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6 speed, Automatic w/OD, 6 speed, Manual w/OD
Intercooled Turbo Regular Unleaded I-4, Regular Unleaded I-4
All Wheel Drive, Front Wheel Drive
Photo: Ron Sessions
The Mazda3 competes in the Compact Car market segment. According to data collected from verified new-vehicle buyers for the JD Power 2022 Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study, 69 percent of new Mazda3 buyers are male (vs. 59 percent for the segment), and the median age of a new Mazda3 buyer is 41 years (vs. 46).
As part of the APEAL Study, owners rated the Mazda3 in 10 primary categories. Listed below in descending order, you’ll find their preferences, from their most favorite thing about the vehicle to their least favorite:
In the 2022 APEAL Study, the Mazda3 ranks 6th out of 13 Compact Car models.
In the following sections, our independent expert analyzes a Mazda3 2.5 Turbo Premium Plus AWD Hatchback equipped with the following options:
The test vehicle’s price was $37,095, including the $1,065 destination charge.
Photo: Ron Sessions
As a price leader and Mazda3 fuel-economy champ, last year’s 2.0-liter 4-cylinder offered 155 hp and 150 pound-feet of torque. That wasn’t going to cut it in 2023 when even the base Toyota Corolla engine provides 169 hp, and a bare-bones Honda Civic Sport rolls with 158.
To retain its cred as a fun-to-drive 4-door compact, Mazda upgraded its base Mazda3 power plant to the naturally aspirated 2.5-liter 4-cylinder. In the 2.5 S Sedan and Hatchback, that engine had output ratings of 186 hp and 186 pound-feet of torque in 2022. Mazda increased it to 191 hp for 2023.
In addition to the extra power, Mazda also added cylinder-deactivation technology to the naturally aspirated 2.5 S engine for 2023. Uncommon in the compact sedan segment, cylinder deactivation shuts off fuel to as many as two of the 2.5 S engine’s four cylinders during coasting or low-load, steady-state cruising on flat sections of road. In the 2023 Mazda3 2.5 S, it improves EPA-estimated fuel-economy ratings by 1-3 mpg, which in most cases makes this larger, more powerful engine also more fuel-efficient than last year’s smaller 2.0-liter unit.
Automakers use cylinder-deactivation technology mostly in large-displacement V8 or V6 engines with ample reserve torque to maintain vehicle velocity when some cylinders are idle. The proof is in how well the system manages the transition when deactivating some cylinders and how smoothly the engine runs in the deactivated mode. We’ll circle back when we have a chance to drive the 2023 Mazda3 with this technology since our test vehicle had the turbo engine without cylinder deactivation.
Mazda’s i-Activ AWD, found in the brand’s growing roster of crossover SUVs, is available in several trims of the Mazda3 Sedan and Hatchback. All-wheel drive— an uncommon feature in the compact car segment—is a $1,400 upcharge in the Carbon Edition Sedan and Hatchback. It is standard in the 2.5 S Premium Sedan and Hatchback (only with automatic transmission), 2.5 Turbo Hatchback, and 2.5 Turbo Premium Plus Sedan and Hatchback models. However, it is not available with the Mazda3’s 6-speed manual transmission.
The on-demand system in the Mazda3 delivers a portion of the powertrain’s drive torque to the rear wheels when reduced traction warrants, both during spirited driving on dry roads and low-friction conditions such as rain, mud, ice, or snow.
For buyers in northern climates or mountainous areas that routinely experience snow and ice in winter, the availability of AWD is a big deal and one of the many reasons so many buyers have gravitated to crossovers and SUVs in recent years. Compacts such as the Acura Integra, Hyundai Elantra, Kia Forte, Nissan Sentra, and Volkswagen Jetta don’t offer AWD, and the Toyota Corolla only has it in hybrid models and the high-performance GR model.
Photo: Ron Sessions
Before 2023, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto were not available in the base Mazda3 2.0 trims but were standard in the 2.5 S and 2.5 Turbo models. Now that the base Mazda3 2.0 trim is history, Mazda effectively includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto with all trims.
