A cartoon drawing of a white woman with light brown hair below her shoulders, parted in the middle. She is wearing round purple glasses, red lipstick, and a pink frilly shirt. The background is a light pink-orange with stars on it.
A close up of the back end of a red Mazda3, with the mazda3 emblem displayed under the left tailight
July 27, 2021
Image by StockSnap from Pixabay

Does The Turbo Make The Mazda3 Sport Sporty Again?

Posted on July 27, 2021  •  5 minutes  • 876 words

This is the fifth part of a multi-part series. The links below will get you all caught up.

A well broke-in couch is both soft and comfortable, having spent many a year being slept and sat on against its will. If a couch had a will of course it probably wouldn’t choose a life of being squished constantly by heavy and dirty animals. But many a couch becomes too soft; too easy to sink into the cushions, where even trying to shift positions becomes a chore. Yes you’re comfortable for a few minutes, but that comfort ends and a battle to find a new comfortable position begins before you repeat again; the endless cycle of comfortable torment.

The fourth generation redesigned Mazda3 launched in 2019 turned the Sport hatchback that I enjoyed so much, into an old, comfortable couch. I liked the new design for what it was, and I’m sure it was just what many non-enthusiasts were looking for in a car. I am not a non-enthusiast.

But that was two years ago and the first year of the new generation. Time heals all wounds and mistakes are just learning experiences.

While I found it soft and refined and comfortable, the problem was it was boring. It had 30 more horsepower and torque than my 2016, yet somehow felt slower. It had the zoom-zoom pedigree of the Mazda name, and you could no longer feel the road going around corners. It had the potential to be a great car, and for me it was a bitter disappointment.

But that was two years ago and the first year of the new generation. Time heals all wounds and mistakes are just learning experiences. Changes can be made, and new ideas can grow and flourish.

... the addition of the turbo was just what this car needed to put the bounce back in this couch.

The 2021 Mazda3 Sport GT Turbo AWD summed up in one word is stunning. The interior is stunning. The exterior (looks are subjective I know), is stunning. The Soul Red Crystal Metallic paint on the car I test drove? Stunning. And yes, that glorious 2.5L Turbo engine from the CX-9 crammed into the smaller engine bay of the Mazda3 Sport is… yup, stunning.

The Mazda3, in both sedan and hatchback form, embodies Mazda’s vision of moving upmarket. These cars definitely look and feel the part, while also coming in quite a few thousand dollars less than one might expect. While I initially found the redesign of the fourth generation to be a let down, the addition of the turbo was just what this car needed to put the bounce back in this couch.

Having driven the slightly larger and heavier CX-30 Turbo, I knew the Mazda3 Sport would be quick off the line. And sure enough, there was no disappointment in getting up to speed leaving the dealership.

I felt that familiar shift to the side, and I hadn't taken a large turn yet. Excellent.

I soon had to pull over as the car was alerting me that the hatch was not fully closed, likely due to the temporary dealer plate hung on the lower closing latch. After making a quick pit stop to take care of that, I resumed my test drive and headed for the highway.

I knew I was going to like this car far more than the 2019 before I even came close to my destination of curvy road. The feeling on the on-ramp and a lane change to pass ensured that. I felt that familiar shift to the side, and I hadn’t taken a large turn yet. Excellent.

Turning onto the curvy stretch of road through this part of the city, I braked and hugged the road before accelerating back out of the corner. Again and again, left and right the turns came and the car soaked them up. This. This was what I was missing from the 2019. The turbo had restored the Mazda3 Sport to the image I had in my head. This felt like my 2016, but also faster because of the enormous extra boost in power.

I was having fun again in a car that never should have taken the fun away to begin with. I liked driving the CX-30, I enjoyed driving this. This reaffirmed for me that while I might have liked dipping my toe into the small crossover segment, the compact hatchback segment is where I really want to be.

After a long day at work, I had come home. I was sitting on a not so old, not so soft, not too comfortable couch, and I was happy.

Coming up next:

Other articles in this series:

Thanks so much for reading ^‿^

Claire

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