The Mazda 3 has always been known as the “sporty” offering in this segment, especially with this current generation. It has been listed on Car & Driver’s 10 best cars for four years in a row, praised continuously for its handling and driving dynamics. What do I think of the car that has often been acclaimed as the sportiest offering in the compact class? Below are some of my impressions.
The funny thing about driving the Mazda 3, is that I didn’t really notice much of anything special about it when I first got it out on the road. It accelerated about as fast as most of the other base model options in the segment, and the handling felt somewhat neutral and comparable to mostly everything else in the class. It’s not until you really start to drive the Mazda 3 when you start recognizing why it has become such a widely renowned vehicle.
Is it fun to drive? Yes. Is it outright sporty? Not quite. I think the Mazda 3’s reputation where sportiness and handling is concerned is just a tad bit overrated. The 3 handles well, but I still got the impression that it was an economy car first, and a fun car second. You still feel weight shift and body lean around turns just like you would in most 4-door sedans, and it’s definitely not the flat, BMW-like handling that other automotive publications would lead you to believe. That said, I certainly don’t want to give the wrong impression that I didn’t like how the Mazda 3 drove. It handled itself very well. Everything just feels tuned exactly how you want it, and it still feels fun to wring this car out and take it through a winding backroad.
I prefer to use the terms “fun” and “confidence inspiring” to describe this car rather than “sporty”. I personally believe that there is a difference between a fun car and a sporty car, and I think the Mazda 3 is a good example of that. I say that the 3 leans more on the fun side rather than the sporty side because the vehicle always responds exactly how you want it to for any given situation. The transmission gives you the perfect gears, the power delivery is seamless, the steering points where you want it, and overall this car can hustle when you get the right feel for it. The accelerator also feels directly connected with the engine, and maintaining a constant speed is very easy as well. It all translates into a very zippy and confidence inspiring experience when you get the Mazda 3 out on the road.
When I first started driving, I immediately noticed that the steering in this car felt very similar to an Acura product. Acuras, especially the older TL, TSX, and ILX have always had somewhat of a hefty and connected, yet light and refined feel to them. The Mazda 3’s steering had that similar late 2000s Honda/Acura feel to it. If you’ve ever driven a 2009-2014 Acura TSX, the steering in the Mazda 3 feels strikingly similar. The steering has decent weight to it, and it feels designed to carve out corners with good precision. It is well matched to the front tires, and while it doesn’t give you sport sedan levels of feedback, it still has a very smooth and linear progression to it. The steering has a pretty good on-center feel, and it gives you great control and helps you plant the vehicle wherever you want it with accuracy. The steering felt pretty normal and mundane to me at first, but once I got used to it I began to appreciate the accuracy, the linear response, and the chunky on-center feel. It responds nice and quick, although it’s not jerky or overly aggressive. The steering strikes a good balance between playfulness and mellowness.
One drawback I had about the steering is that it just felt a little bit cheap at times. When you turn the wheel all the way to lock, you’re greeted with a loud clunking noise from the steering column that just sounds low in quality. The mechanism that stops the steering wheel from turning past lock also feels cheap, as if I could break it if I just continued turning a little harder. It’s not a huge deal, but it’s definitely something you notice after a while. This is a common trait in Mazdas, and it makes the steering feel a little bit more like a toy and less like a solid, well built vehicle in my opinion. In terms of actual road feel, I think the current Civic does it a little better, but the Mazda’s steering feels heftier and more controlled compared to the current Civic.
