They'd better not screw this car up. That's all I can think on my flight out to Los Angeles where, on the eve of that city's annual auto show, I'll be driving the new 2010 Mazda3. The current car, in its fifth and final year on the market, it still Motive's favorite car in the small sedan segment, despite the fact that each one of its competitors has been revised in the meantime. That's because all of those other cars — Civic, Corolla, Focus, Cobalt, Sentra, and so on — aren't much fun. Even the Mitsubishi Lancer, which shares its roots with the devilish Lancer Evolution, isn't as emotionally gratifying as the aging 3. No sir, Mazda better not mess with such a winning formula.
Fortunately, Mazda's North American R&D Group Manager, Ruben Archilla, understands that. "This new 3 is an evolution, not a revolution," he says. David Matthew, the car's North American Launch Manager, picks up the thread: "We've had a year-to-year sales gain of nine percent with the 3. It continues to win awards in its last year and it continues to gain market share. When we asked owners what they'd like changed, they say nothing." It becomes clear that we're on the same page with this one — the 2010 Mazda3 shouldn't be considered an all-new car, but an enhanced version of the old one. Hallelujah.
As you can see from the photos, the 2010 car is certainly enhanced. While it maintains the same basic greenhouse and size, the exterior design represents large step forward. Just as the outgoing car seemed to be a chili pepper in a class of jelly beans, this new car has the kind of road presence most sub-$20,000 vehicles can't touch. Borrowing elements like the low and wide five-point grille and dramatic front fenders from the Nagare family of concept cars, the 2010 Mazda3 makes its very attractive predecessor seem rather bland. Senior designer Jonathan Frear makes a special note of the side profile: "When we made the first Nagare concept, we loved how the side turned out. We actually took the clay model and set it beside an early model of the 3, then went on to carve the 3's side until the two looked nearly identical." The elongated wrap-around headlights and grilles might irritate some armchair critics, but they do add a sense of motion to the car while visually shortening the front overhang.
Archilla points out that not all the design elements are there for beauty's sake. By moving from an upper and lower grille up front to just one low-mounted opening, the car's shape takes in only as much air as the engine needs, as any excess is only wasted energy. So the front opening flows 30 percent less air (the bumper beam also gets a new, smoother weld for cleaner air flow) into the engine compartment and directs more flow over the car for a better drag coefficient.
The 2010 car's interior, or at least just the instrument panel, is harder to describe as an evolution. The old car's attractive black-lacquer center stack is gone, replaced by a more driver-oriented layout with two tiers: a primary one in front of the driver containing the main gauges and a second, high-mounted secondary tier for the radio and climate readouts, along with navigation on higher level models. While the old interior might be a bit more visually pleasing, this new one has the layout advantage. Three different displays are offered depending on trim level. More basic 3i models get a red-lit readout very similar to that of the current car. Mid-level cars add a second screen for trip computer functions like range and fuel economy, while top-spec cars get that same screen in full color with navigation. The navigation screen is a bit on the small side, though no worse than any aftermarket unit.
Along with navigation, the new 3 will offer a number of high-end options, including a 10-speaker Bose Centerpoint surround stereo, bi-xenon headlights (the outgoing car used halogen high beams), and Bluetooth audio and phone connectivity. Additionally, push-button keyless-go is carried down from the Mazda6.
Ignoring the design changes, if the 2010 Mazda3 looks like it's the same size as the old car, that's because it is. The wheelbase, width, height, and interior volume go basically unchanged, while overall length stretches by about three inches. But here's the good news: Thanks to high-tensile steel and a few structural changes, the 2010 Mazda 3i is 90 pounds lighter with a manual transmission and about 80 pounds lighter with an automatic, despite the fact that the old four-speed has been replaced by a new unit with another gear. Mazda3s models are unfortunately about 50 pounds heavier than their predecessors, with the automatic version just breaking the 3000-pound barrier at 3025 pounds.
