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By: Automotive.com
Mazda is a growing car company. Not so much in a sales sense - though there's no shortage of action there - but rather in spirit. Like an undeclared college student, Mazda has been a part of society for longer than it has known its place within it. It spent two decades as the "rotary company," then got daring and experimental in the early 90s, then redesigned its cars into invisible blandness shortly after. The corporate logo got swapped twice within six years. Only recently has Mazda started to form an identity that works, and as the latest model to get a makeover, Mazda's junior sedan is a reflection of the new order.
It's a bit ironic that the Protégé name got shelved just as the car has become more of one than ever. While the styling and many key parts - engines and transmissions among them - are Mazda's own, the 3 is heavily based on the second-generation Ford Focus platform that also spawned the new Volvo S40. Since the Focus we get here is still the older version and the Volvo starts thousands higher, this Mazda might be the best Focus that money can buy.
European leanings are also evident in the 3's interior. First, let's talk class. The s model of the 3 comes with a thick leather wheel containing cruise controls on one spoke and, like on pricier cars, radio controls on the other. The materials and fabrics are high-quality, leather's optional, and this is the first compact car with the ambition to offer DVD navigation technology. The 3's stereo sounds great to these ears, and since the custom-tailored head unit can't be replaced, it had better. MP3 compatibility is a frustrating $325 dealer-installed option.
Now let's talk ambience. The all-black interior means business, and every switch and lever takes a firm twist or push. The passionate red gauges (tri-colored on the s) adjust for brightness. The three-barreled instrument panel and Mazda's jet-engine air vents set it apart. Japanese packaging efficiency shows itself in the glovebox, which has no problem swallowing entire hands and arms, much less gloves. One possible gaffe is the zig-zag shiftgate, which had several drivers stumbling out of the blocks in manual mode by accident.
One female passenger found the firm, supportive seats unforgiving; the front seatbacks also resist returning to their original angle. The back seat, long a Protégé strength, can still fit two average-size adults in average comfort. Above-average describes the wonderfully flexible telescoping steering wheel, making the 3 the least-expensive car to offer one standard. When this feature trickles down to all the 3's competitors in five years, you'll know who to thank.
Mazda also added its own touches to the 3's shell. Projector beams take the place of plain halogen lamps and struts suspend the trunk, which has an inner emergency release handle. Our test car's Winning Blue Metallic paint drew so many compliments that we felt like winners already.
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