As it has been in recent years, the Mazda Connect infotainment system is still one with a sharp learning curve. No one would want to rent one at an airport late one evening and expect to successfully find a local radio station while trying to find a hotel and deal with traffic. I would encourage new buyers to spend some time in the driveway familiarizing themselves with its unconventional operating logic. The good news is that the experience improves with time spent behind the wheel.
It doesn’t help that the standard and only available 8.8-inch infotainment display perched atop the dash is too small and far away from the driver by today’s standards. Although it imparts a durable-goods, high-quality feel and tactile response, the console-mounted multi-function control knob for controlling the screen requires too much eyes-off-the-road time to operate (looking down instead of straight ahead) and an excessive number of screen menus to scroll through to accomplish many tasks. Where a simple analog rotary knob would suffice, just searching for strong AM or FM radio signals when driving outside one’s hometown requires finding a menu to switch from one’s (or someone else’s) previously selected favorites.
Using voice control to find local points of interest would be a sensible way around the unfamiliar hardware issue. But that doesn’t always have a positive result. For example, when I asked the navigation system (standard in 2.5 S Premium and 2.5 Turbo Premium Plus trims) to find and navigate to Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix (the largest airport within 400 miles of my Tucson, Arizona, location), it didn’t recognize the request. Then, when I asked it to find nearby airports, it rattled off a long list of airfields, all but one of which were tiny private airfields, none being the largest airport (Sky Harbor) in the state of Arizona, which was my destination. So, for most people—and those buying lower-trim Mazda3s—using the now standard Apple CarPlay or Android Auto will work better.
The Turbo and Turbo Premium Plus trims are at the upper end of the 2023 Mazda3 range. These offer a decidedly premium level of execution that’s uncommon in the compact car class, with high-quality soft-touch materials, leather seating, and comfort and convenience features usually reserved for luxury-branded vehicles.
In a car the size and mass of the Mazda3, the Skyactiv G 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder gives the 2.5 Turbo and 2.5 Turbo Premium Plus crisp and entertaining performance. The same peppy 2.5-liter turbo powers versions of the significantly heavier Mazda CX-30, CX-5, CX-50, and CX-9 crossover SUVs.
With 250 hp and 320 pound-feet of torque on tap (reduced to 227 hp and 310 pound-feet if you substitute regular unleaded fuel for the recommended unleaded premium) and a quick-shifting 6-speed automatic transmission expertly swapping ratios, the Mazda3 Turbo can scurry from rest to 60 mph in the mid-5-second range. Maximum torque kicks in at 2,500 rpm, so even around town, the part-throttle response is quick and satisfying with no turbo lag. The Mazda3 Turbo is equally at home threading the needle through traffic, freeway merging, or overtaking on a two-lane highway.
In addition to the entertaining power, the Mazda3 Turbo possesses excellent steering feel and precision, powerful and responsive brakes, and outstanding vertical body control, making the Mazda3 feel like an extension of the driver’s will. Yet it’s cool, calm, and collected on long, straight interstate stretches.
Photo: Ron Sessions
Easy on the eyes and pleasing to drive, the 2023 Mazda3 is an engaging small 4-door that’s big on personality. In both sedan and hatchback form, it can make a great everyday commuter car that’s also perfect for weekend drives on twisty roads. There’s a little bit of the MX-5 Miata in every car and crossover SUV that Mazda builds. The premise is simple: driving doesn’t have to be a chore, and from the basic Mazda3 2.5 S Sedan to the loaded and very premium Mazda3 2.5 Turbo Hatchback, Mazda’s 4-door car embodies that core value.
Yes, there are things Mazda needs to work on. The Mazda Connect infotainment system is way more complicated than it needs to be and the Hatchback model, as good as it looks, sacrifices rear-seat room and rearward visibility on the altar of styling. But those things are akin to a mole on the Mona Lisa.
All Mazda3 cars offer good bang for the buck. And for those buyers not obsessed with a luxury-brand logo on the grille, the Mazda3 Turbo and Turbo Premium Plus trims with the Skyactiv G 2.5 Turbo engine deliver a driving experience and interior kit that’s sufficiently premium to challenge compacts offerings from Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and others for thousands of dollars less.
Ron Sessions is a seasoned vehicle evaluator with more than three decades of experience. He has penned hundreds of road tests for automotive and consumer websites, enthusiast magazines, newsletters, technical journals, and newspapers.
