The sleek interior of the 2012 MAZDA3 FOUR-DOOR | ©2012 Mazda

Car Manufacturer: Mazda
Model: 2012 Mazda3 4-DOOR
Suggested Retail Price: $24,970

ASSIGNMENT X tackles our latest car review as we test drove the 2012 MAZDA3 FOUR-DOOR. Keep in mind, we’re not car experts, but that’s the point of the review – we represent the average consumer so we won’t be talking tech, we’ll be talking about what we feel makes the car cool.

“Zoom Zoom” has been a catch phrase of Mazda for some time and the 2012 MAZDA3 4-DOOR lives up to that name and then some.

ASSIGNMENT X view of the side exterior of the 2012 MAZDA3 FOUR-DOOR | ©2012 Assignment X

A nice, compact, smooth ride, the MAZDA3 is a sporty four-door without being over-the-top and its stream-lined look makes it stand out as one fine looking vehicle.

I have to admit, I enjoy driving around in trucks, because I love the feel of riding up high above regular traffic, but there’s something very sweet about driving smoothly along side streets and freeways in this compact car.

THE OUTSIDE

As mentioned above, the exterior is nicely constructed – having a sports car feel. One of the cooler design elements are the front headlights that almost have the feel of an eagle eye. According to the specs the bulbs also last longer than halogen bulbs because of how they’ve been engineered.

ASSIGNMENT X view of the exterior of the 2012 MAZDA3 FOUR-DOOR | ©2012 Assignment X

The side mirrors also have one of the coolest new features I’ve seen on a vehicle – there’s a little yellow-esque light that pops up and warns you when a car is passing you on the side to help you with blind spots and to avoid a collision. It’s a nice bonus. And even though the car was tested during the Southern California summer, apparently the side mirrors are also heated to help visibility in colder weather.

THE INTERIOR

The interior is very compact, but efficient. Bells and whistles include heated seats for the driver and passenger, a very strong AC and a steering wheel filled with tons of buttons and gadgets to control everything from your radio/cd/sat/aux player and to allow you to connect to your phone via Bluetooth in order to drive hands free. There’s also a navigation system, though it was a little rough around the edges when we tried it and didn’t experiment further with it after a couple of failed tries.

The futuristic front dash of the 2012 MAZDA3 FOUR-DOOR | ©2012 Mazda

The leather seats are super comfortable and look really cool. Comfortability is important in a car and these seats are quite awesome. I also loved the feel of the steering wheel.

The trunk is quite big for a very small car and the seats push out to allow for even more space.

One of the coolest aspects of the vehicle from a design standpoint is the nighttime drive. When all the lights on the dash spring to life, you get this really cool mixture of red and icy blue. Like many new cars, it has a very futuristic feel.

DRIVING PERFORMANCE

ASSIGNMENT X view of the spacious trunk space on the 2012 MAZDA3 FOUR-DOOR | ©2012 Assignment X

I loved the way the car key snaps out with a push of the button. It feels like a switchblade knife. This is actually quite smart, because not only will the key not bend and wear down over time, but it’s easier to fit the key in your pocket without something sharp poking you.

The cruise control is top of the line and runs very smoothly too.

The fuel efficiency is also quite good – a little goes a long way and we were able to drive a little less than a week with a full tank of gas and even then, just adding $10.00 to the tank bought us some additional and pretty lengthy freeway miles.

Bottom line: A super smooth ride and very quiet ride at that.

MISC.

The cool looking Eagle Eye front headlight on the 2012 MAZDA3 FOUR-DOOR | ©2012 Mazda

As far as criticisms, I wasn’t a big fan of the gear shift. It feels comfortable, but the zig-zag effect of it made it difficult at times to get it into drive because of the manual upshift and downshift capabilities and where they’re placed. I like my gearshift simple and it feels a bit overcomplicated.

I also feel there isn’t enough storage space in the front dash. Just a couple of small slots to put your phone, iPod or other accessories would have helped. Instead, many times, you have to place your devices in your drink cupholder area if you want easy access. Sure, the extra slots might have messed with the beautiful looking design, but we are a technological society and we do need easy places to toss our stuff when driving in a car.

OVERVIEW

ASSIGNMENT X view of the steering wheel on the 2012 MAZDA3 FOUR-DOOR | ©2012 Assignment X

The MAZDA3 FOUR-DOOR is an affordable sedan that can serve as a nice sporty vehicle or even a family car. It’s the best of both worlds and it’s nicely priced.

I love all the bells and whistles the new cars have. Not only are they making cars practical and nice to look at, they’re also making them fun. Any time you can feel like you’re driving in a state-of-the-art vehicle is a plus for me and the MAZDA3 has designed one sweet vehicle.

For more information – click on link: MAZDA3 4-DOOR website

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Article: Car Review – 2012 MAZDA3 4-Door

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