2016 Mazda 3

[Titan ;x]

Overview: The Mazda 3 is again the brand’s entry-level model (now that the 2 is being sold as a Toyota) and also one of the best small cars. Like the Volkswagen Golf with which it competes, it’s a stalwart of our 10Best Cars list. As Mazda’s budget leader, not every 3 comes loaded with features, but even the base 155-hp 2.0-liter sedan delivers pleasing dynamic behavior, solid build quality, and impressive fuel economy. Upgrading to the 3 s model brings a 184-hp 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with more thrust, nets standard features such as heated leather seats, and makes available options that include active safety features. It is offered with a choice of automatic or manual transmissions in a pair of four-door body styles: sedan or hatchback.

The 3 i automatic sedan we drove recently isn’t our favorite specification of Mazda 3, but we understand that some prefer the security of an out-of-sight-out-of-mind trunk for their cargo as opposed to an open hatch. City dwellers, take note: The sedan is nearly five inches longer than the hatchback, so if you live where on-street parking battles are a matter of inches, go with the hatch.

What’s New: There were few changes to the Mazda 3 for 2016, but not much has needed to change since this third-generation design debuted for the 2014 model year. All models come with a backup camera; most Touring and Grand Touring models also get a sunroof, rain-sensing wipers, automatic headlights, and an auto-dimming interior mirror. New option packages for the 3 i Sport, 3 i Touring, and 3 s Grand Touring bring automatic climate control, an upgraded stereo with satellite radio, and active safety features such as blind-spot monitoring and cross-traffic alert.

What We Like: In one word: lots. In a segment dominated by smaller turbocharged engines, Mazda sticks with naturally aspirated powerplants. And yet the 3 returns real-world fuel economy on par with or sometimes even better than most of its competitors. The big trick is variable valve timing capable of employing the more efficient Atkinson-cycle operation (common in hybrid cars), at the cost of some midrange power when you’re not flogging it. Fortunately, when you step on the gas, the engine reverts to the conventional Otto-cycle operation, and maximum power is available. No Mazda 3 will break speed records: A 2.5-liter example can reach 60 mph in the low-seven-second range, with the 2.0-liter not far behind. The big advantage to the 2.5 is the added torque at lower revs, giving the car more around-town pep. The 2.0-liter, by contrast, has to be worked quite hard to complete a safe passing maneuver on a two-lane road or to merge onto the freeway. The Mazda 3’s dynamics—the way the car turns and handles—set the gold standard among sub-$20,000 cars. Vehicles costing two or even three times more could learn something from the 3’s suspension tuning, which is a masterful balance between control and comfort. Finally, the hatchback is highly practical: Fold its rear seats, and the cargo hold grows from 20 cubic feet to 47; the sedan’s trunk swallows only 12 cubic feet.

 

What We Don’t Like: In two words: not much. The 3’s steering can feel a little too quick, as if the car was in a rush to change lanes on the highway, and the driver has to press the brake pedal too far into its travel before anything happens. Unfortunately, all 2.5-liter Touring models come fitted with a six-speed automatic (otherwise a $1050 option) as standard equipment, which makes them $50 more costly than manual-transmission Grand Touring models. Rear-seat legroom is tight for adults. And our favorite version, the 3 s Grand Touring hatchback (like our current long-term test car), is the most expensive. For the money Mazda wants for it, the quicker, dynamically more refined Volkswagen GTI makes an equally pleasant car to drive every day.

Verdict: The Mazda 3 does a great impression of a BMW from 20 years ago: It’s just quick enough, never too soft, and certainly never too stiff. This is near-perfect small-car porridge.