Exterior styling is very sharp. It's classy yet sporty which scores high points in my book. I also found the tail lights and instrument panel resemble the same design characteristics of the new
RX-8. The car's brochure states that, "The Mazda3 and its sport variant were designed and built by the team behind other new-generation Mazda vehicles - the
Mazda6 and RX-8."
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| The Mazda3's exterior styling is very sharp, and succeeds in being classy yet sporty at the same time. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, Canadian Auto Press) |
On that topic the 3's interior styling receives two thumbs up from me. The instrument panel is illuminated in red and is exceptionally easy to read during the day or night. Also, all buttons inside the cabin including the ones on the standard 4-speaker, 2-tweeter AM/FM/CD audio system, were effortless to employ. What's more, it has standard steering wheel-mounted controls, rare for this category. Getting inside and settling into the driver's seat, I found everything straightforward and intuitively placed, making my life easier.
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| The 3's illuminated red interior styling receives two thumbs up from me. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, Canadian Auto Press) |
The Mazda3 Sport GT is a very comfortable car. The optional leather seats that were featured on my test car are a treat for the derriere and lower back, and the standard leather-wrapped 3-spoke steering wheel and shift knob are fabulous for the fingers. Whether sitting in the driver, front passenger or rear seat there's nothing to complain about.
And because I like the feel of the 3 so much, I drove it around quite a bit. I even took it up the Sea-To-Sky Highway to Whistler a couple of times, just to see how it would handle on the dry, wet, sinuous and slippery roads. The result: it did quite well. Handling is precise and the ride is smoother than I expected. I find the suspension an ideal balance of comfort and sport.
