2014 Mazda MAZDA3 – Video Review

The MAZDA3 has long since been considered the drivers’ alternative in the affordable compact segment, delivering the company’s hallmark goodness from behind the wheel.  And for 2014 the heritage continues.  This is the all-new Mazda MAZDA3 5-door. 

For Mazda, it’s imperative that this car does well.  As their global best-seller it carries much weight on its shoulders.  And this new version, still available in sedan and hatchback body styles, continues with its Skyactiv mission of shedding weight and boosting fuel economy.  Gone is the debatable smirk, replaced with a more aggressive and sensuously swoopy design Mazda calls KODO.  It ‘s a look that gets better as your eyes sweep over the sheet metal from front to rear.  I’ve always favored the style and added practicality of the 5-door model and that remains true here though you pay $2,000 more for it.       

The exact car I’m testing here is the MAZDA3 i  in the highest Grand Touring trim.  The i models run with the smaller 2.0-liter direct-injection engine, producing 155 horsepower and 150 pound-feet of torque, working here through an easily manipulated, precise shifting 6-speed manual or if you prefer, a 6-speed auto for an extra $1,050.   Downshifting often to find that zoom-zoom acceleration, I won’t go as far as to call it underpowered but I will say that if you consider yourself at all a speed aficionado the 2.5-liter engine is where you should turn, though you’ll have to give up $3,250 and the stickshift to get it.  The S models make 184 horsepower and a near equal amount of torque and by in large erase any underpowered talk.  Gas mileage is rated at 29mpg city/40mpg highway just about the same as the automatic-equipped model and I averaged 30mpg in what I would describe as a very economical driving style, shifting into 6^th right when the indicator told me so.  Furthering the fuel efficiency though available only on s models, Mazda introduces i-ELOOP, a capacitor based regenerative engine braking system that stores electrical energy to power things like headlights, climate control, and the like.     

Lower and leaner with a wheelbase that’s 2.4” longer yet in a car that’s .6” shorter, the retuned, fully independent suspension has been engineered for better straight line stability and grip , while dialed in electric assist steering and better brake response

provide this MAZDA3 that elevated fun-to-drive factor for which it is known.  As for things I’d change – these new Yokohama AVID tires wrapped around 16” wheels don’t seem up to the challenge of sportier driving and despite Mazda’s claim that they’ve added new noise absorption material this cabin is anything but quiet at highway speeds where you’ll really have to crank the Bose 9-speaker sound system in order to hear it.  It’s also crashes a bit over rough pavement.  But all told, it’s a car that connects itself to the driver in an appreciative way.

Leatherette seating with red stitching, a sporty, classic Mazda dash design and a new touchscreen navi which vastly improves upon the small unit in the previous model make this cabin visually appealing and easy to learn, with most technology inputs done right here. In the back, suitable for 2 more, are seatbacks lengthened nearly 2” for greater comfort.  Overall passenger volume increases a smidge while the 22 cubic feet of luggage volume is up significantly from before. 

Base price of this Grand Touring model is $24,040 while my tester with a few small options tallies $24,635.  It’s no Hyundai in that you don’t get LED light treatments, fog lights or heated seats but the MAZDA3 Grand Touring with the base engine is a stylish way to get your MPGS and driving enjoyment, too.