The all-new 2014 Mazda 3 brings refined styling, more features, and higher fuel efficiency to the compact hatchback and sedan that is Mazda's best-selling car globally.
On sale this fall, the new Mazda 3 adopts the company's Kodo "soul of motion" design language, first seen on the CX-5 crossover and Mazda6 mid-size sedan launched over the last two years. The new design improves aerodynamics and cuts drag, with an active grille shutter fitted on some models for the first time. Mazda says the five-door and sedan achieve drag coefficients of 0.275 and 0.255, respectively, which it deems best in class.
From the front, the top corners of the characteristic five-point grille lead into thin, slanted, swept-back headlamps. The cabin is set further to the rear, emphasizing the hood and engine compartment, with the windshield pillars moved almost 4 inches rearward--in part to accommodate the specially tuned exhaust system of the SkyActiv four-cylinder engine. A sweeping shoulder line along the body side and a more slanted, fastback roofline on the hatchback ends in what Mazda terms "provoking" taillights with pointed ends. The combination of the aggressive front grile, crisp edges, and gentle curves makes the car look taut, without the overstyled and cartoonish "grin" of the previous Mazda 3.
Inside, Mazda has redesigned the cockpit to focus on the driver, with pedals and manual controls arranged symmetrically around the driver's centerline. "The less time spent focusing on adjusting knobs and tapping touch-screen commands," the company said, "the more time a driver is engaged with the actual act of driving, being alert to what is on the road ahead"--a truth that not every maker will necessarily spell out quite so bluntly.
Among the design features toward that end are what Mazda calls the Active Driving Display. It's a clear panel that pops up from behind the instrument cluster when the car is turned on to show speed, turn-by-turn directions, and other critical information. The goal is to direct the driver's focus beyond the instruments and closer to the road ahead, while maintaining the best driving posture. The display draws on elements of the floating heads-up display for information used on more expensive models (as well as airplanes).
The instrument cluster itself uses a large central analog gauge, with a wing-shaped digital display on either side. The border of the center gauge pulses with red light when the driver's door opens, and its numerals are actually formed in three-dimensional metal shapes. Regrettably, Mazda has succumbed to the use of glossy piano black trim pieces for the center console and door accents, set off by satin chrome highlights.
The entire structure of the new Mazda 3 has been designed around the SkyActiv four-cylinder engine, which Mazda began launching in 2012 models. This highly efficient four-cylinder engine uses high compression, carefully tuned exhaust systems, and other refinements to provide power while extracting maximum efficiency from every drop of fuel without the added complication of hybrid systems.
The 2014 Mazda 3 offers two different variants of the engine. A 2.0-liter version is rated at 155 horsepower and 150 lb-ft of torque, and a more powerful 2.5-liter version puts out 184 hp and 185 lb-ft of torque. Each is available with a six-speed manual gearbox or a six-speed automatic transmission.
Throughout its 10-year life, the Mazda 3 has always handled well, and the newest model should be no exception. Mazda has retuned its springs, shocks, and anti-roll bars to improve straight-line stability, cornering capacity, and ride comfort. It says the Mazda 3's stopping distances are among the best of all compact cars, and the electric power steering should continue the company's reputation for providing well-tuned feedback.
Thus far, Mazda has said nothing about a MazdaSpeed 3 model--although we have to think that one will be coming along sooner or later.
Fuel economy should be a strong selling point of the new Mazda 3. The SkyActiv engine offered in the last Mazda 3 for 2012 and 2013 got significantly better gas mileage than its EPA ratings, and that engine was retrofitted to a car not fully designed around it. The new Mazda 3 hasn't yet been rated by the EPA, but we'd expect it to do better than the 23 to 31 mpg combined ratings of its predecessor.
Among the various features contributing to greater fuel efficiency is the i-ELOOP system, which uses a clutched alternator that recharges the battery only on engine overrun. The goal is to reduce the parasitic drag on the engine. But in a first for a production car, the system charges a capacitor--which can absorb a great deal of energy quickly--to recapture maximum energy during braking.
The third-generation Mazda 3 rides on a wheelbase that's 2.4 inches longer, but the five-door hatchback model is 1.8 inches shorter overall. It's about half an inch shorter and 1.6 inches wider. The body structure is both 30 percent stiffer and lighter than the previous model, Mazda says, contributing to good handling and fuel efficiency together. Inside, the new car increases front and rear shoulder room, as well as rear legroom. The rear seatbacks are almost 2 inches higher, to improve comfort for back-seat passengers.
Mazda has enlarged the cushion of the driver's seat and completely redesigned its front seat backs, to provide a more natural sitting position and increase lateral support. The backs of the front seats have been sculpted to provide more knee room for rear-seat riders, and shoulder room has increased for all four passengers.
One feature that's unusual in a new car is the bottom-hinged "organ-style" accelerator pedal, which Mazda says is more comfortable for drivers.
The company has put significant effort into reducing noise and improving refinement inside the car. It's added noise-absorbing material behind the dash, under the floor mats, and elsewhere. The result, it says, is a cabin so quiet that it's equivalent to what's found in mid-size cars--making it "highly competitive" among all compact cars.
The 2014 Mazda 3 adds a number of new electronic safety systems to the company's compact car line. Each body style is fitted with six airbags: front and side bags for each front-seat passenger, and side-curtain bags stretching the full length of the cabin. Like all new cars, it has anti-lock brakes, stability control and traction control, a tire-pressure monitoring system, and other standard safety fittings.
But new for this model year are several systems that use a combination of camera and radar-based sensing to assist and alert the driver in potentially hazardous situations. Mazda groups all of the new safety systems together under the name i-ActivSense. They include adaptive cruise control, a blind-spot monitoring system, lane-departure warning alert, and headlights that switch automatically between low and high beams.
There's also a forward-obstruction warning system, which alerts drivers if the car is closing too quickly on an obstacle directly ahead. Mazda says that system operates at speeds from 9 to 92 mph. Finally, there's a new Smart City Brake Support system, which monitors closing distances and will pre-tension the brakes and alert the driver if a collision appears imminent at speeds up to 19 mph. If the driver doesn't respond in time, the system will automatically brake the car to a stop.
One area where cars are evolving quickly is in infotainment, and the Mazda 3 is no exception. It includes the now-standard AM/FM radio, CD player, optional SiriusXM satellite radio, and a USB jack and auxiliary audio input port for connecting digital music players. The premium audio option is a Bose system with Centerpoint virtual surround sound. Voice control allows users to search among folders, find tracks, repeat, and shuffle them using spoken commands.
The 2014 Mazda 3 features a completely new infotainment system that connects via Bluetooth to the user's smartphone. Its software can also be updated, meaning features can be added in future without having to swap out physical hardware. And it uses the Aha system from Harman to handle Internet apps. Text-to-voice technology lets the system read e-mail and SMS messages aloud through the car's audio system, as well as displaying short messages on the touchscreen monitor. Users can select from among pre-set replies and have the system send them. The system will also read updates from Twitter and Facebook, and a Shout audio function lets users choose among responses.
Finally, users can search the Internet for mapping directions and specific locations. A conventional navigation system is also optional, with mapping and routing information stored on a SD card.
Base models come with standard 16-inch steel wheels, with wheelcovers, while 18- and 19-inch alloy wheels are available on higher trim levels. Mazda will release more information on trim levels, standard features, and optional equipment closer to the car's on-sale date this fall.
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