A replacement for the Protege5, the Mazda3 is now in its second year of production and still seems to be going strong. And what's not to like about this compact beauty? It's got: sports sedan-like handling, good fuel economy, sparkling performance, great build quality, lots of safety features, style and a reasonable price. The Mazda3 is also available as a 4-door sedan. Starting price for 5-door S: $17,665; Warranty: 4/50,000mi.
First Glance
The styling of the Mazda3 seems to have been inspired by Chris Bangle's bafflingly "flame surfacing" technique used on the new BMW 1-series wagon, which has been on sale for several months now in Europe. But where the BMW 1-series looks a little too long from the A-pillar forward, I can't see a misstep or odd line anywhere on the Mazda3 wagon. Regardless of your particular tastes, the capital S on the 5-door Mazda3 S could very well stand for "Stylish" as presented on a hatchback or small wagon body style. The hatchback also brings other rewards of a more practical nature as well: the rear seatbacks fold forward to open up a large and useful carrying space behind the front seats. I did notice the badging changes (of which I didn't like) from the base 2.0L engine to the 2.3L model. The base sedan model comes with very little in the way of signage and crome but the 2.3L model adds little chrome "2.3" badges on the doors. It sure seems most North American car buyers want more and bigger signs on their automobiles. But I don't. I'd delete that option since the car looks great without the "look-at-me" items.In the Driver's Seat

Already a big cargo area at 17 cubic feet, fold the seats down for a total of 31. Bring on the loot!
© Colin Hefferon
On the Road
All 5-door Mazda3 hatchbacks sold in the U.S. come with the highly-refined 2.3L DOHC 4-cylinder with variable valve timing, which develops 160hp and 150lb-ft of torque @ 4500rpm. This engine is a technological tour de force. The base sedan, however, comes with a 2.0L engine developing 148hp. This 2.0 engine meets California's very strict PZEV and SULEV emissions standards. I had the opportunity to test the 5-door with the optional 17" alloy wheels and performance tires on both dry pavement and on wet snow. I learned two things from that experience: tires aren't everything; they're the only thing. Especially when you're driving for performance. By the way, if you live in a snow-belt state, you'll need two sets of tires and wheels. All season tires just won't cut it if you want all the performance you paid for. Of course, you'll also need the optional traction control for maximum benefit. With proper tires, you'll enjoy zooming around on both snow and dry roads.Journey's End

See? Done right a hatchback is a good looking car. Painted white just makes it even better.
© Colin Hefferon





