2022 Mazda MAZDA3 Reviews, Pricing & Specs

Other than the updates outlined above, the 2022 Mazda3 sees no changes. It continues in four-door sedan and five-door hatchback body styles, and in an array of engine and powertrain configurations.

Both the sedan and the hatchback offer three trim levels and a choice between front-wheel drive (FWD) and all-wheel drive (AWD). Unlike our American counterparts, there are trims in both the sedan and hatch configurations available with a six-speed manual transmission for Canadians who prefer to row their own gears. Prices across the entire lineup range from MSRPs of $21,400 to $31,000, not including engine upgrade costs or the $1,750 destination charge.

Our test car was a top-of-the-line hatchback with the turbo engine and equipped with extra-cost Polymetal Gray Metallic paint. In Canada, this would carry an all-in price of $38,981, including the destination charge to ship it from Japan to your local dealership.

Admittedly, the Mazda3’s appearance isn’t appealing to everyone. The car’s deeply sculpted flanks can cast odd reflections, and the hatchback could easily go by the name “hunchback.” Nevertheless, there is a certain artistry to this car that is easy to appreciate if not outright like.

Our favourite thing about the Mazda3 Turbo is that it’s all about stealth. There isn’t a big and showy rear spoiler, or an obnoxious body kit, or an attention-grabbing paint colour. It looks like a mature, serious automobile instead of something you’d find in the toy aisles at Target.

That theme continues on the inside, where refined materials and sophisticated design decorated with polished metallic finishes present an upscale, almost elegant place from which to conduct the business of driving.

People wise with money will also be drawn to a Mazda3 instead of an entry-level luxury car, understanding that it will deliver more for less in every way except one: perceived cachet assigned to it by onlookers.

The most affordable version of the 2022 Mazda3 is the GX sedan. It has the base engine, a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine good for power specs of 155 horsepower and 150 pound-feet of torque. Speed is not its forte, but fuel economy is. It consumes 7.6 litres per 100 kilometres in combined driving or 7.7 L/100 km combined with the manual transmission, according to Natural Resources Canada.

Most Mazda3 buyers choose the non-turbocharged 2.5-litre four-cylinder, generating 186 hp and 186 lb-ft of torque, which shares its six-speed automatic transmission, or six-speed manual in the hatchback, with the 2.0 model. The automatic powers the car’s front wheels unless you opt for the available AWD system. Fuel consumption ratings for this engine range between 7.8 and 8.6 L/100 km in combined driving, depending on the trim and powertrain.

Next up is the turbocharged version of the 2.5-litre four-cylinder, which is paired exclusively with the six-speed automatic and standard AWD. Power output depends on what kind of gas you pump into the tank. Choose more affordable 87-octane gas, and you’ll extract 227 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque from the turbo engine. Pay extra for 93-octane fuel, and the engine generates 250 hp and 320 lb-ft. Turbos get 8.8 L/100 km (sedan) or 8.9 L/100 km (hatchback) in combined driving.

As much as we love the turbocharged Mazda3, it doesn’t get the fuel efficiency the window sticker advertises. We averaged 10.2 L/100 km, and to add insult to injury, the 48-litre fuel tank that comes with the AWD version doesn’t provide much driving range, so you’ll be stopping at gas stations on a frequent basis.

Maybe the problem is that we have too much fun driving the car. And this is a really fun car to drive. The thrills sneak up on you, because the Mazda3 Turbo is calm, cool, and collected at all times. You don’t get a sudden burst of power from the turbocharged drivetrain. Instead, it builds gradually into a crescendo, pushing you back into your seat without snapping your neck.

Better yet, the smooth and supple ride combines with nimble handling, flawless steering, unyielding grip, and outstanding balance, all of which make the Mazda3 easy to trust when you’re threading the car down a mountain road. This Mazda faithfully communicates the smallest of nuances, but never feels too firm.

However, the brakes did not pass the canyon road test. We felt the telltale signs of fade that are a smart driver’s indication to slow down and give the brakes a chance to cool. We did so, but by the time we reached the bottom, smoke billowed from the front discs.

Later, while running across comparatively level mountain roads, the brakes proved resilient, delivering faithful performance over sustained periods of time. However, undulations in the blacktop introduced hints of float in the ride, suggesting that perhaps an adaptive damping suspension would be a worthy upgrade.

Nevertheless, we can’t say enough nice things about how the Mazda3 Turbo drives. It is a brilliant automobile, made all the better by its exceptional quality, unassuming style, and attainable price. All it needs is a brake upgrade that can withstand a challenging canyon road.

Sitting low to the ground, the Mazda3 is difficult to enter and exit. Small door openings don’t help. But once you’re settled into one of the front seats, the car feels tailor-made with a snug but comfortable fit.

Mazda designs interiors around the driver, starting with the positioning behind the steering wheel. Most versions of the car include an eight-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, and heated front seats are standard in Canada. Our loaded test vehicle also had supple leather upholstery. Many controls are user-friendly, the primary exception being the standard Mazda Connect infotainment system.

Thigh and side bolster support are excellent, the instrumentation is a model of perfection, and the armrests are densely padded. Mazda thoughtfully pads the locations where you’re likely to brace your legs while flinging the car from corner to corner.

The Mazda3 hatchback’s back seat is another story. With shorter people sitting in front, seat comfort and legroom are decent. But if you put four tall people into this car, two of them will be unhappy. Plus, there are no rear air conditioning vents or USB ports.

