For small families on a budget or young singletons new to the work force, the 2011 Mazda3 is a great combination of cute looks, fun driving and sporty value.
Driving the Mazda3 was a blast. Its acceleration was just peppy enough to look forward to it as a daily driver, but the suspension was a bit tight for my taste. The rear seat comfortably accommodated my two youngsters, and the extra cargo space created by the hatchback design easily held all our stuff.
My test car was a Mazda3 s Sport with a sticker price of $23,110. The hatchback starts at $20,045. That's a lot of zoom-zoom for not a lot of cash.
EXTERIOR
The Mazda3 comes in both a sedan and hatchback version. I'm a sucker for a hatchback. Not only are they incredibly functional, but who can resist their sporty, ready-to-prance stance? Add to that a rear spoiler and the Mazda3 makes me feel like I'm 23 again, racing off eagerly to my first big job interview followed by a night out on the town with friends.
I'm not sure how I feel about the smirky grin on the Mazda3's grille. During the day it's equally friendly and inviting, but at night I can't help thinking it looks like a little clown car that's turned evil and is grinning with a sinister plan to swallow my children.
Speaking of children, the Mazda3's low stance makes it easy for even the littlest of legs to climb in. Watch your head though, because the low step-in height also comes with a low roofline.
The Mazda3 has a 167-horsepower, 2.5-liter inline-four-cylinder engine. With the optional five-speed automatic transmission ($800), which has a clutchless-manual mode, my test car got an EPA-estimated 22/29 mpg city/highway. That's fine but not great for such a small car. With the standard six-speed manual transmission, the Mazda3 gets 20/28 mpg.
SENSE AND STYLE
Family Friendly (Not Really, Fair, Great, Excellent): Fair
Fun-Factor (None, Some, Good Times, Groove-On): Good Times
INTERIOR
For my family, the Mazda3 easily adjusted to our lives. There was just enough room in the rear seat – both in width and legroom – for my two school-age kids plus their overwhelmed backpacks. On a weekend trip to the golf course, the little Mazda kept on zooming along, even when loaded with three children in the backseat, myself and my 6-foot-2-inch fiance as well as three sets of child-sized golf clubs in the cargo area.
While the Mazda3 seats five, it's a tight squeeze to do so. To get three kids to fit in the backseat, my daughters had to first get buckled into their high-back booster seats before the third child could wedge herself into the center position and buckle in. Despite the tight fit, it works for short drives, and I was impressed that I could get three kids in the second row. The child in the center seat probably would have been more comfortable had I used backless booster seats for my girls, giving the child more shoulder room.
Legroom in the second row was definitely tight, and that was with the driver's seat adjusted to accommodate me at 5 feet 3 inches. Move the seat farther back and we would have needed to contort my daughter's legs to get her to fit in the backseat.
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