The affordable sedan market is shrinking almost as fast as living legends of classic rock, but don’t tell Mazda.
It still offers its compact Mazda3 in more varieties than some automakers entier lineups offer. For instance, Mazda offers both a sedan and hatchback version of the Mazda3, plus one trim with a six-speed manual and another with terrific turbo power. Oh, and AWD is available too.
All iterations still fall into the affordable category.
Let’s start with this week’s test car, the Mazda3 Carbon Edition Sedan with AWD. It lists at $31,445. Hatchback models tend to run $1,000 to $1,350 extra and a base Mazda3 2.5 S lists at just $25,785. Affordable!
For the record the Mazda3 sedan comes with AWD in the Carbon and Turbo Premium plus trims. Obviously, the second also comes with a turbo and is the most expensive model at $37,975, but rocks.
Most Mazda3s pack a 2.5-liter SkyActiv-G I4 engine that delivers 186 horsepower with matching torque. That’s what the Carbon edition features and links it to a 6-speed automatic transmission. Power is good and there’s a Sport mode toggle on the console to further boost low-end power, nice for zipping onto the highway.
If you need more power, you’ll want that Turbo version that boasts 250 horses if you use 91 octane gas, or 227 horses if you fill up with less expensive regular. All that’s the same if you opt to pay the extra for a hatchback version.
Want a stick shift? Not many folks do anymore, so they are hard to find. Yet Mazda offers a manual transmission in the hatchback Mazda3 Premium model, but only in that trim. Starting price is $31,360.
I know all this can be confusing, but praise Mazda for offering choices.
Let’s get back to the tested Carbon sedan, carbon meaning it has black wheels and exterior trim while it only comes in a dark metallic gray known as Polymetal Gray Metallic. Other trims offer other colors.
While power is good, the sporty feel is enhanced, as in VW’s Golf, by sporty handling. Turn-in is quick and the car simply feels well connected to the road. Certainly, the AWD system helps that too, especially when roads turn slippery.
Ride is sporty too, meaning firmer than in most compact sedans. There’s just a torsion beam rear suspension here and while it feels composed on most highway drives, turns rougher on cracked and pot-hole infested city streets. The Mazda3 is primarily aimed at younger drivers with less sensitive tushies than us Boomers, but at this price point a less cushioned ride is to be expected.
Inside, the Mazda3 offers a premium look and feel that may surprise if you shop the competition in this price range.
The gray test car featured red-leather trimmed seats with soft black leatherette door inserts and dash trim. There’s red stitching accenting the door and dash trim along with the console’s sides while the console top is gloss black. Thin chrome is used as dash and door trim too while the steering wheel and shift knob are wrapped in black leather. A flat-bottom steering wheel would be a nice addition, but alas …
Mazda puts power to the driver’s seat while the passenger’s seat is manually adjusted, but both feature three-level seat heating. No heated steering wheel here though.
Bucket seats are well shaped and supportive, but these are low-rider buckets, meaning you can’t raise them too high off the floor. So, the seating position is low. I’d favor the driver’s seat at least being able to rise maybe a half inch further for better viewing out the windshield. That would aid shorter drivers.
Head and legroom are fine up front, but legroom is a bit tight in the rear seat even with short folks riding up front.
Dash design is clean with a smallish 8.8-inch screen imbedded atop the dash’s center. Go with the turbo model and a 10.3-inch touchscreen is standard. Here the controls are via a console-mounted tuning knob, not the easiest to use while driving. Better to adjust when the car is stationary.
Overhead Mazda provides a small sunroof and the rear seats fold flat to boost cargo space in the 13.2-cubic-foot trunk. There’s also a wireless charger at the console’s front, tucked under the center stack, which features buttons for the climate control system, plus knobs for dual temp climate controls.
There also are two memory buttons for the driver’s seat located on the dash’s left. No rear window wiper though as this is a sedan.
Safety is well represented in the Mazda3, now offering a driver attention alert, lane departure warning, lane-keeping assist, smart cruise, blind-spot monitoring, and 4-wheel disc brakes are standard.
The Mazda3 is made in Japan so subject to tariffs, but will be economical to run, even as gas prices are spiking now due to the Middle East war. The test car was rated 26 mpg city and 34 mpg highway and I managed 32.8 mpg in a week’s drive.
Going with a front-drive lower trim and the ratings edge up to 27/36, or opt for more power with the turbo and they drop to 23/32. I managed 25.5 mpg in a test of the turbo Mazda3 a couple years ago.
As mentioned, the tester started at $31,445, and with only a couple options ended up at $32,710. The trims range from $25,785 to $37,975, so well below the average new car price of $50k.
There is plenty of competition in this market, but mostly from hatchbacks and crossovers.
Sedans include the Honda Civic Si, Toyota Corolla and Hyundai Elantra, all those also available with hybrid powertrains so even better fuel economy. Other similar size and price vehicles include the Subaru Impreza, Nissan Sentra, and VW Golf.
FAST STATS: 2026 Mazda3 2.5 S Carbon Edition Sedan AWD
Hits: Good power and sporty handling, plus AWD. Sporty looks, leatherette interior looks and feels luxurious, sunroof, heated front seats, smart cruise and safety systems, wireless charger, supportive front seats, fair sized trunk and good MPG.
Misses: Clunky console-controlled info screen makes finding a radio station tough while driving, ride is stiff, deep low-rider bucket seats, a flat-bottom steering wheel would be nice.
Made in: Hofu, Japan
Engine: 2.5-liter SkyActiv-G I4, 186 hp/186 torque
Transmission: SkyActiv-drive 6-speed, automatic w/sport mode
Weight: 3,283 lbs.
Wheelbase: 107.3 in.
Length: 183.5 in.
Cargo: 13.2 cu.ft.
MPG: 26/34
MPG: 32.8 (tested)
Base Price: $31,445 (includes delivery)
Invoice: $30,690
Options:
All-weather floor mats, $190
Illuminated doorsill trim plates, $575
Navigation SD card, $500
Test vehicle: $32,710
Sources: Mazda, www.kbb.com
