There, the 3 served as an excellent support vehicle for our annual Lightning Lap speedfest. Anti-lock brakes and side-impact airbags, previously optional, were now standard. The hydraulic dampers of the multi-link rear suspension were also re-tuned to match the front suspension changes. However, the Honda's navigation system is slightly more intuitive and offers more extensive voice control than the Mazda can. But to go… I usually try to schedule something big and posh when I'm planning to take a long road trip, but an especially tight press fleet this November had me setting out for my trip to the family homestead outside Memphis, Tennessee in a cheap n' cheerful Mazda3i sedan. Outside, the smiling-carp face is as off-putting as facing rotten soybeans at breakfast.
In Malaysia, the third generation Mazda3 was first launched in March 2014 fully imported from Japan and was available with a sole 2. I fit better in the Mazda 2. And with our average of 24 mpg and no mechanical issues yet to crop up, the Mazda is proving to be easy on our budget and our nerves. Yes, our own greenbacks, earned writing car porn. The front dampers of the have been re-tuned to quicken steering response and reduce understeer.
With two transmissions available, the five-speed manual or five-speed shiftable automatic, the i Touring adds traction control and an antiskid system to the powertrain. It's a common refrain: carmakers have to balance out look and feel with the cost of the cabin, and the Mazda3 balances the two better than most, but some color choices accent the grainier plastics. Mazda says the 3 was too far along to implement nagare, its design concept of wavy, wind-ruffled metal touted on recent concept cars. The Mazda 3 became Mazda's fastest-selling vehicle in January 2019, with cumulative sales of over 6-million units. Tighter ratio spacing in the new six-speed box means the stick moves twice en route to the all-important 60-mph benchmark.
Still, the 3 is now in a dead heat with the , and both are still on the fleet end of the compact-sedan herd. Some like that at-your-fingertips convenience; others feel, well, inconvenienced. Now, Mazda has issued a formal recall that extends to 2007-09 Mazda3 and Mazda5 models, totaling close to 200,000 vehicles combined. On base models, the black plastic at the top of the grille became body-coloured. The turbocharged MazdaSpeed3, sold only as a hatchback, is covered in the Research section.
We wished the old 3 were quieter and had gauges that were more legible. The architecture, a collaboration of Ford, Mazda, and Volvo, is carried over from the previous generation though marginally wider, longer and lighter than the previous generation. The interior of the Mazda3 was offered with several new color choices and an audio jack in the centre console, allowing the use of digital music players. Behind the 3's new jack-o'-lantern grin is a larger, more powerful engine. I for one wish they would.
At the same time, the vehicle felt quite nimble and planted at legal-ish speeds. The lift-over height is high, though, and the opening to the trunk is a bit narrow. A concept version of the Mazda3, with an engine powered by compressed natural gas, was unveiled in 2013 at the Tokyo Motor Show. Despite being down one gear, the automatic transmission manages to beat the manual's fuel economy by 1 city mpg, while matching it on the highway. Production of Thailand market Mazda3 at AutoAlliance Thailand Co.
Except for a slightly heavy clutch, the controls do their business with a satisfying rightness to their feel. Moving Around My test car had the smaller of two available four-cylinder engines; coupled with a five-speed automatic, its power is comparable to a Honda Civic or Kia Forte — and greater than the relatively pokey Toyota Corolla. The 3 has been a little finicky since we last reported on it, but our enthusiasm has dampened little for an otherwise solid, fun-driving, and practical car. Wearing its brand-new, sticky shoes, the… In June, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced a probe into power steering equipment on late-model Mazda 3 sedans and hatchbacks. Engineers matched its appearance with a strong powertrain. While the new 3 is a more comfortable compact car, it still managed to impress us with its peppy performance and balanced handling.
The Bottom Line The 2010 Mazda Mazda3 s Grand Touring 5-door's cabin tech package is good, but not the best in the business. The old 3 was the scoot boy of its class; the new 3, surprisingly, not as much. The trend continues with the 3 accelerating through the quarter mile at 15. Utility definitely rates with buyers in this segment. Mazda's Bluetooth hands-free system is accessible via voice control using more steering wheel-mounted buttons. The 2009 model year was only a few months long as production ceased in November 2008.