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Needs better hill-climb capability

About the only time we felt a lack of power was while ascending the Santa Monica Mountains to dive-bomb down the twisty canyon road portion of our driving loop. When hill climbing, our Mazda 3 struggled while traveling between 20-35 mph in second gear. But around town and on freeways, the Mazda 3 felt hearty enough to merge and pass with the greatest of confidence. Like most driving enthusiasts, we think that additional power could enhance every motorized implement, and this gluttony is likely to be fed in the future by a MazdaSpeed 3, rumored to make its appearance in a year or two.

Slick-shifting manual transmission

Our test model was equipped with a five-speed manual transmission, which was most becoming to this sporty hatchback. Do yourself a favor – learn how to drive a stick and avoid the optional automatic. Choosing your own gears is much more rewarding for this type of vehicle. We invoked the sacred letters of the Bavarian Motor Works when describing the five-speed manual, a somewhat notchy shifter that exhibits an initial fluid resistance at the gate before gliding into gear. One test driver noted that the clutch on our test car felt grainy under heavy-use conditions such as stop-and-go traffic, resulting in a bit of slip upon engagement, but we’d chalk that up to the excessive wear-and-tear that most media drive vehicles suffer rather than a design flaw. Otherwise, the transmission was a joy to use.

Amazing blend of handling and ride quality

Underpinning the Mazda 3 is a four-wheel-independent suspension with MacPherson struts up front and a multi-link arrangement for the rear. Precise steering, grippy Goodyear Eagle RS-A P205/50R17 tires, and a compliant yet communicative suspension tell the driver exactly what’s happening at street level and make the Mazda 3 particularly rewarding when the road gets twisty. The steering builds effort progressively and it’s very easy to place the car exactly where you want it, but during the performance-driving portion of our route we felt that it could have used a quicker ratio given its high handling limits. We had to remind ourselves that this is, after all, an inexpensive hatchback and not a German sport sedan.

Outstanding brakes and impressive safety equipment

Further adding to driving pleasure are outstanding four-wheel-disc brakes, vented up front for improved performance. Call it out of character for us nitpicky critics, but we couldn’t come up with a single complaint about the Mazda 3’s braking system. Perfect pedal feel and linear application of the binders make for confidence-inspiring halts, and the system exhibited zero fade under duress. Enthusiasts will be pleased to note that the pedals are positioned to allow for easy heel-and-toe downshifts. Our test model was equipped with an option package that included ABS with electronic brake-force distribution (EBD) and side curtain airbags, features worthy of your $800. Another helpful option on our test Mazda 3 was the package including Xenon headlamps and a tire pressure monitor.