The 2019 Mazda3 isn’t just a complete redesign, it is also a breakout effort to help propel the brand on its journey to .
The bread-and-butter brace of sedan and five-door hatchback compacts are Mazda’s second-best sellers behind the CX-5 compact SUV. The goal for both versions of the Mazda3 was to elevate the design while providing distinct character differences between the sedan and hatchback body styles, Mazda says. The hatchback leans more toward power and sporty, while the sedan is more sophisticated and sleek, the company says. And new for both this year is Mazda’s i-Activ all-wheel drive and a 2.5-liter four-cylinder, replacing a 2.0-liter.
The Mazda3 is now the brand’s smallest car and to take up some slack left by the departed Mazda2 subcompact, a base model sedan was added to the four-trim lineup. The hatchback is sold in three trim levels.
While much of the hardware is shared between the body styles — including the 186-horsepower, 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine and six-speed transmissions — it is the hatchback’s design that will turn heads.
The curvy smoothness of the lines are contrary to the contrived points, planes, arcs, angles and bisecting lines so popular today. There is something about that soft fullness that looks expensive, even exotic. And there is hustle in the hatchback stance as the 18-inch wheels fill the fenders.
Pricing
The hatchback is sold in base, Preferred or trim levels with starting prices of $24,520, $26,120 and $28,420, which includes the $920 freight charge from Hofu, Japan. The sedan is sold in four trim levels with starting prices of about $22,000-$27,400.
All-wheel drive adds $1,400 to any trim level. And a six-speed manual transmission is a no-cost option, but only on the top model and only with front-wheel drive.
The AWD hatchback tester was $31,335, which included a cargo mat ($90), lighted door-sill plates ($425), frameless dimming rearview mirror ($275), navigation SD card ($450) and wireless charging pad ($275).
There are six hatchback paint colors, with the new Polymetal Gray a no-cost choice for the top-line Hatchback . But only Deep Crystal Blue Metallic and Jet Black Mica are no-cost choices. Soul Red adds $595; Snowflake White Pearl Mica, $200 and Machine Gray Metallic, $300.
Cabin capacity
One look inside the tester and I was not in the land of economy cars anymore. The redesigned interior has high-end appeal — and it is mostly stock materials. The red leather, exclusive to the hatchback, is artwork to behold. The rich treatment is supple and feels heavy-gauge with neat stitching. The side and thigh bolsters cradle without restricting. The centers are perforated and the seats are heated but not ventilated. And even the base and Preferred models get leatherette, not fabric.
While the driver enjoys an eight-way power adjustable seat, with seat-bottom tilt, the enger gets just two-way manual adjustment. Other standard features include keyless entry and push-button start, electric parking brake, power folding side mirrors with turn signals, LED headlights and taillights, radar cruise control, Apple CarPlay or Android Auto infotainment, Bluetooth audio and phone connectivity,12-speaker Bose audio system, heads-up active driving display and eight air bags.
The interior space reminded me of a sport coupe and while the car handled that way, it would work even better with 2+2 seating, rather than a compromised rear center position.
One look at the broad wrap of roof at the rear pillars and hatch lid and critics point to blind spots. But it was not as veiled as it might look, though a second glance and the back-up camera will help when in doubt.
Out the front, the windshield has a broad sweep of openness spanning to the side mirrors and over the fenders. The driver sits low for laser-like focus on the road. And the glove-soft leather of the three-spoke steering wheel encourages two-hand driving.
Front seat space is compact but not cramped, though headroom might be restrictive for some, at 37.5 inches with the moonroof. The broad shifter console has a well-padded armrest with a sliding top and wireless phone charging below. But there are only two USB ports and one 12-volt plug, and none in the back-seat area.
Cabin controls are not intuitive, in part because they are in a slightly recessed in a dark area of the center stack. And using the control dial on the shifter console takes some practice, but it is reasonably simple to access navigation, phone, music and other settings. There are external controls for some features, including fan speed and temperature, audio volume and seat heaters.
Back seat
The rear doors open wide, nearly perpendicular, to ease entry and exit. But it is a compact space with cropped headroom of 36.5 inches and short legroom of 35.1 inches. But the three-position bench is well-padded. The center seat is squeezed with shared footroom on either side of the tall transmission tunnel. But there are no USBs or even a 12-volt plug.
Cargo space
There is a deep and square cargo space of 20.1 cubic feet stacked to the windows. The 60/40 seatback folds flat for about 5 1/2 feet of length by about 39 inches wide at the opening, but with a low roofline of 27 inches at the opening.
Performance
The 186-hp creates a sporty but conservative attitude, with 186 foot-pounds of torque that doesn’t peak until a high 4,000 rpm. The engine has cylinder deactivation on light loads, but no auto stop-start at idle.
Sport modes gives a jolt of slalom-readiness, but it can be a little intense for in-town driving. Until warmed up, the six-speed automatic can feel hesitant, with shifts hurried to higher gears for higher fuel economy. Or maybe it’s the fuzzy-logic computer calibrations that were still fine-tuning to my driving style.
The hatchback has mileage ratings of 26 mpg city, 35 highway and 30 mpg combined for front-drive and 24/32/27 for AWD. I was averaging just 22.1 to 23 mpg.
The cabin is well soundproofed and the ride quality is stable and responsive. The 18-inch Toyo Proxes A40 215/45 tires have good grip with good communication to the driver. Four-wheel disc brakes have 11.6-inch ventilated front rotors and solid 10.4-inch rear rotors.
The new Mazda3 is the beginning of a company revival to deliver Japanese -ness, elegance and purity to all of its vehicles.
2019 Mazda3 AWD hatchback
- Body style: compact, front-wheel-drive or AWD 5-seat, 5-door hatchback
- Engine: 186-hp, direct-injection 2.5-liter 4-cylinder; 186 lb.-ft. torque at 4,000 rpm; w/cylinder deactivation
- Transmission: 6-speed automatic, w/paddle shifters
- Fuel economy: 24/32/27 mpg city/hwy/combined; 87 octane
SPECIFICATIONS
- Fuel tank: 12.7* gal. *13.2 w/FWD
- Cargo space: 20.1 cu. ft.
- Front head/leg room: 37.5*/42.3 in. *38 w/o moonroof
- Rear head/leg room: 36.5/35.1 in.
- Length/wheelbase: 175.6/107.3 in.
- Curb weight: 3,255 lbs. *3,082 lbs. FWD
- Turning circle: 37.3 ft.
FEATURES
- Standard equipment includes: keyless entry and push-button start, leather-trimmed front sport seats, power sliding-glass moonroof, 8-way power driver’s seat with lumbar and 2-position memory, heated front seats, rearview camera, electric parking brake, power folding side mirrors with turn signals, LED headlights and taillights, radar cruise control, Apple CarPlay or Android Auto infotainment, Bluetooth audio and phone connectivity,12-speaker Bose audio system, heads-up active driving display
- -level features: active driving display (HUD), adaptive headlights (turning), leather-trimmed upholstery, black finish alloy wheels, front and LED running lights, power sliding glass moonroof, paddle shifters
- Safety features include: 8 air bags, G-Vectoring Control Plus, driver-attention alert, lane-departure warning with lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, dynamic stability and traction controls
PRICING
- Base price: $29,820, including $920 freight charge; price as tested $31,335
- Options on test vehicle: cargo mat ($90), lighted door-sill plates ($425), frameless dimming rearview mirror ($275), navigation SD card ($450), wireless charging pad ($275)
- Where assembled: Hofu, Japan
- Warranty: 3-years/36,000-miles
