The word “fun,” when invoked to describe a $23,000 sedan, usually means “relative to other $23,000 sedans.” But when we say the new Mazda 3 is fun to drive, that’s an absolute. It’s a completely different experience from any of the other cars here. As you hustle the 3 along a road like the Dragon, there’s a constant buildup and release of tension in the steering wheel. Turn-in is so immediate that it always took us a couple of turns to recalibrate after coming out of the other cars. The brakes are firm and fast acting, and you can feel load transfer between the tires. The only time you’ll feel load transfer in the Kia is if you nail the brakes with your mastiff in back and he crashes into your seat. The 3’s track numbers make it look like an underachiever, but as Mazda’s own Miata proved, a great car isn’t defined by gob-smacking test figures.
In more than just its dynamic behavior, the 3 plays the role of a pricey sports sedan. The matte-silver-and-black knob controlling the infotainment system feels like something pirated from an Audi factory, and the crisp nav screen—also controllable by touch—protrudes proudly from the dash like the one in the current BMW 3-series. From certain angles, the sheetmetal recalls the Lexus IS. And the 3 is the only car here with a properly oriented self-shift pattern: back to upshift, forward to downshift. Gearchanges are quick and seamless, and downshifts never upset the drivetrain.
Not even Mazda can perform miracles, though. Its 155-hp engine tied for “meh” with the Toyota’s and the Kia’s, turning in midpack acceleration only because of how weak the Honda and Toyota are. A 2.5-liter four is available, but only on 3 s models, which start above $25,000.
Since we tested the working-class 3 i, we also got the silliest-looking tires in this test. Measuring 205/60R-16, they look like Super Swampers on this car. Sixty-series rubber belongs on SUVs, not small sports sedans (the pricier 3 s includes 45-series 18s). Those sky-high sidewalls were, however, a boon for navigating the numerous craters and sinkholes the spring floods opened up on our northern roads. That the 3 can manage what it does on the base rubber is just further testimony to the excellence of this basic package.
Let’s take that idea a few steps further: That Mazda, as one of the smallest independent car companies, can create a car as good as the 3 with modest resources is testimony to the excellence of its engineering team. Not only that, it’s damning to other carmakers.Continued...