As media blitzes go, Mazda is going the understated route with its overly impressive new entry-level sedan and five-door hatchback, simply titled 3.
Perhaps you’ve seen the commercials featuring the scruffy twentysomething wishing there was a car just for him. Unfortunately, scruffy-faced guy is nowhere close to getting across the message that the 3 is a spectacular everyday vehicle with superb styling that should easily win over buyers.
Most important, though, is that the 3 offers so much for relatively little.
Sharing parts from siblings Volvo (safety) and Ford (suspension) allowed Mazda to keep costs down.
“We were able to create an upscale economy car,” says Robert Davis, Mazda’s senior vice president of marketing and product development. “We focused on what makes it a Mazda: its styling and interior.”
The result is a sedan that tops its competitors in every way and is good enough to compete with the more expensive Volkswagen Jetta. Once the epitome of the hip sedan, the Jetta has escalated in price, discarded an entry-level trim and done little to its design in years.
The standard 148 h.p. Mazda 3 brings a good-looking player to the table that has a more powerful engine than the base-model Jetta, Toyota Corolla, Mitsubishi Lancer and Honda.
A beefier 160 h.p. engine is offered in the sedan and comes standard with the five-door hatchback. Matched with a manual transmission, the 2.3-liter engine jumps off the line and has plenty of acceleration for passing. But for city drivers, the base engine is more than adequate.
Fans of stiff German handling also will be happy with the tight feel of the 3’s steering wheel and the rigid frame, which adds to solid cornering. And there are no trade-offs in comfort; the 3 deftly takes on bumps and bad side streets.
On the highway, the quiet cabin rivals luxury cars. A powerful stereo, with some funky interactive lighting, takes center stage. The interior, like the larger Mazda 6, is sleek and leans toward European rather than Japanese sensibility.
Steering wheel-mounted stereo controls are standard on every 3, a feature unheard of in the segment.
Even if your tight budget allows only for the barest essentials, a tilt and telescopic steering wheel, 4-wheel disc brakes and tons of interior storage come standard. An array of options from moon roofs to spoilers could satisfy those with the extra dough.
While the sedan’s styling draws attention away from potential buyers of the more sedate Civic and Corolla, the hatchback’s added utility could sway those looking at a Toyota Matrix–and more important for Mazda, those who buy small SUVs.
“A majority of our competition are just appliances,” Davis says of rivals’ appearance. “You might as well paint the word Kenmore on the side of some of them.”
The trunk on the 3 sedan became one of the few sore spots during a week of rigorous use. The trunk is certainly large enough for anyone’s needs, but the lid’s awkward shape makes closing a two-step process that can cause headaches.
The 3 tops anything else you’re likely to test drive for the price, has more features and is better looking too.
RedEye road test
– Pros: European performance and looks. Japanese quality. Numerous features. Price.
– Cons: Annoying trunk lid on the sedan.
– Parking: City-sized sedan and hatchback fit just right.
– What a valet says: “It’s not expensive from what I know, but it’s a sporty car” says Andrew Smuz, a valet at a Wicker Park restaurant. He imagines the drivers handing him the keys would be “18- to 25-year-olds who have money already. Definitely not for anyone in their 30s or 40s.”
Mazda 3i Sedan
– Price: $13,680
– MPG city/hwy: 28/35 (manual); 26/35 (automatic)
– Power: 148 h.p.
Mazda 3s Sedan
– Price: $16,405
– MPG city/hwy: 25/32 (manual); 24/29 (automatic)
– Power: 160 h.p.
Mazda 3 Hatchback
– Price: $16,895
– MPG city/hwy: 25/32 (manual); 24/29 (automatic)
– Power: 160 h.p.
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Edited by Cara DiPasquale (cdipasquale@tribune.com) and Kris Karnopp (kkarnopp@tribune.com)
