The Car Connection Expert Review
Likes
- Sedan’s styling
- Good handling
- Upscale interior
- Optional AWD or manual
Dislikes
- No AWD and manual version
- Turbos are expensive
- Hatch looks kinda weird
- Lousy infotainment
Buying tip
features & specs
The 2025 Mazda 3 is a compact car with verve and slick styling but a lousy infotainment system.
What kind of vehicle is the 2025 Mazda 3? What does it compare to?
The 2025 Mazda 3 is a compact sedan and hatchback lineup. Shop it against the Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, and Subaru Impreza.
Is the 2025 Mazda 3 a good car?
It’s a pleasant compact car with good handling and a composed ride, plus attractive styling. But we’re not fans of its infotainment system and it has a small back seat. The Mazda 3 earns a 6.3 out of 10 on the TCC scale. (Read more about how we rate cars.)
What's new for the 2025 Mazda 3?
Mazda’s entry-level sedan and hatchback models see various tweaks for the new year, including new Amazon Alexa integration, wider availability of the base S trim level, and over-the-air updates for the navigation system.
The 3 has some of the most evocative styling in the compact car class. A balanced front end gives way to curvy flanks, but the hatchback’s hefty roof pillar and sloping rear window don’t make it everyone’s favorite. Both the sedan and hatch are prettier inside, where a less-is-more approach and nice materials elevate these cars beyond most other compacts. If only Mazda offered more interior hues.
The base 2.5-liter inline-4 puts out 191 hp via a 6-speed automatic transmission, and it can also be had with a 6-speed manual in one specific trim level. It’s fine, if a little light on verve and a little too loud inside. The stronger choice here is the 250-hp turbo-4, but even it’s not all that quick and it requires premium fuel for the best performance.
All models have good steering feedback and a firm but not too stiff ride. They’re a lot of fun to drive, if short of truly sporty.
Fuel-economy estimates exceed 30 mpg combined for the base powertrain, but there’s no hybrid version here.
The 2025 Mazda 3 has a nicely designed cabin with supportive front seats. Rear-seat riders have limited space, and the trunk is small on sedans. Hatchbacks are better when it comes to cargo space, though even they trail some competitors. Such is the price of style.
The cabin features either an 8.8-inch or 10.3-inch display; the smaller screen has wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, while the bigger one goes wireless. We recommend using either since the built-in infotainment system is one of the worst on the market.
On the bright side, the Mazda 3 has a great safety record. It has earned five stars from the feds and a Top Safety Pick+ from the IIHS. All versions have a particularly good complement of crash-avoidance and driver-assistance tech, too.
How much does the 2025 Mazda 3 cost?
The Mazda 3 lineup starts at about $25,000 for the base S sedan, or $1,000 more for the cheapest hatchback. It’s pretty well-equipped with good safety and driver-assistance tech, plus an 8.8-inch screen with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and a center control knob.
The lineup is a bit tricky to navigate, with some trims priced about the same but offering different features. You’ll have to shop carefully if you want a manual transmission or all-wheel drive, though there’s no version with both.
Where is the 2025 Mazda 3 made?
In Japan.
2025 Mazda MAZDA3 Styling
The Mazda 3 is a rarity in that it looks better as a sedan than as a hatchback.
Is the Mazda 3 a good-looking car?
It’s very nice, with slippery lines, purposeful detailing, and a lovely cabin. It earns points for both its exterior and exterior, bringing it to a 7 on the TCC scale.
The 2025 Mazda 3 comes in sedan and hatchback varieties, which start the same up front. The shield-like grille cants forward to give the car an in-motion look. Beefy chrome accents give way to delicate headlights. From the side, the 3’s two versions show their differences immediately. The sedan is a purposeful, stylish sedan, with a short trunk and long hood. The shorter hatch, meanwhile, has an oversize rearmost roof pillar and an exaggerated sloping roofline. It’s fine in profile, but it’s not as balanced as the sedan.
The cabin has a low dashboard accented with metallic trim and some stitched panels on certain versions. The standard 8.8-inch and optional 10.3-inch displays integrate well with the dash. Mazda offers just a few interior tones, though, so don’t go looking for anything particularly warm and inviting here – only a bone-like tan or charcoal.
2025 Mazda MAZDA3 Performance
The 2025 Mazda 3 was born to entertain.
Mazda’s smallest model is one of its most fun, with slick handling and great steering paired with a decent ride. It’s a 7 here, though turbo models might net another point for their acceleration.
Is the Mazda 3 4WD?
Front-wheel drive is standard, though several trim levels come with all-wheel drive. This is a complicated lineup, so shop accordingly if all-wheel traction is critical.
How fast is the Mazda 3?
It’s adequate in base form and pretty peppy with the available turbo.
The base 2.5-liter inline-4 puts out a decent 191 hp and 186 lb-ft of torque, which goes to the wheels via a 6-speed automatic transmission in most trims. This setup delivers decent acceleration, but it’s accompanied by more underhood thrum than we’d like to hear.
