The Mazda3 is the Japanese brand’s compact car and rival to the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Hyundai Elantra, and Subaru Impreza. It’s a compact car with a focus on premium design and fun driving dynamics. It is now offered with all-wheel drive, giving it a special advantage in this class. It first debuted in 2003 as a replacement for the Protege and the 323. It is now in its fourth generation and offered as a five-door hatchback or four-door sedan.
The new Mazda3 has a wonderful interior that’s extremely well designed, and it’s clear that Mazda benchmarked the interiors of upscale automakers. The Mazda3 offers a lot of high-end equipment and technology as well, making it feel a bit more luxurious and upmarket than its competitors. It is only offered with one engine choice, a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter four-cylinder that’s smooth and powerful with 186 horsepower and 186 lb-ft of torque. The downsides to the new Mazda3 is that it can be slightly heavy with all-wheel drive, which impacts fuel economy and driving feel. It can also get pretty expensive when fully equipped, and it’s not the best when it comes to room for passengers and cargo.
The Mazda3 is assembled in Japan at Mazda’s Hofu Plant in Hofu, Yamaguchi.
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