Mazda ditched last year’s electrohydraulic power steering for a fully electric setup this year, and the results are mixed. With the 2.5-liter, a Sport mode purports to hold lower gears longer and hastens initial accelerator sensitivity in our semi-aggressive driving route, I noticed little difference. The extra thrust comes in handy at all speeds, but there isn’t a vast difference between the two. Lifted from the Mazda6 and CX-5, the 184-hp, 2.5-liter four-cylinder mates to the same long gearing, but its extra 35 pounds-feet of torque makes the journey up the tach more enjoyable. First gear is a lengthy wind-out, and 2nd dumps revs to begin the ascension all over again. Our tester’s six-speed automatic has its ups and downs it kicks down smoothly at higher speeds but suffers long, widely spaced low gears. Mazda’s SkyActiv direct-injected four-cylinder makes the same 155 horsepower and 150 pounds-feet of torque as before, but thanks to revised exhaust routing and a higher compression ratio, Mazda says the torque curve is a bit broader. With two adults onboard, our 2.0-liter Mazda3 i Touring proved capable, with smooth revving and a decent plateau of usable power. The tail could use more Shinari it’s a spitting image of the Hyundai Elantra sedan.
Mazda toolbox 2015 mazda 3 license#
The sedan wears them better, with short overhangs and a menacing face, but on both cars a front license plate (in states where it’s required) will all but ruin the look.
Mazda says it moved the A-pillars 3.9 inches backward versus the outgoing car, and the results give the hatchback a cab-rearward, sort of tennis-shoe profile. Jenkins’ handiwork appears on the car’s successor, which sports Mazda’s Kodo-themed wings first seen in the Shinari concept in late 2010. Jenkins arrived at the Japanese automaker after the car’s development, so blame the last guy. “I’ll be honest, it wasn’t my favorite,” he told reporters at the preview. And Derek Jenkins, Mazda’s North American design chief, was one of them. Perhaps the worst aspect of the last Mazda3, that grille smiled at you, creepy clown lips and all on the Mazdaspeed edition.
The third-generation Mazda3 is lower, wider, shorter and some 100 pounds lighter than its predecessor, and it loses the 2013 model’s grille. Click here to stack up the trims and body styles.
Mazda toolbox 2015 mazda 3 manual#
You can also get a six-speed manual on the Mazda3 i and - eventually, we’re told - the Mazda3 s. I evaluated an i Touring sedan and s Grand Touring hatchback, both with the six-speed automatic transmission. The Mazda3 i comes in SV (sedan only), Sport, Touring and Grand Touring variants, while the Mazda3 s comes in Touring and Grand Touring editions. Both employ Mazda’s SkyActiv drivetrain technology - a first for the 2.5-liter - for EPA combined city/highway mileage estimates in the low-to-mid 30s. Sedans and hatchbacks come in “i” and “s” versions that signal a 2.0-liter or 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, respectively. As before, the Mazda3 comes in hatchback and sedan body styles expect a high-performance Mazdaspeed3 version in the coming months or years (Mazda officials were still mum on details). But the automaker should win new buyers with this redesign. Mazda’s redesigned commuter car remains cramped, and a drive along the mountain roads northeast of San Diego at a media preview hosted by Mazda suggests little advancement in ride quality. The redesigned 2014 Mazda3 is far from perfect, but it gives compact-car shoppers an alluring choice outside and in, with a satisfying mix of efficiency and performance.
To see what’s new for 2015, click here, or check out a side-by-side comparison of the two model years. Little of substance has changed with this year’s model. Editor’s note: This review was written in October 2013 about the 2014 Mazda3.
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