—Laguna Beach, California
When you think about driving along the mountain roads of southern California, your brain immediately fixates on images of Lotus Elises and Porsche Boxsters as potential quick-footed dance partners for a day of driving fun. But in reality, any car with nimble steering, a taught suspension, and a bit of pep in its step can give similar pleasures. Take our 2010 Mazda3, for example. We spent many hours throwing it through a seemingly endless series of back-and-forth, left-and-right turns, and walked away feeling quite satisfied. The previous generation 3 was seriously fun in these conditions. We’re happy to report that the new car is too.
There’s an old saying that kept circulating through our minds process when pondering the second-generation Mazda3: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Even as the first-gen car turned five years old, we still praised it for being one of the best driver’s cars available at the $20,000 mark. Why mess with success? As it turns out, the Mazda engineers felt the same way—no major overhauls were done to the 3’s platform—and the suits in charge frequently referred to the new car as, “Evolutionary, not revolutionary.” What’s more, the 3’s overall price points haven’t been affected too much, and in certain trim levels, the 2010 model is actually less expensive than the outgoing car. So far, so good.
(Click through the post to continue reading this review.)
