2011 Mazda3 Review

Mazda3

The Mazda 3 is a premium car in a compact package. Mazda3 comes as a four-door sedan or four-door hatchback. The 2011 Mazda3 adds rain-sensing wipers, auto on/off headlights, bi-xenon headlights with auto-leveling, Adaptive Front lighting System, and LED rear combination lights to the Technology Package.

The popular Mazda3 remains unabashedly fun to drive, which should appeal to driving enthusiasts who want a practical car. Mazda offers three drive train: two normally aspirated four-cylinders — each with a manual or automatic transmission — and a manual-only Mazdaspeed3 hatchback with a turbocharged four-cylinder. A newly standard electronic stability system is the chief difference for the 2011 car, which you can compare with the 2010 Mazda3.

Overall length is now 180.9 inches (up 3.5 inches), while width is 69.1 inches, height is 57.9 inches, and wheelbase remains 103.9 inches. The 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine delivers 148 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 135 pound-feet of torque at 4,500 rpm. The new 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine is borrowed from the larger new Mazda6. Mazda's torque base control technology provides a highly linear acceleration response to every change of throttle pedal pressure.

Highway mileage with the 2.0-liter engine is 33 mpg with either transmission. The 2.5-liter model delivers 21 mpg with the manual gearbox, and 22 mpg with the automatic. Few sub-$20,000 cars achieve such harmony across the driving experience. At low speeds, our 2.5-liter test car's wheel felt light and lively — better than last year's 2.0-liter Mazda3, whose wheel could have used more low-speed power assist. Regardless of body style, the car's 34.2-foot turning circle beats much of the field.

Editors raved about the Mazda's high-speed handling; in our review of last year's Mazda3, which involved some time on Wisconsin's Road America racetrack, one editor lauded the car's go-kart-like manners. The Mazdaspeed3 has four-wheel-disc antilock brakes, with larger front discs than the regular Mazda3. Combined city/highway gas mileage ranges from 21 mpg in the Mazdaspeed3 to 28 mpg in a manual Mazda3 with the base four-cylinder. (As is the case with many high-performance cars, the Mazdaspeed3 needs premium gas.)

Wind noise is moderate, though the Mazda3 remains mostly unfazed by highway crosswinds. Cabin quality in the Mazda3 is competitive overall, though cars like the Cruze and Elantra have leapfrogged the class.
The Mazda3's basic cloth seats offer decent lateral support but insufficient shoulder and thigh support, though sport seats improve matters in the 2.5-liter and Mazda speed models. Trunk volume in the Mazda3 sedan is just 11.8 cubic feet; the Cruze and Jetta offer 15 cubic feet or more. The Mazda3 hatchback offers a more usable 17 cubic feet behind the backseat, with 42.8 cubic feet of maximum volume with the seat folded down.

Mazda3 hatchbacks, which come standard with the larger four-cylinder, start at $20,045. With all the options checked, the Mazda3 tops out around $26,000.
It's not the most refined, roomy or fuel-efficient choice, but Mazda still offers driving enthusiasts the most complete compact-car package.