"That’s a bummer man," as we used to say back in the early ’70s. Meaning something went bad or was unforeseen. This was my first thought upon taking delivery of the Mazda 3 Sport GT on a winter day. Oh, if only it was summer.
To top it off, this model was equipped with a six-speed manual transmission. I really like to shift gears, it keeps me more engaged in the driving experience. Parents of teens or young adults take note; it's hard to text when you have to shift for yourself. Anyway the Mazda 3 would have been the ideal road trip car during a nice summer day. But alas it was not to be, so I enjoyed it with mostly snow-covered roads. If you are six-feet tall like me, be careful getting inside. The slope of the roof makes tall people duck to climb inside. Once seated the bolstered driver’s seat fits very snugly which some of us expect of a performance automobile. All the better to keep you in place during spirited driving. Because I don’t have a big butt the seat fit fine so I experienced no discomfort at any time. In fact, overall seating comfort is very good. The rear seat will be fine for little kids, not so fine for adults. But then this isn’t really a family car nor is any Mazda 3 model. It is more oriented for a single person or couple. You want more room? Mazda has other models that will accommodate your family very well.
On the down side, the Mazda 3’s HUD unit on top of the instrument panel places the image for the car’s speed so low on the windshield that it was useless for a tall person like me. I'd have to slouch down – a lot – to catch a glimpse and that was not going to happen. Somebody in Mazda engineering, perhaps short in stature, messed this one up.
I would also question having the tachometer prominent in the centre of the gauge cluster. This places the smallish speedometer read-out in a corner of the tachometer display. This is fine for some die-hard performance drivers but makes no sense for the average person. Real gauges showing speed, tach, water temp, oil pressure and battery charge would make more sense and really is what a driver needs to keep track off.
On the plus side, the Mazda 3 Sport offers ride, handling, performance and comfort that is well worth the price of entry at $26,995. I enjoyed the six-speed manual transmission with its short throws and buttery-smooth linkage. It’s nearly effortless to use. Clutch action is easy too. The gearbox is connected to a 2.5 litre four cylinder, 16-valve fuel-injected engine putting out 184 horsepower and 185 lb. ft. of torque. For a non-turbocharged engine it’s plenty peppy without draining the fuel tank at a rapid rate. I was able to get 6.7L/100km in mixed city and highway driving. The Mazda 3 Sport is rated at 6.6L/100km on the highway and 9.2L/100km urban.
Road noise is hushed even when running at 120 km/ph. Engine noise at full throttle is also subdued which shows me how well engineers have worked to keep down NVH (Noise, Vibration and Harshness) in this model.
The Mazda 3 even in its other iterations has been well received by automotive writers and the driving public since it was introduced 12 years ago.
Among the standard goods on the Mazda 3 Sport are; bi-xenon HID headlights with manual leveling, LED tail lights, 18-inch alloy wheels, intelligent key system (proximity and ignition), voice-activated navigation system, BOSE premium audio system with nine speakers, Active Driving Display (HUD), dual-zone automatic climate control, rearview camera, seven-inch touchscreen display with HMI commander, Bluetooth, USB/AUX inputs and heated seats. My test car also had the $1,500 Luxury Package which consisted of leather seats, leather-like door trim, garage door opener, six-way power driver's seat (recline, lift, fore/aft), manual driver lumbar support, auto dimming inner rear view mirror and leather-like rear console lid. I wouldn’t bother with this package as it adds unnecessary weight and really doesn’t have anything I would find useful. However, $300 for the Red Mica paint I would pay extra for. It is a beautiful colour on a bright, sunny day. The total price tag for my tester came to $28,795 not including freight and GST. Still a good deal when you begin pricing out similar models by domestic or other foreign manufacturers.
The car is also practical. Cargo capacity is 572 litres with the rear seat up and 1,334L with the seat down. A 50-litre fuel tank and a light foot on the go-pedal could give you many kilometres before your next fill-up on a long highway trip.
Even a more basic Mazda 3 model drives more like an expensive sport sedan than a compact car. This might be the greatest reason people are attracted to the Mazda 3. Its driving characteristics are highly commendable. Definitely worth considering either new or lightly used.
Garry Melnyk is a St. Albert resident and lifelong car buff who has written about new cars and trucks for radio and print publications since the ’70s.
