Test drive: 2010 Mazda3
Wednesday November 19, 2008
So here it is, my first review of a 2010 car: The all-new 2010 Mazda3 sedan. (Yes, the hatchback will return; Mazda just hasn't said when.) The old Mazda3 was the darling of the media and a favorite among buyers who wanted something small and affordable that was good to drive. Our press preview took place here in Los Angeles, so I got a chance to drive the new 3 on the roads I knew best. So what's new, what's good, what's bad, and is it still fun to drive? All -- except pricing, which hasn't been announced -- is revealed in my 2010 Mazda3 test drive and review. -- Aaron Gold
Photo © Aaron Gold
Comments
Anyone know if Canada will still offer the smaller 2.0l models with all the options available in the bigger engine?
I have a Mazda 3s and my wife and I really like it. I just hope that they sell the five door with the smaller engine here. I would have to say that the S is if it is possible over powered. It is fast. Not Speed3 fast but still very quick. I would have liked the smaller engine but I wasn’t willing to loose the hatch.
Nice to see the hatchback is coming back. I hate notchbacks as they have no “raison d’etre” in the funtionality of cars whatsoever. All they do is limit the utility of the car. When I replaced my old Honda with a new 2006 Civic, I was so disappointed that it was a notchback, that I ended up giving to my son. Without the hatch the utility of the trunk seems to be cut by 60%. Aesthetically, I hardly can tell them apart.
Hey Aaron I must disagree with you about one statment. The Miata was not the first Mazda to have a serious following! What about the RX-7? That care still has a devoted following to this day.
Like the above poster says - yes, the RX-7 is definitely the first Mazda cult car. I remember driving a beat-up tired ‘85 RX-7 side-by-side with a nice-condition CRX and wondered how anyone could ever want a CRX over the RX-7. I loved it, even though the factory sunroof meant that the roof was so low that I had to pretty much stick my head out the sunroof!
The Mazda 323 GTX rally homologation special had a bit of a following, too, though not at the level of the RX-7 and later the Miata.
I for one like notchback models as I’m not a big fan of hatchbacks. Never have been, and never will be. That being said, the Mazda 3, along with the Audi A5 are the only two hatchback/short wagons that I care for the looks of, and would even consider buying.
LWATCDR and JKyle — good point about the RX-7. I’ve updated the article. — Aaron
Come on Eric surely you gotta like that Volvo C-30. Just saw one an hour ago and it is one sharp little hatch/wagon, don’t ya think?
I have to wonder why people in the US tend to not like hatchbacks?
Take the Mazda3 for example. The sedan has a trunk opening about the size of a mail slot. You have a lot more “trunk” space with the hatch back and you can carry much larger items.
Frankly for small cars I find not having a hatch back to be are real negative.
My guess is that Americans associate “hatchback” with “cheap”. When I was in high school and college, most of us had hatchbacks — Ford Escorts, Plymouth Horizons, Chevrolet Chevettes, and Honda Civics (the latter were the rich kids!). I myself drove a Dodge Omni. (1987, last year for the carburetor… those were the days!) We grow up, we want something bigger. That’s my guess, at least. Practicality is not a big concern for us ‘Muricans; we’re big-car people. — Aaron
[#5] Having driven both, I liked the CRX Si better than the RX7s of that era.
Returning from the tangent…
Has Mazda improved the quality of materials in this generation? I remember looking at a few of their cars in the showroom a few years ago, and I almost dented one of the cars (Mazda-6) just by leaning on it. I was surprised how thin the sheetmetal was.
Well I am an American and we are talking about small cars here so I would say that a hatch back fits in well.
Besides the Porsche 924, 944, 928, 240z , 208z and 300 ZX, a lot of the F-Bodies, and a lot of the Corvettes where all hatchbacks.
To me hatchback = sporty. Trunk that is what you parents drove.
Finally! I can drive an RX-8 for under $20 grand! I don’t know what’s up with the current MAZDA3, it just looks dull when you compare its face to a Civic. The new one should fix that problem, though, with a face that’ll make the Civic look duller than it.