LA Auto Show: New Mazda3

by Alex L. Dykes

Published: November 20th, 2008

Up till now nobody knew Madza was competing with VW/Audi for the “largest grille” award. For those that don’t believe us, take a gander at the schnoz on the new Mazda 3. Mazda reps assure us this mug is the future of the entire brand (God helps us). Despite the fact that the Mazda 3 looks set to devour smaller cars and motorcyclists on the road it does at least promise more Zoom-Zoom with Ford’s corporate 2.5L I4 engine good for 167HP or the time honoured 2.0L I4 good for 148HP. Sadly Ford’s corporate 6 speed tranny isn’t along for the ride, nor are any of the Volvo P1 turbo engines (the 3’s platform mate across the pond) or Ford’s SYNC. Premium features on this new whip include Xenon headlamps, keyless ignition and the requisite bluetooth and iPod integration. The only question: can the features make up for the wacky front end grin and Mistubishi-grade interior? Mazdaspeed 3 anyone?

Alex L. Dykes

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2 of 27 comments

Bytor on Nov 21, 2008

Count me among these people: http://jalopnik.com/5060127/science-shows-people-prefer-angry-aggressive-cars I never really thought about it before (because I never saw a real car demonstrate it like this). But Smiley cars are an instant turn off. For me this is styling failure of Aztec proportions. It only makes it worse that it is certainly a very good driving car, in fact this was top spot on my purchase list until I saw the front view. I literally will not buy this car because of the way it looks. Heck I would sooner it actually did look like an Aztec. This is lamest looking front end on a car since Pixar "Cars". It might be all right for a 4 year olds pedal car, but for this middle aged adult forget it. This is not a case of what others think. I owned a Miata (91 SE) and got razzed about having a "chick car" or a "gay car". I didn't care. I thought it was beautiful. This is just a case where I think the styling is downright silly in a really bad way. No wonder the initial images were from the side or back. An almost guaranteed sale lost here Mazda. Deeply polarizing styling is almost never a good thing and in this case. It seems about 80% hate 10% don't care and 10% love it. That is an Epic Failure. In contrast the Mazda 2 looks 10 times more sensible/sporty: http://www.themotorreport.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/mazda2-front1.jpg

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Redwood on Nov 21, 2008

The new 3 looks great inside & out, including the front end. I can't wait for the Mazdaspeed3, but I'd prefer it in sedan form.

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