2004 Mazda3 GT

Quebec's favourite, version II.

The 2004 Mazda 3 is a compact car, offered on the market in its present form since 2003. It has big shoes to fill. The Protegé and Protegé5, its predecessors, were the best selling cars in Quebec for several years with sales that peaked around 30 000 sales on a few occasions. This car was basically a joint venture between Volvo, Mazda and Ford (FYI: Volvo and Mazda are controlled by Ford). The chassis, or just about everything you don't see, was designed by this trio. This is a very good thing as it combines different key resources from each manufacturer such as safety, handling and of course, the financial aspects. The tester is a nearly fully equipped Mazda 3 sedan GT equipped with the standard 5 speed manual transmission and retails for 22 540$. The price range for the Mazda 3 is between 16 295$ and 25 290$.

Exterior styling
The exterior shape is muscular and angular. This is especially true with the hatchback Sport version. It is no longer a head turner as it is very common on our roads now, but it is by far more stylish than its counterparts in the category. It fits in better with the Renault Clio and the Citroen C3; that is to say, it has an important European influence. Panel fit is very good and the gaps are kept to a minimum. The paint application is lacklustre: orange peel on nearly every panel. The door shells, I discovered, are very thin and therefore easily dentable. The GT with the GFX group (17" 5 spoke wheels, "Altezza" style clear taillights, fog lights) brings together the body and styling cues in an attractive package. One downside to the attractive shape comprised of a raked rear window and a small boot lid is a very petite opening to a reasonably large trunk.

Interior styling
The front seats are comfortable and on the driver's side include manually adjustable lumbar support. A suitable driving position is easily found but the centre dash console is very large and intrudes into the front legroom area; my right knee was always leaning against it. The rear seats are firm and less than comfortable but leg room is plenty. There is also a fair amount of headroom for both front and rear passengers. The ergonomics are excellent, as every control is within easy reach and is where they should be. The radio reception is good and sound is powerful and clear. The gauges are big and easy to consult and the steering wheel controls light up. In both of these cases, the lights are a blend of a fantastic disco blue-orange theme. Overall interior fit and finish have set a new standard in the class. The different plastics and textures for the dash and door panels are mixed and matched perfectly and add a nice touch. The super large (perhaps the largest) glove compartment can easily swallow a lady's handbag without any fuss.

The heating and defrost functions are a little slow and not as efficient as they should be. A cool and damp morning could require a solid 15 minutes of driving before the ambient temperature becomes cozy. A few other items that are irritating are the rain sensing wipers (very novel especially for a car of this category) but the snag is that there is no intermittent position. Front visibility is fair at best: there are large A pillars that cut into the front-side view and the side-rear ¾ view has large blind spots. Rearward visibility is limited due to the high trunk; this makes parallel parking somewhat of a challenge.