Storage space is adequate thanks to large door panel bins, a big glove compartment, and a sizable centre console bin under the front armrest. Inexplicably, though, the optional wireless smartphone charging pad is located in the bottom of the centre console bin.

Keyless entry with push-button start are standard.

Mazda says you can pack 569 litres of cargo behind the rear seat of the hatchback, but the size and shape of the space beneath the cargo cover offers only enough room for two full-size suitcases topped with relatively flat items. Fold the back seat down and maximum cargo space measures 1,334 litres. In the sedan, 374 litres of cargo will fit in the trunk.

Mazda Connect is the name of the Mazda3’s standard infotainment system. It uses an 8.8-inch static infotainment display with Bluetooth that looks organically melted into the top of the dashboard and a collection of primary controls that fall readily to hand on the centre console. A smattering of steering wheel controls and a voice recognition system are also aboard to provide infotainment operations.

Mazda believes touchscreen infotainment systems are distracting to drivers, so it uses this approach instead. Now that Acura has revealed the 2023 Integra to have touchscreen technology, Mazda is the only car company employing this type of arrangement across its entire model lineup.

Philosophically, we have no problem with Mazda’s thinking on this matter. Touchscreens are distracting. We do, however, have a problem with the lack of a physical tuning function and a voice recognition system that not only requires the use of specific commands that a driver must reference by looking away from the road and at the display but also appears not to properly recognize voices. If Mazda solved these two issues, we wouldn’t complain nearly as much about Mazda Connect.

For example, you cannot wake a digital assistant by saying “Hey Mazda” followed by a command. Instead, you must find the talk button on the steering wheel, push it to rouse the assistant, and then reference the recommended command suggestions on the display screen. But even when you follow those prompts exactly as recommended, you can get incorrect or unexpected results. All of this, of course, is also distracting to a driver.

You can avoid some of this consternation by running Apple CarPlay or Android Auto and using the platforms’ native Siri and Google Assistant digital assistants. So, if you’re an avid music streamer or navigation user, Mazda Connect’s shortcomings could be a non-issue for you.

Mazda Connect also includes Mazda Connected Services, which is complimentary for two years of ownership. It provides remote access to some vehicle functions via a smartphone app, including remote engine starting and a car finder function. The service plan also features automatic emergency notification following a collision.

An eight-speaker audio system is standard, and many versions of the car include a 12-speaker Bose Centerpoint surround-sound system specifically tailored to the Mazda3’s interior acoustics. An Active Driving Display is also available. This head-up display projects data onto the windshield, and even shows blind-spot warnings so that you don’t need to look away from the road to see if it is safe to change lanes.

If Mazda Connect seems to be a work in progress, the company gets the Mazda3’s safety features exactly right and the car delivers faultless crash-test ratings.

However, in Canada, most available safety features are not standard equipment. Those that are include blind spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert. You’ll pay extra for the rest: adaptive cruise control, forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, and automatic high-beam headlights.

GT grades get adaptive front headlights that swivel when you turn the steering wheel to help you see around dark corners and curves, as well as Traffic Jam Assist, reverse automatic braking, and a surround-view camera system.

Testing conditions did not include heavy traffic, so we did not examine Traffic Jam Assist, which pairs the adaptive cruise control with a low-speed lane-centring assistance feature.

At higher speeds, with the adaptive cruise control active, the car exhibits a delayed response when other vehicles cut into the gap ahead. However, once it recognizes that a new vehicle is in front of the Mazda3, the reaction is smooth rather than sudden. Furthermore, in sharper bends, the Mazda3 automatically slowed to what the technology determined was a safer speed.

Overall, the driver-assist features behaved as expected without issuing false alarms or taking ill-advised actions. This engenders trust in the technology, and because it is only obvious to the driver when necessary, you’re more likely to keep the systems turned on rather than shutting them off in frustration.

If the advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) is unable to prevent a collision from occurring, rest easy knowing the Mazda3 is one of the safest compact cars on the road. In crash tests performed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the car gets five-star ratings in every assessment, including for rollover resistance. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) names the 2022 Mazda Mazda3 a Top Safety Pick+ for its ability to protect occupants in a crash. It doesn’t get any better than this.

At nearly $40,000 Canadian, a Mazda3 Sport Turbo is not cheap. However, it has the style, quality, equipment, performance, and overall aura of sophistication to make it look like a bargain compared to, say, an equivalently optioned Audi A3 or BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe.

A more direct competitor for the Mazda3 Turbo sedan would be the Hyundai Elantra N. The Hyundai, however, is anything but subtle, whereas the Mazda adheres to the “speak softly and carry a big stick” philosophy.

Meanwhile, the Mazda3 Sport Turbo hatchback appears to have an identical mission to the redesigned 2022 Volkswagen GTI. Mazda3 Turbo prices tuck within the VW’s range.

We happened to have a GTI at the same time as the Mazda3 Turbo. The more affordable Mazda comes across as smooth, suave, and sophisticated while the GTI feels scrappier and more energetic like it wants to pick a fight. Plus, the Mazda has AWD; the GTI does not. You need a Golf R for that, along with more than $45,000 at minimum.

The segment of the market populated by performance-tuned compacts aimed at driving enthusiasts is a narrow one. But you don’t need a turbocharged engine to find a satisfying version of the Mazda3. All variants of this car hold plenty of appeal and deliver intrinsic value, especially measured against their traditional mainstream alternatives.

If the question to us is: “Would you buy a Mazda3 with your own money?” The answer is: “Without question, yes, Mazda Connect and all.”

Note: Images show a US model.