2010 Mazda three Test Drive: With a “Zoom-Zoom” Teputation On the Line, Mazda Restyles and Upgrades: Live From the two thousand eight LA Auto Demonstrate
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LOS ANGELES – Mazda’s compact car, the Mazda Three, has always been a dearest. It’s good joy to drive and was the very first of the genre to suggest big-car luxury items like leather seats and a full-screen navigation system. Even tho’ the three is in its fifth year of production, the car still feels better than its rivals.
The fresh version, which will go on sale early next year, isn’t a finish makeover, rather a major restyling with subtle mechanical tweaks. The purpose, says Mazda was to make the three the compact car that’s the “closest thing to a sports car.” Let’s see if it is. –Larry Webster
The Specs
The nose it what you notice very first. A blacked-out five-pointed smile spans almost the width of the front end and it visually brings the three closer to the RX-8 sports car. Flanking this broad mouth are a pair of mini grills that look like brake ducts but are in fact housings for auxiliary lights.
That aggressive front sets the tone for the rest of the car. Subtle creases fan out from the front of the spandex hood to the windshield and the headlights flow organically across the corners of the car. Two more gentle, bodyside creases travel rearward from the front fenders. The car shows up to lean forward, like it’s ready to go. There’s more presence to the car even tho’ dimensionally it’s about the same as the old model. Overall, it’s a gorgeous design that’s functional too. Airflow tweaking via plane underbody panels, less engine-bay airflow, and smoother glass mounts has dropped the haul coefficient to 0.29 from 0.31.
Underneath the fresh skin, engineers doubled the percentage by weight of high-strength steel. That lowered the structure’s weight by twenty four pounds and enhanced leaning rigidity by seven percent. The suspension is mostly carryover, but the steering rack is stiffer and held by a third support. The four-wheel disc brakes are unchanged.
Engine-wise, two four bangers comeback for duty. The Two.0-liter of the base “I” model retains its 148-hp, while the Two.3-liter engine of the “S” model received a 1.5-millimeter bore increase that bumped displacement to Two.Five liters. The fatter motor now makes one hundred sixty seven hp, up from one hundred fifty six and torque rises to one hundred sixty eight pound-feet from 150. Manual transmissions, a five-speed for the Two.0-liter and a six-speed for the Two.Five are standard and a five-speed automatic is optional. Fuel-economy ratings have not been released, but Mazda expects a ten percent improvement.
While the fresh car retains the side and curtain airbags, there are several fresh optional features. Buyers can choose adaptive front lights that swivel fifteen degrees, Bluetooth connectivity, a power seat with memory, and a 10-speaker BOSE stereo.
The Drive
The interior of any car is as much a part of the driving practice as the tires. And inwards, Mazda designers crafted a flowing, driver-centric cockpit. In addition to the barrel gauges, there’s a curved indent on the top of the dash that houses the tour computer and a puny navigation screen. The soft-touch plastic feels high grade and a telescoping/tilting steering wheel make getting convenient a cinch.
We very first sampled a base model tooled with a five-speed manual gearbox. It’s a refined chunk with an anxious engine song, silky, easy-effort clutch, and a delightfully accurate shifter. The chassis absorbed bumps with a relaxed and muted firmness and the brakes were effortless to modulate. The little Mazda attacked kinks with surprising tenacity, suspending on long past the point where we expected it to drift. The best part was that the car felt as nimble and agile as its 2900-pound curb weight suggests it should. It’s a joy car.
The fatter engine version is much the same except it gets everywhere quicker. For a rather large four banger, the Two.5-liter is remarkably sleek and it sounds good too. We also liked the steering, which provides slew of feedback without resorting to a powerful effort.
Our notes were peppered with the word “refinement” because the cabin is so quiet and all the controls have such a natural feel. The suspension is a big contributor since it minimizes large bod movements and has a similar feel to many BMWs. The tires always behave liked they’re securely on the road. You can thrust this car without ever feeling like you’re taking a big risk.
The Bottom Line
Pricing is still undecided, but expect the base car to begin at about sixteen grand and a fully loaded version to run in the low 20s. While we only drove 4-door models, the practical 5-door will also be available.
For the money, the Mazda three offers everything its competition does, but is the most entertaining to drive and now has excellent refinement to match the driving dynamics. In fact, it feels like a mini BMW, and it is the sports car of subcompacts.