With Mazda3, graduation to the big leagues
Bottom Line: 2010 Mazda3 |
Price: $25,560 (as tested, including $670 shipping) Fuel economy: 22 MPG city/29 MPG highway. Standard equipment: 167-hp, 2.5-liter I-4 engine, power steering, power brakes, 60/40 split folding rear seat back, power windows, power door locks. Safety equipment: Electronic stability control, antilock brakes with brake assist, front airbags, side airbags and side air curtains, tire pressure monitoring, active head restraints. Major options: 5-speed automatic transmission, dual-zone climate control, bi-xenon adaptive headlights, keyless start, leather seats, sunroof, heated seats and mirrors, GPS navigation, Sirius satellite radio. Pros: Great handling, smooth engine, abundant luxury options. Cons: Goofy grille, luxury options run the price up and confusing accessory controls. Verdict: As Saab and Volvo fall into disarray, Audi moves up market and Acuras get too ugly to be seen in, the Mazda3 is a viable new contender in the entry luxury segment. |
Sources: Mazda, msnbc.com |
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Under the hood, Mazda offers either a 2.0-liter or 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, and either a six-speed manual or five-speed automatic transmission. The manual is obviously the enthusiast’s choice, and Mazda’s is a good one, with short, accurate shifts and a light clutch pedal.
The more popular automatic transmission is well programmed so drivers won’t find themselves constantly at odds with their car’s decision making about gear selection. The automatic also includes the pointless opportunity to move the shifter into a manual gate and change up or down by hand, but drivers who want to shift manually tend to want the real thing and not an impersonation of a manual trans. Better to just leave it in “D” and drive.
It all works impressively on the road, which is no accident. The old Mazda3 was already appreciated for its handling prowess, so rather than figuring it was “good enough” or that customers wouldn’t mind if they trimmed a little cost out of the car at the expense of handling, Mazda upgraded it further. Made the front end stiffer by using “structural adhesive” as well as welding in its construction.
Yeah, that’s pretty much just epoxy from Napa (the auto parts store, not the wine-producing region of California), but it is well proven to enhance rigidity even if it enjoys all the glamour of duct tape.
And the engineers mounted the steering rack more firmly, for improved steering feel. They also bucked the trend of switching to electric power steering for its cost and fuel economy benefits. Instead, the power steering is the usually much better hydraulic variety, but its pump is spun as-needed by an electric motor rather than an accessory belt on the engine.
That means the car enjoys both the fuel savings of electric steering and the dynamic benefits of hydraulic steering. Naturally, this best-of-both approach exacts a price in terms of cost and complexity, but for the “zoom-zoom” company to preserve and even extend its credibility, these are the kinds of decisions that are necessary.
Such decisions also look good on the Mazda3’s transcript as graduates from the “cheap car” segment into the premium car arena, where some of its would-be competitors may be resting on reputations cultivated when the market was less competitive and upstarts like Mazda knew their place. Unfortunately for them, it seems the Mazda3’s place is among the premium small cars.
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