people, even for long trips. However, those with long legs will find themselves cramped for legroom. The low roof in the back adds to that cramped feeling. see full Mazda Mazda3 review
2006	4dr Sedan 160-horsepower 2.3L I4 5-speed manual FWD	Not a lot of room for four large adults. In a pinch I have squeezed five in, but for short trips. Trunk opening is oddly shaped and often I find myself loading/unloading through the lowered rear seats for larger items. see full Mazda Mazda3 review
2005	4dr Sedan 160-horsepower 2.3L I4 5-speed manual FWD	the leather is cheap and the seat is not comfortable see full Mazda Mazda3 review
2005	4dr Hatch 160-horsepower 2.3L I4 5-speed manual FWD	There is none. Its rediculous how little rear leg room there is given the size of the car. My much smaller Mazda Protege that this replaced had substantially more. And don't even think about getting a rear facing car seat back there. see full Mazda Mazda3 review

TrueDelta Reviews the Seat Room and Comfort of the 2015 Subaru Forester

2015 Subaru Forester Seat Room and Comfort: Pros
Year	Comment
2014	Beyond visibility, people buy crossovers to get more space for people and cargo. As in previous Subaru Foresters, the 2014's ceiling is cathedral-high. I could have worn a top hat inside. If you're very tall, and have been seeking a compact vehicle in which you'll easily fit, you've found one. If, on the other hand, you've been seeking expansive elbow room, the Honda CR-V has more of it. And legroom? A combined (first and second row) figure of 81 inches tops every other compact SUV, including the otherwise segment-leading Honda (79.6 inches) and Toyota RAV-4 (79.8 inches). The Chevrolet Equinox offers another tenth of an inch, but with a 188-inch length (vs. the Forester's 181) and 4,083-pound curb weight (vs. the Forester 2.5i's 3,366) it's not truly compact. Subaru has worked no such miracles with shoulder room. At 56.5 inches, the Forester's is typical of the compact crossover class. Add in a small driveline hump (absent in the Honda) and three adults won't happily share the rear seat for long. But how many car owners put three adult-sized people in the second row for long, anyway? Measurements don't tell the entire story. The Honda's rear seat cushion is too low to the floor to provide adults with thigh support, and its rear seatback can be reclined to only two nearly identical positions. In constrast, the Forester's passengers enjoy a comfortably high rear seat that reclines through a broader range. One negative for rear seat comfort: unlike the Ford Escape (but like nearly all other compact crossovers, including the CR-V), the Forester has no rear air vents. Thanks to the tall, square rear body, cargo space is also the best in the segment, though not by as large a margin as the rear seat. Up front, there are plenty of bins in which to stash your stuff. see full Subaru Forester review

What Our Members Are Saying about the Seat Room and Comfort of the 2015 Subaru Forester

2015 Subaru Forester Seat Room and Comfort: Pros
Year	Body/Powertrain	Comment
2015	4dr SUV 170-horsepower 2.5L H4 CVT AWD	I'm 6'3" and often don't fit comfortable in vehicles. I found this had a very nice amount of front seat room. The center console tends to stay out of the way as well, some newer designs have the center stack moving into where my right knee would be. It's a very noticeable improvement over my previous 2009 Escape. I actually found the Forester more comfortable for me than the Outback. I was expecting the opposite. see full Subaru Forester review
2015	4dr SUV 170-horsepower 2.5L H4 CVT AWD	After looking at Explorer's, I was surprised how much more room the Forester had in the back seat. Granted it doesn't have a third row, but if you don't need a 3rd row, the Forester is hard to beat in this segment for rear seat room. We can put a forward facing child seat in the back, move the front seat up a about 2 inches from all the way back and there's still plenty of front passenger room and my 1.5 year old son can't kick the back of the seat. see full Subaru Forester review
2014	4dr SUV 170-horsepower 2.5L H4 CVT AWD	Huge rear seat for the car's size see full Subaru Forester review
2014	4dr SUV 170-horsepower 2.5L H4 CVT AWD	Excellent rear seat comfort and rear seats are 60/ 40 and easy to fold flat. rear seats also have recline function which is nice ... excellent leg room see full Subaru Forester review

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