Where each one leads
Mazda 323
- Against cars of the same age, the Mazda 323 comes out better at its first MOT test (passes 7% less often than average) than the Volkswagen Fox (passes 11% less often than average).
- Fewer Mazda 323 cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (3.4% against 5.4%).
Volkswagen Fox
Ahead on none of the like-for-like measures.
Only measures that do not depend on how many cars were sold: pass and failure rates against cars of the same age, ratings, fuel use and CO₂. How we compare
At a glance
| Mazda 323 | Volkswagen Fox | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 1985–2001 | 1987–1993 |
| New cars registered in Europe | — | 36,718 (2010–2018) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 888 | 10,450 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 3,823 | 15,847 |
| In traffic in Finland | 1,421 | — |
EEA new-car registrations (CC BY 4.0) · DVLA licensed vehicles (OGL v3.0) · RDW (CC0) · Traficom (CC BY 4.0) · generations: Wikidata (CC0).
Reliability and problems
| Mazda 323 | Volkswagen Fox | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 56% | 52% |
| … against cars of the same age | −7% | −11% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 3.4% | 5.4% |
| US owner complaints | 163 | 81 |
| Most complaints about | Seat belts | Engine and engine cooling |
| Model year with most complaints | 1989 (38) | 1988 (23) |
| US recall campaigns | 3 | 5 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 195 | 34 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 9 | 5 |
Complaint, recall and bulletin counts grow with the number of cars sold and are not adjusted for it. UK MOT: DVSA anonymised MOT results (OGL v3.0); New York: DMV inspections; complaints, recalls, bulletins and investigations: NHTSA (public domain); odometer: RDW (CC0).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Mazda 323 | Volkswagen Fox | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 8.0 l/100 km (1995) | — |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | — | 40 kW (54 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | — | 1,119 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | — | €11,568 |
| Average odometer in Finland | 204,000 km | — |
Canada: NRCan Fuel Consumption Ratings, most frugal version of the latest year (OGL Canada). Europe: EEA monitoring of new-car CO₂ and on-board fuel meters (OBFCM), CC BY 4.0. Price: RDW catalogue price (CC0). Finland: Traficom (CC BY 4.0).