Despite the steering in this car receiving praise from all over, my favorite part about driving this car had to be the response from the 6-speed automatic transmission. No modern car that I’ve ever driven seems to listen to what I want it to do ‘all’ the time, except for the Mazda 3. In most modern cars I’ve driven, its either the upshifts happen way too early and cut off power, the downshifts are hesitant, the transmission gets confused easily, the shifts are jerky, or there’s a noticeable lag between upshifts. The Mazda 3 doesn’t do any of that, there’s never any drama with this transmission. When you accelerate, the transmission rides out each gear for exactly as long as your foot is telling it to. The upshifts are always silky smooth to the point where you can barely feel them. Even if you were to stab the accelerator repeatedly, the transmission still remains smooth and refined. It’s all very consistent and it doesn’t get upset or confused by anything. You can literally leave cars behind you in the dust by just how well this transmission streamlines through the gears, even when you baby the accelerator and keep the RPMs low. The downshifts are remarkably quick and snappy with barely any throttle input, and overall this transmission is great. It shocks me that a small car company like Mazda can build a better transmission than Honda and Toyota can. You get a really good sense of control that is so hard to find in an automatic transmission, and it really works with you in planning out how you want to accelerate. Put the car in sport mode, and the transmission really makes this car take off when you want it to. It’s not like sport mode in other cars where the engine revs are just always souring no reason. Sport mode in the Mazda 3 actually makes a difference in how the car accelerates while still feeling “normal” in its behavior and shift patterns at the same time. Overall, it’s very refreshing to drive a car where the transmission actually listened and didn’t feel solely focused on fuel economy. It has the “read your mind” feel that car enthusiasts really desire. It doesn’t shift particularly fast as a dual clutch transmission, but its all a very refined and seamless experience.
For the 2017 model year, Mazda reworked the trim levels for the 3 by removing the “I” and “S” designations for the different engine options. Now, we just have the Sport, Touring, and Grand Touring. Before, you could only get the upgrade 2.5 liter 184 horsepower engine in the top of the line “S Grand Touring” trim starting at around $25K. Now, the 2.5 engine is standard in the mid grade Touring trim level, starting at $21,140. There is now very little reason to choose the Grand Touring which adds $4K to the MSRP.
The 2.5 liter 4 cylinder engine is great. I was able to pull into traffic and get up to speed easily with no problems at all. Even in dicy situations with fast moving traffic, I was easily able to merge in and match the speed of traffic, even with light throttle inputs. This transmission responds so well and does an amazing job at keeping the engine directly in the heart of its primary torque curve, and overall the Mazda 3 feels quicker than everything I’ve driven in the same price range. The Mazda 3 isn’t fast, but it still feels like the perfect amount of power for everyday commuting.
Many people say that Mazda engines are boring, but I strongly disagree. The 2.5 liter 4 cylinder in this car reminded me of an older, rev-happy Honda engine, just with more torque down low. The power band is shockingly smooth and linear, and it loves to be rung out. It’s the type of engine that really encourages you to hit those higher revs. The engine note isn’t everyone’s favorite, but I personally love the sound of this engine. It has a unique, deep muted growl to it. All the other entires sound buzzy and grainy, and while the Mazda’s engine can sound a little unrefined in the lower revs, it still sounds good for a 4 cylinder in my opinion.
In terms of handling, the chassis feels planted and linear around turns, as you would expect. You’re still reminded that you’re in a 4 door economy car at times, but this car can still take harder turns at higher speeds without breaking a sweat. The Mazda 3 didn’t really inspire me take corners quite as fast as I would have thought, but when you do enter a corner everything feels tuned in and buttoned down. It’s not completely flat around turns, you can still feel some modest amounts of body lean, and the 3 feels a little bit heavy at times. That said, you still feel confident around turns and the car will handle most of whatever you throw at it in your everyday commute. It feels zippy and exciting. It strikes a good balance of feeling mellow and comfortable but also feeling tight and controlled at the same time. Not a Ferrari, but you can definitely tell that the cornering limitations are set way higher than many other entires in the class.
Just the general feel of this car feels really tuned in with your inputs. The throttle feels as though it has a direct connection with the engine, despite it being drive by wire. The throttle response is sharp and it matches the engine RPMs perfectly. Many cars that I’ve driven with floor hinged accelerators feel awkward, but the 3’s accelerator is angled in such a way that perfectly matches your foot. The pedals have just the right amount of resistance, and the ergonomics are just engineered really well to make this car feel comfortable and easy to drive.
