Editor’s Pick
Key Takeaways
- Possibly the most entertaining compact car on the market today
- Good blend of features, power and fuel economy for the dollar
- Mazdaspeed 3 performance model is ridiculously fast, but not terribly refined either
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What We Think
If you're shopping for a fun compact car, the 2012 Mazda 3 should be at the top of your list.
A perennial staff favorite, the Mazda 3 gets a freshening for the 2012 model year. Outside changes are limited to a new front fascia, toning down the Mazda grin, while the inside gets a multi-information display, revised cloth seats and available blind-spot monitoring. The bigger news is under the hood, however, where Mazda has added an available Skyactiv-G four-cylinder engine that promises better power output and fuel economy with fewer emissions.
The sport-compact Mazdaspeed 3 hasn't been forgotten, adding a revised leather-wrapped shift knob and parking brake handle, along with the same available blind-spod monitoring system as its lower-powered brother.
