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From YourSITE.com Reviews and Road Tests Of all the Japanese auto manufacturers who sell vehicles in the United States, Mazda has arguably had the most interesting history. Certainly, their widespread use of Wankel technology makes them at the very least a significant curiosity, but there’s much more to the Mazda story than their use of rotary engines.
In spite of the RX-7’s overwhelming early successes (and of course, later the Miata’s as well), the ‘80s and most of the ‘90s were tough times for Mazda, especially in the US entry-level market. Mazda brought us the GLC, 323, and Protegé. Good, solid cars, all, but the bread and butter versions did not possess the spirit, fun factor, or straight-up oddball nature of the previous RX-2 and RX-3. The high performance 323 GT and GTX were arguably way ahead of their time, and honestly were very entertaining, reasonably priced little cars, but unfortunately, they did not sell very well. Mazda decided to try their level best to compete point-for-point with Honda and Toyota, but it just didn’t work. By the time the Protegé came to be, many in the industry were suggesting Mazda might just as well give up. But over time, Mazda refined the Protegé and managed to turn it into something perhaps a little bit more special than your average Civic, and in fact, most car magazines were praising the Protegé’s handling characteristics and overall fun-factor quotient. It seemed as if, perhaps, Mazda had rediscovered itself, and decided to denounce the very tired cliché that states, “If you can’t beat ‘em, you might as well join ‘em.” They were never going to move as many US cars as Honda or Toyota, so why even try? By the end of its product cycle, the Protegé had become a very well sorted little sedan, and a favorite amongst the import performance crowd. Mazda, to their credit, encouraged those who wished to personalize their Proteges by way of supporting various tuners and events, and they were also very active participants in the SCCA’s Speed World Challenge series. During all this Mazda released an exciting new 626 replacement, simply called “6,” as well as the surprising RX-8 (with a brand new RENESIS version of their rotary engine). Add their new “Zoom-Zoom” ad campaign, and there could be no doubt that Mazda had made a conscious decision to go back to what they’d always done best – build affordable, fun to drive vehicles, that offer something just a little bit special when compared to their competition. We’d recently driven a Protegé5, so when we received from Mazda the Protegé lineup’s brand new replacement – the 3, we were anxious to see if Mazda still knew where their strengths were. We knew in advance that the 3 was considerably larger and heavier that the last Protegé, and there were concerns that the 3 may be less fun to drive as a result.
While the Mazda3 has most certainly moved up market vs. the Protegé when it comes to size and equipment, the 3’s asking price is still very reasonable. Starting at $13,680 for a base 3 i 4-Door, our very well equipped 4-Door Winning Blue s model stickered at a very competitive $18,795. Add available $700.00 Xenon/TPMS (tire pressure monitoring system) and $1,750.00 Navigation packages, and you’d still only just be barely breaking the $20k barrier. From the outside, there can be no doubt the new 3 is all Mazda. The aggressive headlights, grille, and bumper cover all play along the styling theme established with the RX-8 and carried over to the 6, as well as the new MPV. The 3 is available in 4-Door sedan and 5-Door sportwagon forms, but as mentioned above, our test car was the 4-Door version. Visually, the 3 is noticeably larger than the Protegé, but the proportions are very pleasing to the eye. The wheelbase is long, and front and rear overhangs are minimal. Our test car had the “s” package, and among other things, this included very generous (for this class of car) 17” wheels and tires. These had a tremendous impact on the sporting look of this particular vehicle. The wheels and tires fill the wheel-wells very nicely, and give the 3 a rather purposeful stance. Visually speaking, the new 3 is clearly going for an audience that would likely not be very impressed with your average Civic or Corolla. The 3’s interior is no less sporty than its exterior. Quality plastics are used throughout, and the instrument cluster itself offers a very aggressive look. Red numbers on black dials illuminate at night, and to be honest, though the look is very sporty and cool, legibility suffers, and Mazda would do well to mix in a little white lighting for contrast. The steering wheel is a fairly thick 3-spoke affair, and Mazda has gone the extra mile in adding redundant radio controls to the two horizontal spokes – most manufacturers only offer these niceties on their 4-spoke steering wheels. And speaking of going above and beyond, though our tester didn’t have it, the aforementioned Navigation option is pretty much unheard of in this price category.
