2015 Mazda 3

With so many trims and two engine choices, it gets overwhelming for a prospective buyer to decide on one trim as per one’s requirement. So we suggest cutting the chase and picking the superior 2.5-liter engine and the Touring trim. Under twenty-five grand, you get a bigger and powerful engine with better comfort and convenience features.

The 2015 Mazda Mazda3 sedan is available in four major trims that include SV, Sport, Touring, and Grand Touring. The Touring and Grand Touring trims are further bifurcated in 2.0i and 2.5s trims. The 2.0i signifies the availability of a 2.0-liter inline-4 engine while the 2.5s denotes the 2.5-liter inline-4 engine. 

So the price range of the Mazda 3 sedan is spread from $17,765 for the base trim to $26,915 for the Top-most Grand Touring 2.5s trim. Other than the standard features listed in the table, the Mazda 3 sedan offers a few optional packages that include Comfort Package, Moonroof Package, Technology Package, etc.

The Mazda 3 sedan offers two engine choices. The 2.0-liter naturally aspirated is standard across the trim level and produces 155 hp and 150 lb-ft of torque. The other engine option is a 2.5-liter naturally aspirated engine found on the top trim that puts out a decent 184 hp and 185 lb-ft of torque. 

Both the engine options come with either a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic transmission with FWD as standard. The base engine is an all-rounder and returns good fuel economy. But the enthusiasts will find solace in the more powerful 2.5-liter unit which now comes with a manual shifter.

Both the rivals are underpowered by the bigger 2.0-liter engine of the Mazda. Yet the Kia Forte manages to beat the Mazda 3 in both runs. The Mazda 3 does 0-60 mph in 7.8 seconds and covers a quarter-mile in 15.8 seconds. Compared to this the Forte took 0.3 seconds less each for the 0-60 mph and a quarter-mile run.

The Mazda 3 has an EPA estimated gas mileage of 29 mpg in the city, 41 mpg on the highway, and 33 mpg combined. The base engine hooked to the automatic gearbox returns one mpg more in the city. As for the 2.5-liter engine you can expect 25 mpg in the city and 37 mpg on the highway with the manual gearbox and 28 mpg in the city and 39 mpg on the highway with the automatic gearbox.

Even with the bigger 2.0-liter engine, the Mazda manages a better gas mileage compared to the other two rivals. Among the rivals, the Honda Civic managed to score second place with the 28/36/31 mpg of gas mileage in city/highway/combined respectively. All three cars share the same fuel capacity of 13.2-liters.

The cabin of the Mazda 3 is a pleasant surprise for this price point. The cabin has a neat look with decent quality material used at prominent points. The higher trims come with a unique dash-mounted touchscreen that looks well-executed and gives the cabin a modern touch. The seats in the cabin also left us impressed with their comfort and accommodativeness. The fabric quality used on the seats feels good and long-lasting. The base trim comes with rear bench seats while the higher trims get 60/40-split seats. The only grouse in an otherwise perfect cabin is the compromised rear headroom due to the sloping roofline.

The Mazda 3 sedan offers a mediocre 12.4 cubic feet of trunk space which is the lowest in this comparison. Kia Forte with 14.9 cubic feet of trunk space leads the show here. As for the cabin space in both the rows, it is evident from the figures that they offer more or less similar space in both the rows. Key interior features include:

• Tilt and telescopic steering wheel
• Push-button start
• Fabric upholstery
• Available dual-zone automatic climate control
• Available keyless entry

How intuitive is the Mazda 3’s infotainment unit?

The infotainment system on the Mazda 3 is a four-speaker stereo with AM/FM/MP3/CD player as standard. While the Sport and higher trims from this year on feature a dash-mounted 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Mazda Connect that can be additionally controlled from a rotary dial available on the center console. Available features include a premium 9-speaker Bose sound system, navigation, etc. Key infotainment features include:

• Four-speaker stereo
• 7-inch touchscreen w/ Mazda Connect
• USB ports
• Bose sound system
• Bluetooth

The Mazda 3 has always caused ripples in the segment either with its class-leading handling or enviable exterior design. The looks of Mazda 3 see no change this year and yet it looks as fresh as it was first redesigned last year. The front fascia is dominated by a big grille and sharp headlight units. As standard, you get 16-inch steel wheels that can be upsized to 18-inch alloys. The rear profile gets door-mounted outside mirrors and a sloping roofline. The sharp looks continue to the rear with few lines and creases and a small blacked-out portion on the lower part of the bumper.

The dimensions of all these three sedans are very close and that is proof of why they share almost similar cabin space. That said, the Mazda 3 has the highest ground clearance of 6.1-inches and shares the longest wheelbase of 106.3-inches with Kia Forte. Key exterior features include:

• 16-inch steel wheels
• Halogen headlights
• Variable intermittent windshield wipers
• Dual sport exhaust
• Available 16- and 18-inch alloy wheels
• Available foglights
• Available automatic headlights

In terms of safety, the 2015 Mazda 3 sedan has been well received by both agencies. The NHTSA rated the 2015 Mazda 3 with a perfect score of five stars in overall safety ratings, front crash, and side crash test while the rollover test was given a four out of five-star rating. The IIHS also shared the NHTSA’s opinion and awarded the 2015 Mazda 3 ‘Top Safety Pick+’ and gave it a score of ‘Good’ in all its five parameters. Key safety features include:

• Whiplash-reducing front seat headrests
• Dynamic Stability Control
• Traction Control System 
• Available blindspot monitoring w/ rear cross-traffic alert
• Available lane-departure warning system 
• Available rearview camera

The Mazda 3 sedan has all that an average compact sedan customer needs. It has good looks, a premium-looking interior, adept handling, punchy performance from a 2.5-liter engine, and good fuel economy from the 2.0-liter engine. It won’t be wrong if we dub this as a perfect compact sedan for the year. All this you get in one pack and at a price that is on par with the segment. If this isn’t the perfect car for you then we don’t know what will be.