2026 Mazda3 2.5S Carbon Edition Sedan AWD - Review by David Colman

An elegant sedan that looks like it should cost twice its sticker price.

David Colman

Story and Photos by David Colman
Special Correspondent
THE AUTO CHANNEL

At a base price of just $30,210, the 2026 Mazda3 2.5S won't take a big bite out of your bank account. Not nearly as big as the bite its door frame took out of my left elbow. Permit me to explain. The "Carbon Edition" is fitted with the best full leather sports seats you can find in a sedan priced under a hundred grand. But there's just one snag. Because the ultra low roofline of the Mazda3 sedan sits only 56.9 inches above pavement, you have to duck your head and squirm left to exit the enveloping bucket seat. Performing that maneuver sliced my left elbow when it contacted a raised metal door jamb seam. No Mazda3 owner will let that happen more than once.

Despite the rude introduction, I really enjoyed my time ensconced in the all-business driver's seat of the Mazda3. This sporting four seater represents a meritorious example of what's unfortunately become a dying breed: the family sedan. Mazda offers the 3 in a mind-boggling array of shapes, sizes and powertrains. Since a full recitation of the available variants is so complex, here's an abbreviated cheat sheet. You can buy your "3" in 2 different ways: 4 door sedan with either a trunk or a hatchback body configuration. You can select either front or all wheel drive, and you can further subdivide your choice by opting for a 186hp inline-4 (like our test Mazda), or a 227hp turbocharged 4. Finally, Mazda still caters to enthusiasts by offering a 6-speed manual gearbox. But to enjoy that item, you'll have to buy your Mazda3 as a front-wheel-drive hatchback with S Premium Trim.

Surprisingly, the Mazda3 lacks fully independent rear suspension, utilizing a torsion beam setup instead of IRS coil springing. Aside from some unavoidable ride harshness, the sedan handles with exceptional stability and precision, especially when you select the available Sport Mode drive setting. Handling on curvy roads is the metier of this "S" package, with shiny black 18-inch alloys supporting grippy 215/45R18 Bridgestone Turanza EL 440. These radials boast good stick and a mid-range wear factor of TW 480. You can push the lightweight (3,267lb) sedan right up to its high cornering limit yet still retain full control of the vehicle. The simple fact of the matter is the non-turbo motor does not generate enough raw power to make breakaway possible. But driving pleasure is still assured thanks to the grip of those Bridgestones.

Mazda's 2.5-liter "SKYACTIV-G" engine could become a little more ACTIV if it inhaled more oxygen from the SKY. If I were in the market for a Mazda3, I would definitely opt for the available turbocharged powerplant, because the base motor simply doesn't have the suds to float this boat. With just 186hp on tap, second gear in particular lacks the kind of surge this well-balanced chassis could easily handle. Lack of low speed grunt made me hesitant to pass slower traffic on a two lane road. What's needed is a dose of floor-it-now torque. The base motor must be wound to 4000rpm to achieve just 186lb.-ft. of torque. The turbo, on the other hand, produces 310lb.-ft. at just 2000rpm. That's an instant windfall of 124 foot-pounds for the Turbo. As a result, the 227hp Turbo runs from 0-60mph in 5.5 seconds - 1.5 seconds quicker than the base model Mazda3.

From the picky driver's perspective, Mazda is the best in the business when it comes to focusing your attention solely on the job at hand. In addition to the perfectly contoured seats, the leather-wrapped steering wheel is artfully constructed to feel just right as you twirl it from lock to lock. The shift lever has been carefully designed to allow you instant choice of automatic or manual operation. In addition to the provided paddles adjacent to the steering wheel, Mazda augments gearbox operation with a manually controlled gate at the shift lever itself that allows you to bump the stick forward for downshifts or backwards for upshifts. This system works flawlessly.

The rest of the Carbon Edition's elegant dash design mirrors Mazda's storied commitment to simplified, logical, physical knobs and buttons for all important HVAC functions. The venting/fan system proved so effective on a 101-degree day that the interior- superheated after a parking stint - transformed itself to icy cold in a matter of seconds. Although the sedan configuration looks like it would lose out in storage space to the available Mazda3 hatchback model, the opposite is true: the sedan will pack a full suitcase more than the liftback thanks to its second row fold-flat chairs which are controlled by a pair of manual knobs in the trunk. If you seek an elegantly constructed sedan that looks like it costs twice as much as it does, go for Mazda's elegant 3 series S Carbon Edition.

2026 MAZDA3 2.5S Carbon Edition Sedan AWD

• ENGINE: 2.5 liter inline-4, DOHC 16valve, aluminum block and head, direct fuel injection
• HORSEPOWER: 186hp@6000rpm
• TORQUE: 186lb.-ft.@4000rpm
• FUEL CONSUMPTION: 26MPG City/34MPG Highway/29MPG Combined
• PRICE AS TESTED: $32,520

HYPES: Stealthy Looking, Beautifully Crafted

GRIPES: Down on Power to the Available Turbo

STAR RATING: 8.5 Stars out of 10

©2026 David E Colman