The IT Nerd

So I’ve come to the end of the review of the Mazda3 Sport GS. I really had fun driving this car and I loved the fact that this is an agile, powerful hatchback that is very versatile from a cargo perspective. My final fuel economy number was 7.4 L/100 KM’s which is outstanding from my perspective given that I drive a Toyota Matrix hatchback that averages 5 L/100 KM’s more. Given the price of gas isn’t coming down any time soon, the fact that SkyActiv technology helps to save gas is very much appreciated.

Now, the Mazda3 Sport GS is an affordable $22,395. That’s not too far off the base price of $20,695 and it leaves you lots of options to choose from including a 2.5 L 4 cylinder engine that would make this car even more fun to drive than it already is.

Competition? If you’re looking for a hatchback, there’s only a handful to choose from. The top choices in my mind are:

• Toyota Matrix: Now this is an easy comparison given I own one. It can’t match the power of Mazda3 because Toyota did away with the 2.4 L 4 cylinder engine option (which is the one that I own) leaving it with a 1.8 L 4 cylinder engine being the only choice. And Toyota this year did away with the XRS and the all-wheel-drive versions which came with double wishbone suspensions that at least would have made it handle something in the area of the Mazda3 Sport. As it stands with the trim levels that are left, the Matrix is not even close in the handling department. Oh yeah, I should note that Matrix will be no more at the end of the year.
• Ford Focus Hatchback: Now you’re getting into an apples to apples comparison. The handling is close and so is the power. However, the Mazda3 Sport wins with more interior space and it gets much better fuel economy.
• Hyundai Elantra GT: Now you’re getting close to something that could compete with the Mazda3 Sport and it comes with a ton of standard features for the money. Assuming you choose the 2.5L engine option in the Mazda, the power and fuel economy is competitive. But the handling of the Elantra GT isn’t nearly as good as the Mazda3 Sport.

In short Mazda3 Sport GS pretty much owns the category in my opinion. The fact that it also has Mazda Connect which is in my opinion the best infotainment system on the market adds to their lead in this category. If you are in the market for a hatchback, a trip to your Mazda dealer should be in order. One test drive and I think you’ll be purchasing one.

This entry was posted on June 27, 2014 at 6:49 am and is filed under Products. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.