Words and photos Andy Leuterio
Rarely does a compact car generate as much excitement - and anticipation - as this newest Mazda has.
When the Mazda brand was launched early this year by Ford Group, a compact car was conspicuously absent.
The "Zoom-Zoom" brand introduced the medium-size Mazda 6 sedan and the Tribute SUV, but no small car to
take on the likes of the Toyota Corolla Altis and Honda Civic.
Wait and see, Mazda executives told us. We've got a car that'll knock your socks off in a few months'
time. Now it's officially here, and we can say it's been worth the wait.
The new Mazda 3 should knock the socks off its buyers. For one thing, the car uses a global platform shared
with the second-generation Ford Focus and Volvo S40, meaning that structural hardpoints are the same;
essential to how solid a car feels and responds.
Aesthetically, taut bodywork is highlighted by a graceful roofline, a pugnacious front clip, jewel-like taillamps
gracing the rear, and 17-inch alloy wheels for the 2.0-liter "R" model: the largest in its class so far. The notchback
design deceives casual onlookers into thinking it's a hatchback (there is a hatchback version sold overseas), and yet
there is a sizable trunk with the space-saving (and expensive) utilization of strut hinges. The cabin is a mix of old BMW
3-series and Mazda RX-8 raciness, especially with the "R".
Black door panels, black leather seats, black center console, all tending to be claustrophobic if not for the
avant-garde instrument panel with its red lighting, silk-movement knobs, and integrated AC/stereo display. Deeply
recessed gauges have their own pods within the instrument binnacle, and the blue lighting is easy on the eyes at night
as well as sophisticated to look at in the daytime. What's more, a standard power moonroof gives the illusion of more
space, bathing the cockpit with natural light.
Dynamically, the car is as close to a front-drive European car as it can get and feels even stiffer than an Opel Astra.
Suspension tuning is supple. On the road the "R" feels stiffer than a Civic 2.0-liter, but remarkably forgiving over
potholes; impressive for a car riding on low-profile 50-series Bridgestone Potenzas. Turn-in is eager and precise
without being flighty on rutted highways, and the chassis absorbs pavement imperfections with remarkably little
vibration or harshness. Stopping power with the all-disc, ABS-assisted brakes is superb, delivering excellent brake
pedal modulation in the process. The car rides on front McPherson struts and the rear multi-link suspension of the
Mazda 6; one of the best-handling front-wheel drive cars we've ever driven.
