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“All the News That’s Fit to Print” Reprinted With Permission
SUNDAY, MARCH 11, 2012
Automobiles
There’s Fun After 40 (Miles Per Gallon)
By LAWRENCE ULRICH
SK the hipster waiting in line for
a new iPad. Buyers and critics
alike are easily seduced — some-
A
times too easily — by the new.
It’s no different with cars. Last year,
a rare battle of the welterweights
broke out. Never before, it seemed,
had so many new compact models
swaggered into showrooms. The Ford
Focus, Honda Civic, Hyundai Elantra,
Chevy Cruze and Nissan Versa were
all brand-new or completely redesigned. Which one would win the compact crown?
Yet while all eyes were focused on
the main event, the Mazda 3 was in
training. It now comes to market not
as a stem-to-stern redesign, like those
competitors, but with a transformative
new engine and a pair of exceptional
new transmissions.
Although the Mazda arrived relatively late, it turns out to be the life of the
party. Long the sportiest, most rewarding car to drive in its class, the 3 is now
the only one that effortlessly tops 40
miles per gallon in real-world driving.
Let’s repeat that: The Mazda 3 is the
best performer in the class, and it has
the best mileage. That’s a pretty unbeatable combination.
Since the 1970s, of course, Mazda has
worked that niche of affordable Japanese performance, enjoying hits like
the Miata roadster, but never quite
breaking into the big time. Fuel economy took a back seat, as with Mazda’s
prodigiously thirsty, rotary-engine RX
sports cars.
But with regulators circling and a
35 m.p.g. standard brewing, there’s no
longer any place to hide. Mazda says its
new suite of technologies, collectively
called Skyactiv, will raise its fleetwide
STANDOUTS With the Skyactiv-G engine, the Mazda 3 hatchback, above, and
sedan are the best performers, with the best mileage, in the class.
mileage by 30 percent by 2015 with no
need for an expensive hybrid system.
The 3 sedan and hatchback bear the
first green fruit of this technology, including a 2-liter 4-cylinder engine and
equally stellar 6-speed transmissions,
both manual and automatic.
While the 3 doesn’t look much different, its body and cabin have received
a nip and tuck. Mazda has made an attempt to fix the goblin grin of the lower
grille, softening the shape of the radiator opening and slapping a larger black
bar across it. But like a dental retainer,
the hardware can do only so much for
the Mazda’s unsightly mouth.
The interior may not be as fresh as
some newer entries in the class, but it’s
still awfully good. Genuine sport seats,
with bolsters for both the cushion and
the backrest, remind you that the 3
helped to usher in the era of premium
small cars.
The old 3’s dated red instruments are
now an easier-to-read white. The infor-
mation display proved less prone to
wash out in sunlight.
Combustion-enhancing direct-fuel injection, piston cavities and an especially high 12:1 compression ratio help the
Skyactiv-G engine make 155 horsepower and 148 pound-feet of torque on regular unleaded. That power-packed compression ratio soars as high as 14:1 in
European models running on premium
fuel. That is higher than any gasoline
car engine in regular production today,
including those in six-figure supercars.
With roughly 5 percent more horsepower and 10 percent more torque than
before, the engine also gets 21 percent
better mileage: as much as 28 m.p.g.
in town and 40 on the highway for the
sedan with the automatic transmission.
The manual transmission is lighter and
more compact than the one it replaces,
and gets an extra, sixth gear for better
mileage. The shifter “throws” — the distance the handle moves between gears —
are 10 percent shorter, giving it the crisp-
PHOTOGRAPHS BY MAZDA NORTH AMERICA
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MAZDA NORTH AMERICA
SPORTY The Mazda 3’s interior has been mildly updated. Sport seats include bolsters for both the bottom cushion and
backrest.
mated manual, this smart, seamless
transmission proves that innovation
isn’t the province of luxury cars alone.
I should note how the Mazda amplifies the good and the bad of competitors, including the Ford Focus. Yes, in
a class of cars that are able and practical but barely sporty — including the
Civic, Cruze, Elantra, Nissan Sentra
and Toyota Corolla — the Focus is a
standout for style and performance.
Not coincidentally, that Focus shares
its fine chassis with none other than the
Mazda 3. The second-generation Focus,
a huge advance over the original model, was sold in Europe for several years
before finally migrating here last year.
Yet the Focus is saddled with a supposedly high-tech transmission — a
dual-clutch automated manual — that
feels clunky. In contrast, Mazda’s automatic is like a slick political operative:
never drawing attention, yet in charge
and pulling the right strings.
With new fuel savers including the
engine, transmission and electro-
est gear changes in the class.
