The Mazda3 combined real sportiness with the best gas mileage -- 33 mpg overall -- of any conventional compact car of its time. That earned it one of the top spots in our compact-car Ratings.
It's a joy to drive, thanks to super-sharp handling, sprightly engines, and smooth transmissions. Mazda3 also offers a number of features normally found on luxury cars, including a modern infotainment system with a large touchscreen, heated leather seats and active safety features such as blind-spot monitoring, cross-traffic alert and even collision mitigation. That said, adding all of these features also gets you some frustrating controls.
Another downside is ride comfort, which takes a back seat to sporty handling. Additionally, the cabin is rather loud. Rear-seat room is adequate for two adults, but too narrow for three. Taller adults will run short of headroom in the rear, especially in the hatchback.
The Mazda3 is available as a four-door sedan or five-door hatchback, with the sedan providing slightly more cargo space and the hatchback delivering a little more versatility. You don't give up much either way.