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2022 Mazda3 2.5 Turbo AWD Hatchback Premium Plus – Review by David Colman


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2022 Mazda Mazda3 2.5T AWD Hatchback

Subtle elegance

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David Colman
Photos and Story By David Colman
Special Correspondent to THE AUTO CHANNEL


Finished in diffident Polymetal Gray Metallic Paint ($395), this best-equipped Mazda3 you can buy ($35,810) is the canyon carver's drone of choice. It's inconspicuous, and diminutive, but deceptively faster than it looks. If you fancy quick drives, but detest attention grabbing flash, the Mazda3 is your perfect dance partner. It's the car in the gray flannel suit. And it gets the job done without calling attention to itself - or you.


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2022 Mazda Mazda3 2.5T AWD Hatchback

In 2019, the current 4th generation Mazda3 debuted. The 4-door sedan was originally designed in 2004 as family transport. By 2009, however, a 267hp turbocharged version called the Mazdaspeed 3 bumped the car into sports sedan territory. It's been there ever since, growing more ferocious with each passing iteration. Now fitted with Mazda's proprietary Skyactive engine technology, the 2.5 liter turbo makes 227hp on regular grade pump gas and 250hp when fed 91 octane fuel. Best of all, the inline-4 produces 310/320lb.-ft. of torque which it feeds to all four wheels through a 6-speed automatic transmission complete with manual mode and paddle shifts.


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2022 Mazda Mazda3 2.5T AWD Hatchback

If you just leave the gearbox in Drive and floor the throttle, the Mazda3 will post a 0-60mph time of 6.4 seconds and clear the standing start quarter mile in 14.8 seconds at 94.6mph. But with this ride, it's not about sheer point-to-point acceleration so much as it is about agility. The handsome hatchback covers challenging back roads with the sure footedness of a prima ballerina. Although a "Sport" drive mode is available from the switch on the center console, the stiffer ride it offers is just unnecessary icing on the cake. That's because Mazda baked all the handling goodies into the basic recipe available from the "Normal" drive mode. Steering response is immediate, throttle modulation is spot-on accurate, and even the muted thrumming of the exhaust note is pleasurable.

The hatchback version of the Premium Plus is so elegantly equipped that you will want for nothing in the comfort department. The deeply scooped driver's seat provides power assist for position changes and lumbar support, while the passenger seat makes do with manual adjustments. Fold down the 60/40 split rear seat to create 13 cubic feet of flat floor storage which is made more useful by the low threshold height of the swing-up rear door. When not deployed as a canyon basher, this petite 5-door makes a great city car thanks to its park-able 184 inch length and 71 inch width. Feel free to squeeze it anywhere an SUV won't fit. You'll enjoy the added benefit of standard rear smart brake support and rear cross traffic alert with braking.


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2022 Mazda Mazda3 2.5T AWD Hatchback

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2022 Mazda Mazda3 2.5T AWD Hatchback

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2022 Mazda Mazda3 2.5T AWD Hatchback

The Mazda3 clearly benefits from its parent company's ceaseless immersion in worldwide racing. Dynamic Stability Control interacts with the Traction Control System in such a seamless way that you never feel your driving decisions are being contradicted by artificial intelligence. Mazda's patented G-Vectoring Control Plus and I-Activ AWD combine to keep the 215/45R18 Bridgestone Turanza EL 440 M&S radials planted on terra firma. The salient point about Mazda3 driving is this: you never feel like you're fighting the vehicle for control of a given situation. Rather, this hatchback enhances your inputs to achieve a magical human/machine interface.


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2022 Mazda Mazda3 2.5T AWD Hatchback

Of course, every golden egg has a few cracks in its shell, and with this product, the flaw is poor rear vision. An 18 inch wide chunk of sheet metal separates each rear side window from the small glass pane in the tailgate. From the driver's seat, the view out the back is limousine tiny. Sure you can rely on the 8.8 inch dashboard display when reversing, but the real time view out the back remains claustrophobic. Another, more minor problem is the need to disengage the annoyingly chirpy lane keeping nanny every time you restart the 3. But these are small prices indeed to pay for fast flight under the radar in this brilliant device.


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2022 Mazda Mazda3 2.5T AWD Hatchback

2022 MAZDA3 2.5 TURBO AWD HB PREMIUM PLUS

    ENGINE: 2.5 liter inline-4, turbocharged, DOHC, Skyactive-G
    HORSEPOWER: 250hp@5000rpm
    TORQUE: 320lb.-ft.@2000rpm
    FUEL CONSUMPTION: 23MPG City/31MPG Highway
    PRICE AS TESTED: $35,810

HYPES: Sweet Handling Sedan

GRIPES: Limo Back Window

STAR RATING: 10 Stars out of 10