2010 Mazda MAZDA3 - Review

By Jonathan McGrew

Jonathan McGrew

Contributing Writer BIO

Jonathan McGrew has had a steering wheel in his hands since before he could walk. It was inevitable that he would start racing, earning recognition... More

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2010 Mazda3

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Back in late January, Colin Mathews reported on TheCarConnection.com blog that the new Mazda3 would be getting the fuel-saving stop/start technology in the European model Mazda3s. However, it wasn’t clear as to when this same technology might be available in the U.S. In the beginning of February, we discovered that the stop/start version of the 2010 Mazda3, now dubbed the “i-stop,” would makes its world debut at the now passed 2009 Geneva Motor Show.

What does the new 3 offer now? Let’s start with the overall review rating given by our partner site, TheCarConnection.com, which has rated the new Mazda3 an 8.4 out of 10. That’s not to shabby, especially for a small car competing in the economy market. Just in case you are wonder, this overall review is comprised of the average of the 1-10 scores in styling, performance, comfort and quality, safety and features as assessed by our expert reviews at TheCarConnection.com. In this case the 2010 Mazda3 scored 9s in Styling and Features and 8s in all of the other categories.

The 2010 Mazda3 comes in a few different models: the base i, i Sport, i Touring, i Grand Touring and the performance MPS. The base models MSRP will set you back around $15,045 or if you choose one of the other models you could escalate the price up into the low $20,000s. So all things being equal the 2010 Mazda3 isn’t the cheapest, but also isn’t the most expensive car in its class. For better or worse, the thing that really has captured the attention of reviews and consumers alike is the exterior and interior styling. Most of the reviews have praised the exterior styling with TheCarConnection.com calling it “a handsome, upscale look with some supercar wedge to its profile and a happy face in front.” Cars.com says that the car has “distinctive character lines” and they “really like the new shape of the front-end.” However, others aren’t as thrilled, with USA Today claiming that Mazda must have used “two squirts of ugly,” in the new Mazda 3 design.