LOS ANGELES — The redesigned 2010 Mazda 3 sedan, which debuted at the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show, appears to have lost none of its charm. At the same time, it has gained some additional performance cred, thanks to a new optional engine.
Extensively reworked for the first time in five years, the new sedan will be joined later by a new five-door hatchback.
The Mazda 3 i is fitted with a DOHC 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that develops 148 horsepower and 135 pound-feet of torque. The 2.0 comes with a standard five-speed manual gearbox. The uplevel Mazda 3 s borrows the larger DOHC 2.5-liter four from the 2009 Mazda 6, replacing last year's 2.3-liter unit, with output rated at 167 hp and torque at 168 lb-ft. A six-speed manual transmission is standard on the 2.5. Both engines can be ordered with a five-speed Sport-AT automatic. EPA fuel economy ratings are 25 mpg city and 33 mpg highway with the 2.0 and manual transmission, and 21 city and 29 highway with the 2.5 and manual gearbox.
Mazda has stiffened the car's structure, retuned the suspension and upgraded the brakes. The company is also offering, for the first time, an adaptive front lighting system with self-leveling bi-xenon headlamps.
Options include rain-sensing wipers, dual-zone automatic air-conditioning, heated leather seats, a 10-speaker Bose audio system and Sirius Satellite Radio.
Inside Line says: The new Mazda 3 should help reposition the Japanese automaker in a post-Ford world. — Paul Lienert, Correspondent
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