I also loved how easy it was to maintain a constant speed in this car. Most cars I drive usually drop in speed dramatically after lifting your foot off the accelerator a little bit, or they can’t go over a slight incline without losing tons of momentum. The Mazda 3 always maintains good momentum in every driving situation. Even when you take your foot completely off the gas, your current speed stays exactly the same for several seconds. If you’re going uphill, just roll on the throttle a little bit and the transmission snaps into the perfect gear to keep you moving at a consistent pace. Both the engine and the transmission have a very intuitive, quick thinking nature. The constant feeling of momentum makes this car feel all the more zippy and fun to drive as well.
The brakes also have good stiffness, and the Mazda 3 slows itself down with really smooth composure. It’s very easy to modulate the exact amount of braking power and distance you need. The brakes still feel somewhat typical for an economy car, but the 3 just does everything a little better than the competitors, including the braking feel.
Road and wind noise are about average. The 3 isn’t quiet, but it’s not loud either. The 3’s ride quality is also really good considering its sportier handling chassis. The ride is stiff enough to feel just enough of the road to get a nice aura of sportiness without feeling harshness or lack of refinement. In other words, you feel the parts of the road that you want to feel without any of the parts you don’t. It all translates into a sportier and more connected feeling chassis compared to what the competitors offer. I wish the road feedback transmitted into the steering a little bit more, but they still did a really good job at blending refinement and connectedness at the same time.
Visibility out of this car is really good. The Mazda 3 feels enclosed and cavernous, but airy and unobstructed at the same time. The side mirrors are huge and show you everything, and the rear window is large and frames the rearview mirror nicely. The rear deck is a little bit high which can limit your visibility while backing up, but the sight lines still look great when you’re out on the open road. One thing I didn’t like is that I always had to turn my head a little too far to check the rearview mirror and the side mirrors, rather than just causally glancing at them like I would in most other cars. The mirrors are just a little bit too far outside of your peripheral vision, but it’s not a huge deal. You can still see everything around you just fine.
Interior seat comfort was also really good for a compact car. The seats do a great job at hugging you in place, especially for a compact economy car. They feel really comfortable to sit in, and I wouldn’t mind taking this car on a long road trip at all. They have the perfect blend of softness and stiffness, unlike other modern cars where the leather seats feel hard and uncomfortable. The Touring only comes with leatherette seats as opposed to the genuine leather in the Grand Touring, and personally I think I would rather have the real stuff. Most people would think the leatherette seats in this car feel genuine and high quality, but they still feel a little rubbery and they don’t carry quite the same aura as real leather. I would still go for the Touring model, just because it saves you a ton of money compared to the Grand Touring without many sacrifices, but the option for real leather would still be a welcome addition.
And that about covers it. The Mazda 3 is a solid choice in the compact class. Literally the only issues I had involved the slight cheapness to the steering wheel and the mirror placement. Everything else about the interior looks way more premium compared to the other offerings in the class, and the driving experience is tuned perfectly. Is it a sports car? Not quite. You’re still reminded that you’re in an economy car at times. The chassis doesn’t feel greatly substantial or expensive, but the 3 is still a zippy, well tuned economy car that touches on the vibe of an entry level sport sedan in some areas. It feels solid and stable on the open road, and light and planted when you take it through a winding backroad. As I mentioned, I think the Touring has everything you could ask for in an economy car, and I just don’t see any reason to drop an additional $4K on the Grand Touring trim level when the Touring gives you the same exact powertrain and much of the same features.
In the realm of compact cars, the Mazda 3’s driving dynamics are at the top of the class. It’s a much better value compared to many other compact offerings as well. The Civic’s 1.5T engine makes 10 less horsepower and 23 less lb. ft. of torque compared to the Mazda’s 2.5, and you can’t get leather or even fake leather in the Civic unless you go for the $24K EX-L trim. The Mazda 3 Touring gives you far more power and more interior amenities for $3K less than the comparable Civic EX-T. Other cars like the Corolla, Sentra, and the Impreza don’t make nearly the same amount of power that the 2.5 Mazda 3 does in any trim level. To summarize, the Mazda 3 is amongst the sportiest and more powerful offerings in the segment and it gives everything else in the class a really good run for the money in terms of feature content and mechanical specifications. If you want a compact car that delivers the refreshing feeling of driver engagement, the Mazda 3 will be perfect for you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyW3hpf0byc