The Mazda 3 has always been the proverbial underdog in the compact car segment. While the segment itself has shrunken over the past few years as compact crossovers encroach on their territory with these models stealing customers away. As a result, automakers have slowly begun to kill off these models. Mazda is one of the few that’s still committed to the compact car wars and its Mazda 3 sedan and hatchback continue to be outliers in a rapidly shrinking segment.
The Mazda 3 has always been a stylish car and while some of its DNA (especially on the hatchback) is rapidly starting to age, the sedan has always continued to strike a balance between fun and smart good looks. But with Mazda preferring to do light updates on the 3 for the past couple years, we wanted to find out if the 2024 Mazda 3 still had what it takes to stand out in a rapidly shrinking segment.
Stylish Mazda 3 exterior is starting to show its age.
Mazda has always been keen to show that the Mazda 3 is still one of the stylish entries in the segment with the front end of our Turbo Premium tester featuring a large blacked-out grille and sleek headlights. The look is based on the Koda concept car and while it’s still bold when paired with certain colors, it’s no secret that the look has not changed very much especially when compared to some of its few remaining rivals. The rear in our eyes is better than the bloated hatchback’s proportions but its age is also starting to show too.
This creeping onset of age comes at a time when Kia has overhauled its compact entry. Once known as the Forte, the newly relabeled 2024 Kia K4 is attempting to channel Kia’s newfound design mojo with the model sharing much of its styling cues with the bigger K5 and the Stinger. The K4 is also promising revamped performance options but it remains to be seen if the K4 can measure up to the Mazda 3 in real world driving. Still, young buyers are always focused on having the latest thing in their lives and the K4’s exterior styling might lure some of them away.
Luxury continues to impress in Mazda 3
Slip inside the 2024 Mazda 3 and you’ll find that not much has changed inside the 3’s interior. Premium materials are still very apparent with Mazda designers continuing to do a good job of using bright colors and trim to produce a look that’s managed to resist the ravages of aging better than the exterior. The front seats are comfortable and reasonably supportive but since this is a compact car, the back seats continue to be tight for taller occupants.
The cabin can also be equipped with several desirable features but trim level hierarchy continues to be the law of the land with higher trim levels (including our Premium grade tester) getting access to features like heads-up display, heated front seats and real leather upholstery. Our tester arrived with the larger 10.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system with this system getting standard wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (the smaller 8.8-inch system gets wired connections). The larger screen has fast software with occupants using either touch a BMW-style control knob to move around various menus and functions. This level of upscale features is still very impressive for the segment and the interior continues to be one of the highlights in the Mazda 3. We recommend sticking with the sedan since the hatchback’s lousy rearward visibility makes lane changes an unnecessary frustration.
Turbo delivers speed but where’s the fuel economy?
Performance for the 2024 Mazda 3 still comes from two engines with base models getting a naturally aspirated 191-hp four-cylinder. Our tester arrived with the turbocharged version of this engine which makes 250 hp and is mated to a six-speed automatic. The setup allows models like our tester to make the sprint to 60 mph in 5.3 seconds with the 3 delivering this extra punch in a smooth and controlled manner.
However, there are two main problems with this engine. Firstly, buyers cannot get it with a six-speed manual (that’s reserved for front-wheel drive equipped 3’s with the base engine.) A more prominent drawback though is fuel economy with the turbo being rated for 23 mpg in city driving and 31 mpg in freeway driving. During our time with it, we saw fuel economy of 20 mpg in the city which is three less than advertised and the engine still has a split personality depending on what fuel it’s fed. Stick with premium and you’ll get the full 250 hp, but if you switch to regular unleaded, power dips down to just over 220.
Handling in our tester is sharp with the brakes doing a good job of delivering smooth and stable stops. As is the case with everything else here on the Mazda 3, the performance hardware has carried over largely unchanged and while that means most of the magic continues to go through the motions as Mazda intended, we really wish that Mazda will add a few more gears to the automatic to help the turbo engine perform to its full potential while also bumping its fuel economy numbers up a bit more.
Value Quotient
Pricing for the 2024 Mazda 3 continues to be an enduring strong point with a base model starting at $24,170. The naturally aspirated 2.5-liter is meant to be the volume engine and that’s evident when you go online to Mazda’s configurator. The Turbo lineup lost one trim level a short while back and as a result, the only way you can get a 2024 model is choosing between the $31,750 Carbon Edition or the $35,450 Turbo Premium Plus. Our Premium Plus had several minor options equipped to it, but their presence did little to raise the price too much with our tester still having pricing that placed it under the $40,000 mark.
As they say age is not always a defined number and the 2024 Mazda 3 lineup continues to defy the laws of evolution with a formula that’s still strong for the most part with styling and interior comfort continuing to be prominent benchmarks. However, there’s always room to grow and improve and while the segment around it is rapidly shrinking away, we hope that a new automatic transmission will help the 3 finally live up to its full potential.
Carl Malek has been an automotive journalist for over 10 years. First starting out as a freelance photographer before making the transition to writing during college, his work has appeared on numerous automotive forums as well as websites such as Autoshopper.com.
Carl is also a big fan of British vehicles with the bulk of his devotion going to the Morgan Motor Company as well as offerings from Lotus, MG, and Caterham. When he is not writing about automobiles, Carl enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the Metro Detroit area, as well as spending time with his adorable pets.