The Mazda3 has a 103.9” wheelbase, and as such it’s quite a roomy car on the inside. Rear seat legroom seems generous for this class of vehicles. The seats in our s sedan had aggressive bolsters and a grippy, quilted black cloth material with bits of contrasting blue in targeted areas. Ergonomics are well thought-out. The steering wheel tilts and telescopes, and the pedals lend themselves well to heal and toe maneuvers. Visibility in all directions is excellent. As a sporty driving environment, the Mazda3’s interior scores very well and furthers nicely Mazda’s desire to be thought a sporting alternative to other vehicles in this segment. Possessing a sporting interior and exterior is all well and good, but it won’t mean very much if the driving experience turns out to be pedestrian. Remember also that the Protegé was widely heralded for its surprisingly good handling dynamics, and you might imagine we had some pretty high expectations (and some doubts as well) by the time we finally got around to driving our 3 s test car. We needn’t have worried, as the 3 is a good drive, no ifs, ands, or buts. The new 3’s larger size and weight somewhat blunts a bit of the fun we’d previously found in the Protegé, but Mazda has gained quite a bit in the transaction – the 3 is now very much a grown-up sports sedan, and the type of fun it offers is more of the adult variety and just a little less juvenile in nature. Again, this car is impressive considering its price points.
Our s sedan had the upgraded 2.3-liter 160-hp engine (vs. the 148-hp 2.0 found in the i base car). Even though it possesses variable valve timing, we found it still needed to be revved fairly high in order to make rapid progress, even though those 160 horses are only required to haul around the 3’s relatively modest curb weight of 2,762-lbs. Good throttle response helped, and likely made the car feel somewhat quicker than actual numbers might reveal. Mid-range power was good, but we couldn’t help but feel this car could benefit from a healthy dose of added torque. The engine was also at times a little coarse in the upper RPM regions, but for the most part, the 2.3 provides an aggressive note and character very much in line with its sporting mission statement. We had zero complaints regarding the excellent 5-speed manual our car was equipped with. Shifts were precise, well weighted, smooth, and throws were relatively short. Clutch take-up required little effort, and engagement was as smooth and precise as the shift mechanism itself. Considering how much gearbox and clutch work is involved in getting the most out of the 2.3’s 160 horses, it’s of no small significance that the transmission in the 3 is so much fun to use. If our less than overwhelming enthusiasm for the 3’s engine performance seems harsh, please understand that it’s a result of simply wishing the car had an engine that could fully complement its excellent chassis. And excellent it is, too – Mazda’s engineers have done their homework once again, and more than anyone, they understand that if Mazda is to fully exploit the sporting niche they’ve carved for themselves over the years, even their entry level cars need to be a blast to drive.
The new 3 is remarkably rigid, especially when compared to the Protegé that preceded it. Fully independent at all four corners, the suspension is now able to be fully tuned to provide the best possible ride/handling compromise, and not asked to compensate for a flexible chassis. The spring rates and shock valving might actually be too aggressive for your mom and pop, but that’s likely okay with Mazda. Those of us who appreciate these sorts of things (read Mazda’s target audience) will truly enjoy the responsive handling, lack of body roll, and overall composure the 3 s suspension provides. The 3’s 103.9” wheelbase lets the car travel down the road with a sort of big-car feel, even though, as mentioned above, the 3 is something of a flyweight in today’s new car market. Steering feel is spot-on – not too heavy, not too light – and torque steer is not an issue. Though 2.9 turns lock-to-lock does not indicate the presence of lightning-quick steering response, truth is that turn-in is quite good, and the car can be precisely placed at any time, in any situation. Like almost every other FWD vehicle, the Mazda3 will understeer at the limit. But unlike many other FWD vehicles, the 3 provides a great deal of entertainment up to that point. The car is quite toss-able and reacts well to throttle, steering and braking input. Should you find yourself heading too hot into a corner, a lift of the throttle will kick the tail out a bit and at the same time tuck the nose back in towards the apex. Get back on the gas again and the car will drift nicely through the rest of the turn. Good fun, and try as we might, we never found one bad habit or ill-mannered behavior to report. As previously mentioned, our tester had the optional 17” wheels and tires, and while they looked great and may very well offer better lateral adhesion, we think Mazda should look into offering this combination only with an upgraded spring/shock combo. Simply stated, we felt that the increased unsprung weight these larger wheels and tires bring with them upset the suspension to its detriment. Over certain surfaces, our test car experienced a sort of jiggliness and intermittent lack of tire-to-road contact we’d not felt during drives with other 3s shod with 16” wheels and tires. Moving up from a base model i to a better-equipped s brings along some rather nice things, and no minor example would be the vastly superior brake components found in all s model 3s. Front rotors jump in size from 10.9” to 11.8,” while rear rotors grow as well – 10.4” to 11.00.” Pedal feel is excellent and modulation is a simple affair. Our test car had the optional ABS and EBD (electronic brake force distribution), but in all honestly, it took quite a bit of effort to make the ABS make its presence known, and as far as were concerned, that’s quite a good thing. Again, it seems that Mazda engineers have designed this car with the enthusiast in mind – safety equipment is there to rescue you should you truly do something foolish, but it’s not looking to spoil your fun up in the mean time. All in all, we came away quite impressed with the Mazda 3. It has given up a bit of the Protegé’s fun quotient, but we feel the extra room, stability, utility, and overall upscale feel were well worth the trade-offs. Mazda is offering an entry-level vehicle with enough character and “pizzazz” to rival the Europeans, while at the same time offering it with equipment and at a price the Euros simply can’t match. But perhaps most importantly, Mazda has remained true to their vision of providing the market with slightly offbeat, fun-to-drive, great-looking, and affordable cars. Mazda will not sell the 3 in numbers to truly worry Honda or Toyota, and that’s okay. People who buy Mazdas are looking for something a little bit different compared to your bread and butter Civics and Corollas; something a little more special. And at long last, it appears that Mazda is ready to embrace such customers without making apologies to everyone else.
