00:00 There's a new sporty sedan in town, the brand new Mazda 3.
00:03 For 2019, Mazda has made some big improvements.
00:14 The 2.5 liter Skyactiv motor is now standard
00:17 and makes 186 horsepower.
00:19 Mazda also changed the suspension.
00:21 Now there's a torsion beam rear axle instead of a more
00:23 expensive multi-link setup.
00:25 Mazda gets extra points for putting the manual orientation
00:28 the correct way.
00:30 Downshift is forward, upshift is back.
00:32 That's great.
00:34 These are the acceleration runs.
00:36 I can see the best 0 to 60 is a 7.3,
00:39 and that's before we apply our weather correction, which
00:42 I'll show you in a minute.
00:43 So because we test all year round,
00:45 we'll take a sample of the weather and jot that down,
00:48 and we'll incorporate that into our number crunching.
00:50 We equalize everything as if it were tested on the same day
00:53 with the same conditions.
00:55 It gets the Mazda to 60 in seven seconds flat,
00:58 and through the quarter mile in 15.4.
01:00 Those numbers put it near the front of the segment,
01:02 just behind the turbocharged Honda Civic.
01:05 It's also excellent under braking,
01:07 stopping from 60 miles per hour in just 112 feet.
01:11 Despite the older tech, the Mazda still
01:13 outran all of its rivals on our figure eight,
01:15 completing it in a swift 26.7 seconds.
01:19 Any weaknesses?
01:20 Though it's naturally aspirated, we
01:21 didn't love the sound of the Mazda's engine under strain.
01:24 And though the numbers were improved,
01:26 initial turn in doesn't have as much bite
01:28 as expected for a sporty sedan.
01:30 Plus, heavier than usual steering
01:32 and an athletic suspension tune might not
01:34 be for everyone's taste.
01:36 The verdict?
01:37 The Mazda 3 turns out great numbers,
01:39 but with some unrefined manners along the way.
01:41 For the full story, go to MotorTrend.com.
01:45 [MUSIC PLAYING]
01:48 (upbeat music)
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