2010 Mazda 3 Sedan Test Drive

I test drove the 2010 Mazda 3 Sedan today, and it was a good test drive. First of all, Mazda Canada is offering you a free $25, $50, or $100 gift card if you drive one before January 10. Just google Mazda 25$ test drive and you'll find the link. For the record, I got a $25 prepaid gift card and the salesman told me it would be mailed in January. Not bad for 15 minutes of my time. There wasn't much pressure to buy, which is nice for a car dealership these days. The engines start at 2.0L 4-cylinder which puts out 148 bhp and 135 foot-pounds of torque. Opting for the bigger 2.5L engine will get you more power (167 bhp and 168 foot-pounds of torque). It's a decent car with a good set of standard equipment. If you want an automatic and air, the GS model might be for you. Spend a little more money and get the dynamic stability control and traction control system - although I wasn't sure how much it is.

Did you know even the base model car gets 16 inch wheels? I know, it's crazy. Go full monty and spend $35,000 for a MazdaSpeed 3, which is one of the best values around. Odd things bugged me - namely the stupid front grille design and the fact you have to pay extra to get stability control and traction control. Don't buy useless shit like sporty exhaust garnishes, LED tail lights, spoilers, or expensive Xenon headlights. Even the car salesman admitted to me that he put in after-market heated seats in a Mazda 3 for $400. "It's cheaper to go that route" he told me. Astonishing honesty. Next year Mazda will be importing the Mazda 2, a much smaller and (cheaper) car for the entry-level buyer. 

On the road, the car handles well. The steering is quick and accurate. The 5-speed automatic transmission is excellent. At highway speeds the engine is a bit whiny, but that's to be expected with such a small 2.0 L engine. The seats were extremely comfortable. They reminded me of the Subaru seats, only much softer. 

The dashboard and layout inside is very tight and clean. The upper console is much larger than the 2007 version I drove years ago. You still can't get navigation in the Canadian Mazda 3, I guess it's really too expensive to sell up here for a country of 35 million people. The stereo and cruise controls were all on my steering wheel. (Standard on the GS). I really liked that. The buttons and controls for the HVAC system were large and easy to use. Fit and finish for this car is really good. 

There's lots of room behind the front seats and the rear trunk offers an impressive level of configurations. All of the expensive toys seem to be restricted to the GT version of the car. (Start button ignition, 17" alloy wheels, bi-level Xenon headlights with auto-level function, 6-speed manual transmission, etc). Re-reading the manual it seems you CAN get navigation on the GT-E version of the car. I wonder why the salesman said I couldn't get it? No matter.

My next car could likely be a Mazda 3 or a Honda Fit. I may even consider a Fiat 500 or Ford Fiesta if they impress me more than the Fit or Mazda 3.  I sat back and thought about the front appearance of the Mazda 3. It's really not that bad. It's not as horrific as my car's front end. (Although for some reason the car below has no front fender flares - mine has them).