Counterpoint-by Bryan Joslin I’ve always owned European cars; seven VW’s, a Saab and a BMW to be accurate. It’s not that I wouldn’t own a Japanese car, I just haven’t found one that satisfies my perception of substance. You see, somewhere along the road, I got sold on the idea that a solid-sounding thud when closing the door makes for a well-built car. Ironically, history has proven quite the opposite; the “tinny” Japanese cars consistently outperform the “solid” Europeans in nearly every measure of reliability. I didn’t set my expectations too high when I was told I’d be driving a Mazda 3 for a week. I knew that the “3” was the latest evolution of the popular and trusty GLC/323/Protegé series, but these cars have always failed to arouse my interest in the past. Why should I expect anything more of the newest version? The first thing I noticed about the Mazda 3 was its distinctive styling. Mazda has been stamping its trademark face on all its newer models, with broad, angular headlights and equally edgy grilles. Of all the cars in the current Mazda lineup, the 3 seems to wear this face the best. Following the swooping hoodline up and back, the A-pillar disappears seamlessly into the roofline. The rear section of the greenhouse is particularly noteworthy, as it cuts back sharply under itself and drops to the waistline. The rear of the 3 finishes nicely with one of the most tasteful applications yet for the clear taillight treatment. So the 3 is a looker on the outside, but what about inside, where the driver spends most of his (or her) time? Well, let’s just say the interior picks up where the exterior left off. The dashboard offers an unconventional mix of surface textures that ends up delivering a “techy” feel to the cockpit. The instruments are laid out in a sporty arrangement, and the seats are supportive enough for spirited driving without impeding the driver’s and passenger’s movements in and out of them. Rear seat passengers are treated to a spacious bench with better legroom than most of the 3’s competitors. The cargo space is also generous. So far, so good, but how does it drive? My tester was equipped with the optional 160 hp, 2.3-liter engine. Despite its ample displacement and respectable output figure, the engine feels flat. Thankfully, mine came equipped with the manual transmission, so I was able to work the revs to get decent acceleration. I can only assume that when equipped with an automatic, it would be difficult to keep the RPMs in their sweet spot. The lackluster performance of the engine didn’t cast a dark cloud over the chassis however. The 3 feels very light on its feet, with excellent response to steering inputs. The 4-wheel disc brakes with ABS were equally impressive. So the Mazda 3 is a lot more exciting car than I ever remember a Protegé being. The best part comes when you look at the sticker in the window. It’s amazing how much car Mazda offers for less than $18,000. The 3 is a definite value leader in its class, and will probably make some Golf/Jetta shoppers do a double take. Even fully-loaded with xenon headlamps and navigation, the 3 barely tips the $20K scale. There are a few details that offer an explanation for the price difference between the 3 and its European competitors. For instance, the feel of some of the interior materials is noticeably less tactile. Also, and this one goes for just about every non-European car on the market today, if one-touch-down is good enough for the driver, why not for the other three windows? And how about one-touch-up, for that matter? Anyway, small details, but important to many buyers. It’s amazing how things can change in a week. My time behind the wheel proved a valuable learning experience. By the end of my time with the 3, I was recommending it to friends and neighbors. The real question though is, would I buy one? Well, let’s just say that the Mazda 3 is at the very top of my “non-European” list.
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