2007 Mazda MAZDA3 in Salina

I recently rented a Mazda 3 5-door hatchback while on vacation in Spain. I arrived at the rental company's parking garage late at night, started the car, and retrieved from my briefcase the Mapquest directions I had printed before I left Ann Arbor.

I depressed the clutch pedal, put the shifter into first gear, and started moving toward the exit. I was surprised at the four-cylinder's low-rev torque, so I glanced down at the gauges. It wasn't until I saw the tachometer's 4750-rpm redline that I realized my Mazda was, in fact, a diesel.

Over the next 350 miles I thrashed the living daylights out of the little 3. I did several top-speed runs (over 115 mph indicated), thrashed it on mountainous back roads, and reveled in its controllable lift-off oversteer, taking every traffic circle as sideways as I possibly could.

Never once, neither when tootling around in traffic with five people on board and the A/C cranking or cruising down the highway at 80 mph, did I mind that I was in a diesel-powered car - the Mazda's quick steering and great composure made sure of that. And though my right foot was on the floor most of the time, the 1.6-liter's abundant torque never left me wanting for more.

The only surprise I had was when it was time to fill up: I had averaged 36 miles per gallon.

To put that in perspective, I've completed twenty-one road trips in the past year. Each time, I've tried to maximize my fuel economy by setting the cruise control at 79 mph and locking the transmission in top gear. Even under these super-mild conditions, not a single car has returned 36 mpg. And yet the Mazda 3 did so while being flogged mercilessly.

The most fuel-efficient Mazda 3 sold in the US is EPA rated at 24 mpg city, 32 highway - a far cry from 36.... Read full article