2014 Mazda Mazda3 5-Door Grand Touring
Take a moment and look at the lines on that Mazda Mazda3. This is not your standard 5-door hatchback style car. When I was told I could review one I agreed but admittedly my expectations were low. I wasn’t feeling the whole 5-door factor. The car arrived and I liked the color, Soul Red Metallic and instantly fell in love with the sleek lines. The interior stole my heart in seconds.
Sporty, stylish and super soft almond and black leather seats.
First, I love the simplicity of this car. The interior is refined, uncomplicated and has a display for navigation that sits on top of the dashboard rather than in it. Not everyone loves this feature, but I did. I don’t care how throwback it looks. It was easier to see maps, what was playing on the radio and use in general all throughout my drives in the vehicle. It’s a touchscreen but there is a knob in the console to use as well.
The interior is small and while you can fit five people, they have to be small people. I was able to comfortably fit my 5 and 3 year-old and their seats in the back of the car. The doors on the Mazda3 are very light and kids can open and shut them with ease. They won’t fall back and close on you later like some cars with very heavy doors have done in the past. For a car that is so small inside it oddly felt like we were all in our own little space and I think this is due to the high front passenger seats. It made driving, as a parent, more pleasurable and the kids liked that they were lower in the back.
This is car comes standard with a 2.5 L, 4 cylinder engine, 6-speed manual transmission with 155 horsepower. Sport mode is included. Try it, I guarantee it will make you giggle with delight after you push the button. SKYACTIV technology is standard and this totally redesigned Mazda3 offers a lot of quality features and style for your money. It’s practical and can haul more than you think and is fun to drive. Estimated mpg on it is 32 combined, 28 city and 38 highway. The reviews from actual owners are outstanding. The biggest thing to me was how easy it was to install car seats into the Mazda3. I have tested and driven many cars in my life and installed car seats in almost all of them. This was the fastest, most simple set of LATCH anchors ever. They look standard but everything was done in a flash, each time. I was almost giddy. I like the blind-spot monitoring on the car, which is standard and the rear-cross traffic alert is too. Rear camera is as well. There is much to love in this car, one that I initially felt lack-luster about and grew to love each time I climbed into the driver’s seat.
Mazda is known for building sporty cars with zip and this third generation Mazda3 5-door Grand Touring does not disappoint. It’s fuel-efficient, rides smooth, handles excellent and does well in the compact or budget-friendly class making it an ideal car for a small family or single person. You can stow quite a bit and the 60/40 split in the seats makes cargo capability even more fantastic. Priced between $18-29, 260 (tested) you can’t go wrong with this car. It works on so many levels for a variety of people.
Each year Parents magazine and Edmund’s get together and creates a list of the most family friendly cars. The Mazda3 made the list year. See it’s standing here.
Disclosure: TMC was not paid for this post. Products are for review purposes only. Opinions are TMC’s only. Car provided by DriveSTI.
