The 2017 Mazda 3i was provided through DriveShop for review purposes only. All opinions are my own and are honest.
My husband and I always try to make our daughter’s birthday celebrations special, which is how we ended up in Orlando for the second year in a row to celebrate her birthday. You see, ever since her fifth birthday our daughter has asked to go to Disney World for her sixth birthday. Luckily for her, her birthday coincided with a long weekend, which meant we would be able to spend her sixth birthday cruising in Orlando in the 2017 Mazda3 i Grand Touring 4-Door. But this time, we would be making her Disney dreams come true.
Are We in England?
From the time my husband and I whisked her away from school, drove to the airport, and landed in Orlando, and then picked up the 2017 Mazda3 i Grand Touring 4-Door, our daughter had no idea that we would be heading to Walt Disney World. What she did notice was that we had a “new” cool-looking car that she could not wait to get in. She loves new cars, and the 2017 Mazda3 i with its “Machine Gray Metallic” exterior and “Black Black” leather interior appealed to her little eyes. So much so that she could not wait for us to load our luggage in the trunk, which was a decent size for a compact car (20.2 cubic feet), and to install her car seat.
But, where did she think we were and where did she think we were heading? She did not care as long as KidzBop could be played on the Bose sound system during our driving adventures.
Once we were in our hotel room, even with it decorated with Disney-themed items like a Minnie Mouse stuffed toy, she did not know we were in Orlando to head to Disney World. She actually thought we were in England since that was the only upcoming trip that we’ve clued her in on. My husband and I had a good laugh at that too, especially since she would say things like “But, the people here are not driving on the other side.” She even said to my husband that we did not have any British pounds (currency). It got so bad that we actually felt bad about it, and could not wait until the next morning when we would be able to spill the beans.
“My dreams have come true!”
The next day, while my husband drove the 2017 Mazda3 i Grand Touring, as per her request I sat with my daughter in the backseat – only because it was her birthday. I am usually not a fan of compact cars because the backseat isn’t always comfortable due to the lack of legroom, this did not hold true for the 2017 Mazda3 i Grand Touring 4-Door.
My daughter with her long legs was able to stretch without kicking the backseat even while in her car seat, and I had enough room to spread out next to her, but I did notice that if we had an additional person in the back with us, the fit would be tight.
During this drive, with seeing the palm trees, feeling the warm weather, and seeing no telltale signs of this place being England, our daughter still had no idea that we were in Orlando and heading to Disney. As we rolled into the Magic Kingdom, it was the cutest and most heartwarming thing to hear her gasp in surprise and excitement when she realized where we were. She even exclaimed that “My dreams have come true! It’s Disney World!”
The 2017 Mazda3 i Grand Touring 4-Door is Safe and Easy on the Pockets
Having a compact car like the 2017 Mazda3 i Grand Touring 4-Door for our weekend getaway to surprise our daughter was perfect. Safety features such as low-speed forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking and a blind-spot monitoring system with rear cross-traffic alert allowed us to safely reach our destinations in Orlando during the busy spring break season. We were also impressed by the fuel economy we experienced from the 2.5-liter engine. We did a lot of driving, from a 15-minute drive to Walt Disney World or nearly a two-hour drive to the Florida Aquarium in Tampa, fueling up was easy on our pockets, which meant more money spent on enjoying our weekend getaway in Orlando.
The 2017 Mazda3 i Grand Touring 4-Door has an MSRP of $28,230.
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Disclosure: The 2017 Mazda 3i was provided through DriveShop for review purposes only. All opinions are my own and are honest.