To many, an economical car might mean that it’ll be the a boring, nerdy-looking, tiny underpowered car rolling on plastic hub caps and aluminium wheels; such is not the case of the 2016 Mazda 3 Sedan in fact it is the complete opposite of what an economical car should be described as. With lots of Skyactiv technology packed under the sheet metal, coupled with Mazda’s new design philosophy, the new Mazda 3 is one of the best cars currently out on the market.
The 2016 Mazda 3 Sedan is Over the Top Despite Lacking in Some Areas
On the outside Mazda completely redone the silhouette of the 2016 Mazda 3 Sedan from the last generation; with their “Kodo” or soul in motion design philosophy, the Mazda 3 is meant to look like it’s moving even while parked, not only does it look good, it is also aerodynamically efficient. The silhouette looks like a car with a very long nose and a swooping roof arch making it look like a sports coupe. Under the hood is Mazda’s 2.0-liter 155hp Skyactive 4-cylinder engine with an ever present option to opt for a manual transmission even on the highest trim.
Interior-wise Mazda kept things simple, there’s a premium speaker setup, gloss accents, and leather trim. The dash features a folding heads up display that flips up to show vehicle speed when the car is powered on. On the center console is a very noticeable tablet-like multi-function display that shows media and navigation to some it may look like an after-market addition to other’s it’s a nice touch. There’s decent material on the interior with soft touch materials on every surface you’re likely to rest your body on. That said, road noise does intrude when at speed due to weight saving.
Driving the 2016 Mazda 3 is like driving a sports car, the handling and performance is almost rear wheel drive-like even though it’s clearly a front wheel drive thanks to clever zoom zoom engineering. The steering is well weighted with sumptuous feedback and the suspension, while a bit on the comfy side, is not numb and still communicates well. The 155hp engine puts the power down excellently and is very rev-happy and sounds very peppy. Hands down one of the best fun cars to drive Mazda ever produced.
The 2016 Mazda 3 Sedan is very athletic thanks to its sporty heritage. The responsive handling, peppy engine, crisp steering, and accurate shifting on the manual makes the car very engaging. However, the interior might look decent at first but it gets old over time and leaves a lot to be desired, still it’s a comfortable interior. The Mazda 3 deserves to be one of the top cars for 2016 and the awards it received due to its performance and value.