Technical
The standard engine for the sedan is the 2.0L 4-cylinder engine that develops 148 hp at 6 500 rpm and 135 lb/ft of torque at 4 500 rpm. As far as base engines for this category are concerned, this is certainly one of the most powerful. The optional engine for the sedan and standard for the Sport is the 2.3L 4-cylinder engine that develops 160 hp at 6 500 rpm and 150 lb/ft of torque at 4 500 rpm. The standard gearbox is a 5 speed manual and the optional transmission is a 4 speed automatic and is available with a manual selection mode. All Mazda 3s have 4 wheel disc brakes; a rare feature on cars in this segment.

On the road
The car has great handling, a compliant ride with a sporty, confidence inspiring chassis. Even with the 17" wheels that equipped my GT, the suspension soaked up bumps quite easily. There were some various suspension knocking noise (bushings possibly) over bumps at low speeds, similar to the tested Mazda 6. There is enormous lateral grip which gives way to under-steer once the car attains its far reaching limits. The brakes are impressive and pedal response is immediate. Steering is very alert and nicely weighted, not too mention that this car turns on a dime.

The 2.3L, 4-cylinder is better suited to the manual transmission. In a previously tested Mazda 3, the automatic robbed it of too much power. The drive-by-wire system (throttle is electronically controlled by a potentiometer and not a cable) is a little annoying: At wide open throttle (pedal to the metal if you prefer), acceleration is not linear and there is some hesitation. There was very little difference noticed between the performance of this engine and the one found in the recently tested 2005 Ford Focus ST. Even if the numbers suggest slight differences in output, where the Focus has a 9 hp handicap but 4 lb/ft of torque advantage, there really is no difference in performance.

A big downer was the calculated combined city and highway fuel consumption of around 12L per 100 km and this, over a period of a 1 000 km. An average car of this size would normally consume on average about 10L per 100km.

Safety
The car has standard dual front air bags, available ABS brakes, available electronic brake force distribution, and seatbelt pre-tensionners. The NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration awarded the car 4 out of 5 stars (a good result) for a frontal impact and 3 out of 5 stars in lateral impacts (an average result).

Conclusion
The equivalent Focus ST retails for 23 995$. This amount is nearly 1 500$ more than the 3 however you still do not get the 17" wheels or the better looking interior, not to mention that the Focus will probably have a lower resale value. Even if there are incentives to buy the Ford over the Mazda, I think that the 3 may be the better purchase in the long run between the two.