The 2018 Mazda 3ճ two-tone interior still looks fresh.FAST FACTS
* Model: Mazda 3 Grand Touring* Exterior color: Snowflake White Pearl* Interior color: Parchment* Engine: 2.5-liter, four-cylinder* Horsepower: 184* Transmission: Six-speed automatic* Fuel economy: 36 mpg highway, 27 mpg city* Local Dealer: Tim Short Mazda, International Drive* Price (as tested): $28,370
Sometimes we get frustrated when great cars have prosaic names. This week's tester, the compact Mazda 3 sedan, is a good case in point.
Come on, Mazda. This car is too good to be named after a number - especially a number as unremarkable as "three." We'd suggest something like the Mazda "Sharpie" - sharp design, sharp driving dynamics, sharp company.
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Too hokey? Well, perhaps, but it's a mite better than the "3." Unless you are the Three Tenors, the Three Musketeers or the Three Blind Mice.
The Mazda 3 is five years into its most recent major redesign, but continues to hold up well against stiff segment competition. Only the new Honda Civic, with its precise handling and turbocharged engine, gives the Mazda 3 a run for its money in the fun-to-drive department.
Our tester this week is a top-of-the-line Mazda 3 Grand Touring sedan provided by the manufacturer, with nearly all the goodies you can pack into a 3. Consequently, it has a lofty sticker price of $28,370. A base Mazda 3 with a smaller engine can be had for about ten grand less after discounts. Tim Short Mazda on International Drive here listed 10 2018 Mazda 3s in digital inventory this week.
The Mazda 3 is available either as a hatchback or sedan. The hatch offers more utility, but the sedan is more handsome, in our view. Both share the spirited driving dynamics that make modern Mazdas special. As a bonus, they accomplish this with light, fuel-efficient, normally aspirated engines.
STYLING AND FEATURES
Even though the Mazda 3's exterior design is getting a bit long in the tooth, it is still one of the most attractive pieces in the segment. Its large five-bar, gloss-black grille was ahead of its time back in 2014, but now most of its competitors have had nose-augmentation surgery, as well.
A terraced hood is defined by lines that melt into the A-pillars; creating a unified flow that direct the eyes from front to back. Short overhangs and compact proportions give the 3 a muscular stance that make it look almost like a mid-size car. By comparison, the clipped rear third of the Mazda 3 hatch-back mark it as a compact.
Standard exterior features in the 3 sedan include 18-inch, 10-spoke alloy wheels; rain-sensing wipers; heated power side mirrors; LED fog lights and a moon-roof.
Inside, a once cutting-edge interior is beginning to show its age. While the two-tone, parchment-and-black color scheme is attractive, a seven-inch color touch screen that floats on top of the dash and a plastic head's up display behind the steering wheel look somewhat fragile. That said, we love the uncluttered look of the dash and center stack, with just a few dials and buttons handling all the entertainment and climate functions.
Many popular safety-tech features are standard on the Mazda 3 Grand Touring, including blind spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and brake support. A $1,600 premium package adds navigation, paddle shifters, radar cruise control, heated steering wheel and lane-keep assist, among other niceties.
Leather-trimmed sports seats are standard in the Grand Touring, and they are contoured to keep you settled in your seat when the fun starts. The 3 is made to thrash around, which makes spins up our mountain roads especially tempting.
The Grand Touring model gets a Bose, nine-speaker audio system with available SiriusXM radio.
DRIVING IMPRESSIONS
Our tester is equipped with a 2.5-liter, four-cylinder engine that makes 184 horsepower. The Mazda 3 has been clocked at 7.9 seconds in the zero-to-60 mph dash.
More important than its raw speed, though, is the car's pinpoint handling. It steers as if it's on rails, and hugs corners like a sports car. Flip it into sports mode, and the 3 gains an energy burst with tighter shift points and quicker throttle response - it's sort of like spiking the punch.
Incredibly, with all this performance the Mazda 3 still manages to return 36 miles per gallon highway and 27 miles per gallon in city driving. The back seat is big enough for two to ride comfortably and three in a pinch.
BOTTOM LINE
All in all, the Mazda 3 has an intrinsic goodness about it that is hard to put your finger on. At the end of the day, it feels like a more expensive car, which is the definition of value.
With a variety of trim levels and price points, Mazda can appeal to a wide swath of the buying public with the 3.
Contact Mark Kennedy at mkennedy@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6645. Follow him on Twitter @TFPCOLUMNIST. Subscribe to his Facebook updates at www.facebook.com/mkennedycolumnist.