2014 Mazda3
The Mazda 3 has yet to loose a comparison test in any reputable magazine. It is, simply put, the finest car in its class. Having sampled both the 2.0-liter i model in four-door, Touring-spec and the 2.5-liter s as a Gran Touring hatchback I think I have a very good insight into why it is such a champion.
To start with, the 3s look great; unlike many smaller cars, the sedan looks sleek and upscale, not like an apologetic version of a larger machine. And the hatch is even more svelte and dynamic, with a squashed roofline that lends it a very sporty air and hunkered-down proportions that suggest drive comes from the rear, as in more expensive European machines. The only sour note is that the more basic models’ 16-inch wheels are completely lost in the voluptuous fenders. The Grand Touring (GT)’s 18-inch alloys look so much better.
Inside the forms are contemporary, the interior materials of much higher quality than in a new Honda Civic or even the value-laden Korean contenders. Polished metal-look surrounds and piano black trim make the 3 feel upscale. Interior room up front is fine, and the driving position is first rate, but rear space for occupants is much tighter than some others in the class. The company’s all-new MazdaConnect infotainment interface, similar to those offered by the German manufacturers, is very well designed, with a high-quality, 7-inch display right below the window and a wheel-type controller. But the implementation is still behind the best such systems, with delays occurring after a command is toggled, no way to access music playlists once they are selected, and other minor aggravations that hopefully will be cured with future software updates. However, the pieces are there though for the best Asian infotainment interface yet.
Where nothing can touch the Mazda is in the way it drives. The 3 steers, rides and handles better than anything it competes with, and even cars costing 20 percent more, such as the new Audi A3 (reviewed here). Mazda has become the maker of the finest driving cars from outside Europe, and their recent Skyactiv offerings are in many ways the best yet.
This name refers to a Mazda-specific philosophy of making the most efficient yet fun vehicles available at or near their price, and incorporates design, engineering, product planning, production processes and tuning of each vehicle to exceed current standards, both within and outside the company. So far it seems to be working, as every Skyactiv vehicle seems to win every test it enters. They get the best real-world fuel economy in their respective classes, are usually amongst the quickest vehicles in their competitive set, and certainly feel the best built.
The Mazda 3’s steering is a particularly obvious example, with superb weighting and accuracy and even a modicum of feedback—very rare for modern, electric power assist setups. It connects you with what the front wheels are up to in a direct yet unobtrusive manner. Other major controls, such as the brakes, are also superbly calibrated in feel and power. Likewise the Skyactiv chassis tuning gives the Mazda unmatched poise, balance and verve, yet it also rides well and suppresses noise and harshness better than the car it replaces, if not quite as well as some competitors.
In general, though, noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) are contained enough to give the 3 a sense of sophisticated engineering. The Skyactiv engines also hide their humble, four-cylinder design well too—perhaps overmuch. A bit of rorty intake noise or exhaust burble would go well with the sportier mien the 3s otherwise project. Regardless, they both get the job done; the 2-liter (155hp/150lb-ft) getting the i model to sixty inside of eight seconds, and the 184 horsepower 2.5-liter that comes in the s lopping three quarters of a second off that while also pulling harder in the midrange, where its additional 30lb-ft of torque manifest most. Fuel economy differs by about 2mpg in real world use, unless the available Sport programming for the engine and superb 6-speed Skyactiv automatic transmission is used too much, in which case economy plummets.
It still amazes that such a small company, with sales comparable to BMW yet without that premium brand’s profit margins, and a Stateside engineering staff of under 30, can create winner after winner. But they do; the seven year old CX-9 large SUV still matches the best, and the CX-5, 6 and these 3 models are unrivalled. Perhaps small is the new black.
EPA ratings:
i: 30/41mpg; 34mpg combined
s: 28/38mpg; 32mpg combined
Price as tested:
i: $24,985
s: $28,495
Here is what Mazda has to say about it.
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