Micah Kanters, the little kid from the Zoom-Zoom ads, is now 31 years old. Let that sink in for a minute. And I mention this only because Mazda is in a much different space then they were back then. Today, their sights are set on the premium German and Asian brands as they try to rise above the perception as a secondary, Japanese manufacturer of inexpensive small cars. Which is why I’ve been so pleased with this little guy; a car I’ve previously been ambivalent about has been given renewed life with a turbocharged engine. Feed it premium gas and it’ll reward you with 250 horsepower and better yet, 320 lb-ft of torque. That’s a huge 72% gain compared with the non-turbo 3 and it peaks much sooner. To mitigate torque steer, though there’s still some, the power goes down to all 4 wheels via a 6-speed auto, which seems a little light in today’s gear crazy world. It’s offered in both the sedan and hatchback body styles, but it’s this more expensive and expressive 5-door where it fits best. It’s exclusively available with this attention-grabbing Polymetal Gray paint and 2 different Aero Kit options imbuing it with the look of something spunky. This here is the top trim Premium Plus model which adds real leather, navigation, a 360 degree camera with real button, traffic sign recognition, and myriad other driver assistance features.