Under the hood, the base 2.0-liter inline 4 soldiers on mostly unchanged, with the same 148 hp and 135 lb-ft of torque. Mazda made a few alterations in the name of efficiency, including new engine-management tuning and a revised air intake designed to draw in cooler air. That new five-speed automatic accounts for a slight increase in fuel economy and better acceleration along the way. Both manual and automatic models see a one-mpg gain in the city at 25 and 24, respectively. The manual gains one mpg on the highway (it's up from 32 to 33) while the automatic sees a more dramatic increase from 30 to 33 mpg.
As it has in the past, the Mazda3s shares its bigger four cylinder with the base level Mazda6, so the new model ditches its old 2.3-liter for a new 2.5-liter making 167 hp and 168 lb-ft, up from 156 hp and 150 lb-ft. The higher-displacement engine might seem like a big weight sacrifice for just ten horsepower, but the new 2.5 actually shares the same outer dimensions with the outgoing 2.3 and is slightly lighter. Thanks to advancements in casting, Mazda was able to widen the bore without enlarging the block, and the piston assemblies are six percent lighter despite being larger. To counteract the inherent coarseness of a large-displacement four-cylinder, Mazda added a larger damper at the front of the crankshaft and a flexible coupling at the rear. Compared to the Mazda6 application, the only real difference is a more aggressive throttle response. Fuel economy figures match the outgoing 2.3-liter's 22/29 mpg rating with an automatic, but the manual loses one mpg in the city.
Both engines are impressive and project less sound into the cabin than their predecessors did. The base engine delivers enough power for most situations, but hills and on-ramps can grow a bit tedious. If you've spent time in the current car, don't expect this one to feel any different. The 2.5-liter, however, accelerates better than its predecessor from a dead stop. The outgoing 3s model seemed to need a second or two to gain steam, making it a frustrating car to drive in slow-moving traffic. The new engine pulls right from the start. Its torque not only reaches a higher peak, it does so 500 rpm sooner, at 4000 rpm. Shift hard into second after redlining first and you'll hear a startled chirp from the front tires. We expected the big-displacement four to be less willing to rev, but that's definitely not the case. Carving up the side of Malibu Canyon, the new engine responds eagerly to heel-and-toe throttle blips.
Directing our attention to freestanding examples of the Mazda3's suspension at a morning tech presentation, Archilla tells us "there won't be any surprises here." Nearly all the components are carryovers with just a few small alterations for the better. The stabilizer bar mounts, for example, have been moved out from the center of the car for better control over how the bar twists under pressure. The trailing-arm attachment points at the rear, as well as some elements of the front suspension, have been changed for less bump steer, while the steering rack itself is mounted to the subframe at three (rather than two) points for sharper, more direct feedback. The brakes, he notes, use the same rotors and calipers as the old models, but the system's new vacuum booster offers more linear pedal feel.
The changes are so minor that it's hard to quantify just how much better the new car is than the old, but it's undeniable that the new 3 moves the ball down the field. The revised chassis as a whole feels stiffer and the car is confident in the tightest corners we can find. Only over a few undulating off-camber corners does the 3i exhibit any uneasiness, though the car never seems on the brink of losing control. The brakes actually seem too eager to go to work until we adapt to them, but the steering is tight and responsive, even compared to our recent time spent in the '08 Mazdaspeed3. The Mazda3s' revised sport seats are definitely the best in this class, but the base seats aren't too shabby, either. We were unable to test the car's new five-speed automatic, but both the five- and six-speed manual transmissions are easy to flick around even if they sometimes feel a touch rubbery. Clutch action occupies a nice middle ground between feedback and effort.
Mazda could have been much more conservative with this new 3 and we'd still be calling it a Motive favorite. Heck, they could have let the old car run for another model year and we'd continue recommending it to friends. Instead, the new Mazda3 makes a big move forward in design and a smaller, yet still noticeable, jump in dynamics. A hatchback version will surface soon at a European show and both cars will go on sale in the first quarter of 2009 at prices yet-to-be-announced. Mazda is mum on a new Mazdaspeed variant, but we've already seen spy photos that confirm it'll come soon enough. (We can't wait.) Thanks Mazda, for taking one of our favorite small cars and making it that much better. Thanks, too, for not messing it up.