That a Mazda stick shift is terrific
would surprise no one who’s snicked a
Miata or RX-8 through its gears. But
since most buyers choose an automatic,
the other new transmission is the bigger story: Combining a conventional
fluid torque converter, which operates
below 5 m.p.h., with a multiplate clutch
that mimics the directness of an auto-
hydraulic steering, the Mazda is the
rare compact whose 40 m.p.g. economy
isn’t an empty marketing claim.
Driving to maximize fuel economy
in the automatic sedan, I observed a
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MAZDA NORTH AMERICA
THRIFTY With an automatic gearbox, the Mazda 3i sedan is rated 40 m.p.g. on
the highway.
knockout 44 m.p.g. over two hours at
an average speed of 55 m.p.h. That’s
the highest mileage I’ve achieved in
any purely gas-powered, Americanmarket car, including smaller subcompacts.
The 3 kept on sipping during faster
New York-to-Boston runs. Averaging
a healthy 63 m.p.h. over 3.5 hours, the
sedan returned 41 m.p.g. And escaping
back to New York at a zippy average
of 73 m.p.h., my hatchback managed 36
m.p.g. With a 14.5-gallon tank, the 3 can
roll up 540 highway miles with a gallon
to spare. A “tall” overdrive sixth gear
helps: if you keep the engine under
2,000 r.p.m. on the freeway, you’ll get
40 m.p.g. or better.
Volkswagen had “fahrvergnügen”;
Mazda’s word for driving fun is “toitsukan,” a feeling of oneness between
car and driver. As ever, Mazda’s finely
wrought steering and suspension impart a sportiness and sophistication
that cannot be faked. The 3 dines on
curves that will have the Hyundai, Honda or Chevy choking.
The engine pulls smoothly to its redline of 6,500 r.p.m., and the transmission is delightfully smooth and snappy
in automatic or manual mode.
Let’s be clear: You need not be a
hotfoot to enjoy the 3. To people who
haven’t driven one, the best way to
describe the 3 is that it drives like a
junior BMW. Even the gentlest com-
muter can appreciate a car that feels
so controlled, safe and confident.
For 2012, the practical hatchback
— previously available only with a
thirstier 2.5-liter 4 — has the Skyactiv-G engine as standard equipment. The 2.5 engine, which makes
168 horsepower, is still available on
up-level models, though when paired
with an automatic you get a mere 5
speeds. The downsize is a big drop in
mileage, to 22/29 m.p.g.
For as little as $15,995, budget watchers can have a stripper 3 SV sedan
with Mazda’s old-tech 148-horsepower
2-liter engine and 5-speed manual or
automatic transmissions. But that
weaker engine also delivers 7 fewer
highway m.p.g. — just 33.
A better choice is the 3i sedan with
the latest engine and the 6-speed automatic, which starts at $20,095 ($20,595
for the hatchback). Stuffed Grand
Touring models shoot to $25,000 and
beyond.
A PZEV version (for Partial Zero
Emissions Vehicle) is available in California and states that conform to its
pollution rules. And the Mazdaspeed
3, with its 263-horsepower turbo 4, will
tempt the high-strung set for $24,795.
The Mazda isn’t perfect. The 3 still
lets in more wind and road noise than
some rivals, especially the hushed
Chevy. The Ford wins the beauty contest, especially as a hatchback.
But with Honda largely ceding its technical and performance leadership in
small cars, Mazda is among the brands
stepping in to fill the void. Like the beloved
Hondas of old, the Mazda 3 combines fun
with frugality like no direct rival.
Mazda’s underdog is not a shoo-in
for everyone, but give the 3 a chance
— better, a test drive — and it may top
your shopping list.
(#72545) Copyright © 2012 by The New York Times Company. Reprinted with permission.
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Mazda3 4-Door Sedan MSRP*
i SV MT $15,200
i Sport MT $16,845
i Sport AT $17,695
i Touring MT SKYACTIV-G $18,700
i Touring AT SKYACTIV-G $19,550
i Grand Touring AT SKYACTIV-G $22,550
s Touring MT $21,300
s Touring AT $22,100
s Grand Touring MT $22,900
s Grand Touring AT $23,700
Mazda3 5-Door Hatchback MSRP*
i Touring MT SKYACTIV-G $19,300
i Touring AT SKYACTIV-G $20,150
i Grand Touring AT SKYACTIV-G $23,150
s Touring MT $21,800
s Touring AT $22,600
s Grand Touring MT $23,400
s Grand Touring AT $24,200
Mazdaspeed3 5-Door Hatchback MSRP*
Touring MT $24,000
*Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price does not include destination charge of $795 ($840 in Alaska), tax, title and license fees. Actual dealer price may vary.
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