Here’s the hot hatch Volkswagen won’t sell you. It’s got all-wheel-drive, and a 250-horsepower turbo that’s more powerful than the $35,865 GTI. Sure, if you’re willing to part with $50,000, you can buy yourself a Golf R with more muscle and AWD, but the Mazda 3 Turbo Premium Plus brings power, poise, and, to stretch the P’s to the limit, panache, too. And all for $37,890. That’s about two grand more than the Veedub, but you could also look at that as a $12,000 discount vs. the Golf R, and three grand under the sticker of Toyota’s GR Corolla.
Just about everything you want in a hot hatch is being offered by Mazda, and in some ways, this is a more complete sports car than the MX-5 Miata has ever been. However, the Mazda 3 isn’t perfect—and I’m sharing some of my misgivings, below, too. Because even as tiny Mazda is thumbing its nose at its corporate overlords (Toyota owns a stake), it still has a legit Korean rival that you might consider grabbing instead.
- Base Trim Engine
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2.5L SKYACTIV-G I4 ICE
- Base Trim Transmission
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SKYACTIV-Drive 6-speed automatic
- Base Trim Drivetrain
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Front-Wheel Drive
- Base Trim Horsepower
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186 HP @6000 RPM
- Base Trim Torque
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186 lb.-ft. @ 4000 RPM
- Base Trim Fuel Economy (city/highway/combined)
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26/34/29 MPG
- Make
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Mazda
- Model
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Mazda 3 Hatchback
- Segment
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Compact Hatchback
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A Beautiful Cabin
Let’s be honest: Lots of carmakers selling compacts stint on refinement. And if there’s one aspect of the Volkswagen GTI that still brings loyalty, it’s a sense that you’re getting a car that’s playing a half-tier above the mainstream. Now climb aboard the Mazda 3 Turbo Premium Plus and behold the digs that come close to rivaling Mercedes-Benz sweet. You’re getting leather seats with dual-driver memory presets, these chairs are heated, too. There’s a wireless phone charger plus dual front USBs, and a 12-speaker Bose sound system with excellent clarity.
Thoughtful, Clever Design
This segment skews “boy-racer” toyish. Whatever you want to say about the performance of the GR Corolla, it’s not a pretty car. Ditto, a WRX. The Hyundai Elantra N moves, but it’s a visual hodgepodge. The GTI is the “adult” of the bunch, but the Mazda 3 sports a genuinely purposeful design. Nothing hits you in the face, but elements like the floating hood, the cutouts for the headlamps that echo Ferrari-like round tail lamps, and the curvaceous bulk of the car’s wedge all feel unique and peerless in the category. It’s sad that I have to write this, but few cars on the road these days—at any price—are just plain pretty. The Mazda 3 is the exception.
The Best Manumatic
Great googly-moogly, this manumatic thinks it’s a manual gearbox! If I seem gobsmacked, it’s because I truly am. Here’s the deal. The six-speeder is a slushbox. There’s no third pedal. But there are paddle shifters, and you can toggle the stalk from auto to manual. Do that, then engage Sport mode, which enhances quicker throttle tip-in. Now downshift—or upshift. The transmission obeys that input. Always. The car won’t suddenly downshift when you mash the gas in fifth gear. You can actually lug the engine. Or you can downshift to second gear ahead of the big sweeper and bounce the engine off the rev limiter. No upshift! Proper gear holding! It’s as if Mazda employs test-drivers who flog their cars on racetracks! Yes, I am gobsmacked.
Now, do I wish Mazda would sell the 3 with a six-speed manual and the turbocharged engine—rather than limit that to buyers of the less powerful, front-wheel-drive-only, $31,360 2.5 S Premium? Sure. But if I’m weighing a row-your-own 191-horse Mazda 3 vs. the super snappy 250-horsepower Turbo, I think we all know how I’m voting.
G-Vectoring Control Plus
Mazda incorporates a nifty trick with this car. Beyond excellent steering feel, a feature called G-Vectoring Control Plus works in two ways. First, as the car enters a curve, more power is sent to the front wheels, basically enabling the car to steer with more agility as you begin rotating the wheel. Then, mid-corner, it starts to feed more power to the rear wheels, which is that sensation that you’re after in a rear-wheel-drive-only car, where the car begins to rotate. But to prevent over-rotation, this system also applies slight braking to the outside front wheel, essentially providing “trail braking” that the driver might know how to do on a racetrack, but in this case, it’s automated and settles the car as you get back on the throttle after the corner’s apex.
250 Horses—Only On Premium
There’s an important caveat to the 250-horsepower 2.5-liter turbo: It only works with top-octane fuel. Feed the Mazda 3 regular octane, and it falls to 227 horsepower. That’s not terrible, but it’s a big drop from 250 horses. Plus, given the price jump for high-test gas these days, that requirement to get maximum horsepower may give you pause. The Mazda 3 Turbo Premium Plus will run fine on regular octane, FYI. But “Premium” now carries a double meaning. Oh, and an added kick in the teeth—the more affordable Golf GTI delivers 241 horsepower on regular octane.
Driving Blind
Check your mirrors if you buy this hatchback. Frequently. That shot above shows the inside view out the pinhole-sized hatch glass. Yes, the curvy, sexy shape of the Mazda 3 hatch comes with a toll. Sure, the hatchback is more elite and sexier by far than the Mazda 3 sedan, but thank goodness Mazda includes three safety systems, standard, which, combined, should prevent any mishaps caused by driving a car with minimal rearward vision. These are blind-spot alert; rear cross-traffic alert (very handy so you don’t get pegged when backing out of a parking spot when you’re hemmed in by taller vehicles), and lane-departure warning. You probably won’t need the latter, thanks to the Mazda’s excellent on-center feel, but still, it’s good that Mazda includes this tech.
Tech Stumbles
The Mazda 3 Turbo Premium Plus looks great, both inside and out. But its 12.3-inch touchscreen sits way up on the top of the dash, where it’s hard to reach. Never mind, you’re supposed to use a rotary knob positioned behind the shifter to scroll through different menus. Good luck. If the idea is to prevent tapping and swiping, because it might lead to distracted driving, navigating via this knob requires multiple tangents and dives, which would be far less necessary through a simpler phone-style menu structure.
Carmakers keep trying to create their own walled-off tech, since they want to “monetize” their own app stores and subscription centers. Hence, SuperCruise and BlueCruise, from GM and Ford, respectively. And Tesla (and Rivian) only allow phone pairing via Bluetooth; no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. But if that’s your aim, at least make the navigation easier, not harder! Otherwise, you know what people do? They text and drive. And that’s very, very bad.
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TopSpeed’s Take
No question, the Mazda’s a really fun hot hatch. I think it nails the formula for engagement, and unlike the GTI, it’s a visually engaging car, too. But it’s not cheap, and one vehicle you should definitely test drive if you’re shopping for the Mazda is the top grade of the Kia K4 Hatchback, the roughly $29,000 Kia K4 GT-Line Turbo. It’s not as quick as the Mazda, but having just tested that car, too, it’s roomier, especially in the back seat and for cargo, which makes it a more pragmatic car. Heck, it’s got nearly the roominess of Kia’s own Seltos. Would I struggle to buy that K4 hatch instead of the Mazda 3? Maybe. But in the end, my bank-account head might defeat my right-foot heart.