Some versions of the base Mazda 3 can be had with a 6-speed manual, but most use a 6-speed automatic. The manual is a gem, if you can find one.
We prefer the 2.5-liter turbo-4, which puts out as much as 250 hp and 320 lb-ft of torque using premium 93-octane fuel. (It’s rated at 227 hp and 310 lb-ft on regular unleaded.) It’s quick but not overly sporty, lacking the manic edge that you might find in, say, the Honda Civic Type R.
The Mazda 3 earns its sporty bona fides with its taut suspension, which isn’t especially sophisticated given its front-strut and rear torsion-beam setup. Nonetheless, it rides well and has limited lean in corners. Crisp steering with good weighting and feedback helps the 3 feel nimble in urban areas while still entertaining at highway speeds.
2025 Mazda MAZDA3 Comfort & Quality
The 2025 Mazda 3 has a lightly decorated but cramped interior with nice materials.
Mazda fits an attractive cabin to its smallest model, with good materials and a simple design. It gets a 6 out of 10 thanks to its good front seats. Hatchbacks would earn another point for utility, even if they’re not super-practical.
The 3 has comfortable front seats with plenty of adjustment. Higher-end versions have power seats wrapped in synthetic or real leather, while the base trims have cloth.
The rear seat has a modest 35 inches of legroom, but it doesn’t even feel that spacious. The low roofline and narrow bench make it feel tight. The rear seatbacks fold in a split 60/40 arrangement to expand the cargo area. Sedans have just 13.2 cubic feet of trunk space, while the shorter but more practical hatchback checks in at 20.1 cubes.
Materials inside are nice, with soft-touch, low-sheen surfaces on the dash and door panels, and Mazda does a good job with small-item storage.
2025 Mazda MAZDA3 Safety
The 2025 Mazda 3 has a good crash-test record for a small car.
How safe is the Mazda 3?
It has done pretty well in crash tests. Last year’s model scored a Top Safety Pick+ award from the IIHS and five stars from the NHTSA. Those assets earn it a point each, and we grant it another for its array of collision-avoidance and driver-assistance features.
All models have automatic emergency braking, active lane control, blind-spot monitors, automatic high beams, and adaptive cruise control, while widely available upgrades include front and rear parking sensors, adaptive headlights, and a surround-view camera system that’ll help prevent those pretty wheels from being curbed. That’s especially essential since over-the-shoulder outward vision is lousy in the hatchback.
2025 Mazda MAZDA3 Features
The 2025 Mazda 3 can be outfitted like a mini luxury car at the top end, though it’s priced accordingly.
Mazda’s smallest car has a reasonable price tag to start, but it can get pricey with a quickness. We score it at 6 out of 10 thanks to good standard fare and value, but one of those points is erased by the frustrating infotainment system. It’s a 6.
The 2025 Mazda 3 starts at $25,135, or $26,135 for the hatchback. The base 2.5 S trim has the safety tech described above plus cloth seats, 16-inch alloy wheels, two USB-C ports, and an 8.8-inch screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The infotainment system lacks touchscreen functionality, and Mazda’s baked-in infotainment software has a clunky interface requiring extensive use of a center console-mounted knob.
Mazda includes a 3-year/36,000-mile warranty, which is nothing special.
Which Mazda 3 should I buy?
The mid-level Preferred package adds power adjustment for the driver’s seat, heating for both front seats, synthetic leather upholstery, 18-inch wheels, and a sunroof. At $2,500 more than the base models, we think the Preferred trim is worth the spend.
If you want all-wheel drive, you’ll have to drop around $30,500 for the Carbon Edition, or go for one of the top turbocharged models. The Carbon Edition comes with red leather interior trim and has wireless smartphone mirroring.
The only manual transmission option is the 2.5 S Premium, which has a fairly high-level of features like leather upholstery, navigation, and Bose audio for $31,700 or so in hatchback-only form.
How much is a fully loaded Mazda 3?
The top Turbo Premium Plus nudges $37,000 in sedan form, or $38,000 as a hatchback. It’s priced like a luxury car but equipped like one, too, with Bose audio, a surround-view camera system, navigation, leather trim, and a head-up display.
2025 Mazda MAZDA3 Fuel Economy
The Mazda 3 has decent fuel economy.
Is the Mazda 3 good on gas?
It’s pretty good, though some rivals are more frugal. Base versions are rated as high as 27 mpg city, 37 highway, 31 combined, but some versions check in at 27/35/30 mpg. The manual transmission model is estimated at 26/36/30 mpg, while the all-wheel-drive version is estimated at 26/35/30 mpg. Ratings vary slightly by body style and features. Overall, we rate the range at 4 out of 10 since most are estimated at 30 mpg or higher combined.
The Mazda 3 turbo is estimated between 26 and 27 mpg combined, depending on the trim level.
