Swiveling Headlights! Oh, My!
Mazda boasts that the 3 is a compact car that offers many of the features available only in larger, more expensive cars. And indeed it does, with a fully loaded 3s Grand Touring offering class-exclusive swiveling bi-xenon headlights, a 10-speaker Bose Centerpoint surround system, dual-zone automatic climate control, and an eight-way power driver's seat with memory function.
Strangely, though, many of these options are available only on the top-spec Grand Touring trim level, which is available only with the larger 2.5-liter engine. That means if you want the small motor, you can't have the heated leather seats, power driver's seat with memory, heated mirrors, rain-sensing wipers, dual-zone climate control, automatic headlights, bi-xenon swiveling headlights, LED taillights, fog lights, rain-sensing wipers, leather steering wheel and shift knob, keyless go, or even navigation. If Mazda's aim is to make the 3 a compact car that buyers used to larger cars will happily downsize to (in this age of sudden fuel economy conscience), then the luxury features need to be available with the small engine, too.
The Smaller Engine is the Best Choice for Fun and Efficiency
In fact, the smaller engine is probably the one we'd choose if we were buying a 3. Equipped with a manual, the 2.0-liter returns 25/33 city/highway on the EPA testing versus 21/29 for the 2.5-liter-a significant improvement. The smaller engine is also easier to drive, with better calibrated throttle mapping and sportier power delivery. It's slower than the 2.5-liter, but with less than 20 hp separating the two engines, the 2.5's increased thirst for fuel isn't fully offset by the extra power. (And let's face it, 29 mpg highway isn't exactly spectacular for a compact car, especially when the much larger Mazda6 receives the same highway rating.)
Still as Fun to Drive as Before
And while the Mazda3 doesn't deliver the fuel economy you'd expect from, say, a Honda Civic, it's quicker and more fun to drive. It also has a much nicer interior than you'd expect from a car in this price class, with very high-quality materials and a quiet, smooth ride befitting a much larger car. In fact, even the 2.5-liter-a very large four-cylinder indeed-is so unbelievably smooth that you'll never hear or feel a vibration, from idle to fuel cutoff. At idle, you can't tell if it's running, and cruising at 50 mph with the windows down, you might not even notice that you're accidentally still in second gear and approaching redline. You simply won't hear or feel the engine-this kind of refinement makes the new 3 slightly less visceral than the old one, but more grown-up at the same time. Torque steer is well controlled, brake feel is superb, and the shifter is light and generally precise. The steering isn't as communicative as some of Mazda's other offerings, but it's still very good. Pushed beyond its limits, the 3 understeers more than its big brother sedan, the 6, but it doesn't plow through corners the way some other cars in this class do. We didn't get a chance to sample either automatic transmission, as the first batch of pre-production cars available for testing were all manuals. ...next page >>