Revealed: Newly Redesigned Mazda3 Ready for 2008 L.A. Auto Show
With around 1.8 million units sold so far and some 90 awards won, the Mazda3 has been treating the Japanese automaker quite well ever since its initial release five years ago. So to keep the favorable trend going, Mazda will show the all-new Mazda3 sedan at the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show.
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The styling has been nudged towards what the automaker likes to call a unified Mazda global "family face." This translates into a lower air intake, and a modernized and 'instantly recognizable' five-point grill. The lines have also been tweaked and molded on the body for a more coupe-like shape, featuring a similar the C-pillar profile as the one on the 2009 Mazda6.
Interior upgrades include a sharper and more contemporary look than the previous generation, with keyless entry and push-button start as its standard party piece. Options will include rain-sensing wipers, heated side mirrors, leather upholstery, and heated seats. While these changes are nothing too special, it does come with a Bose 10-speaker premium surround sound system, a dock for iPods, Sirius satellite radio, and connectivity for cell phones and portable media players. These additions should happily satisfy anyone with a techno-accessory junkie within.
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The power comes in the form of either a 2.0-liter inline-4 capable of generating 148 horsepower and135 pound-feet of torque, or a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder that produces 167 hp and 168 lb-ft of torque. To transfer power to the wheels, there is yet another list of choices ranging from a five-speed or six-speed manual transmission, as well as a five-speed electronically controlled Sport-AT autobox.
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Comments
mo
fresh and new design, will look a bit weird at first but I think the car looks great.
Anonymous
Looks bizarre.
yan
The face is more close to Mazda RX8, it seems that, Mazda is carring out the appearance design plan as Audi.
VII
Wish they changed the RX8 MORE so it looked more like the rest of the redesigns. I'm really feeling the direction their going in for the the 6 and 3. Looks preeety fresh actually...a breath of fresh air. :)
~TheDarkWind
VMMVMMM
That is a huge smile on the front of that car...
ben
Looks good.Â
Stan Rooney
Overstyled, a complexity of lines and detail lacking subtlety, grace and elegance.
lai
Wish the Mazda 5 looks like this. A distant cousin of the Mazda FURAI!
tim why
I am 45 and I remember when Toyota, Honda and Nissan came into the American market. Their cars were tight, well built, and innovative. One of the things that always caught my eye was how they were able to make their trunks so low, compared to the American, German and British cars. Now I look at the Mazda3 and wonder why the "bumper" has to be so large and why the trunk lift-over is so high? Is this progress?? Check out a late 80's Honda Civic trunk, low, wide, useful space and the trunk lid didn't protrude into the rear line of site. Now look at this Mazda3. Hideous. Not parallel parking friendly, that's for sure.
VII
Safety standards homie...sorry. The safer they are the more bulbous, and thus uglier, they get. :(
~TheDarkWind
Youhoo
This new, ugly model makes me even more happy about our Sport3 GT sitting out there in the garage.
aafitzy
Are ye for real? its pure class, but then ye would not know style if it bite you in the ass. Ifs not big and ugly and over the top then its not for you!!!
Fred615
The front wheel wells and the crease above them on the hood are almost exactly what is on the Mazda6. I just bought the 6 last month and I think the front end design is agressive and certainly different from most other cars in either the 3 or 6 class of cars. Overall, I think this new 3 is about the slickest looking small car I've ever seen...
Anonymous
Not horrible, but the design looks very busy. It's almost like a mish-mash of ideas rather than a good flow. A little rx-8 here, a little current mazda3 there, and a bulging rear deck added in for fun I guess. I like the grill, but I'm not excited about the front fender flares and how much they clash with the rest of the design. The wheel wells seem a bit restrictive. All in all I'm not thrilled, but I'm looking foreward to seeing what the hatch version looks like.
Roby.R
Looking at the style ,very europeen, Beautyfull finish,and equipments.I say *GO* I see a big step in tecnologie, and structure Accura your gone....
Davie
If the new Mazda 6 is "flow," I now understand that it refers to some form of sea life. What a face!
ALI
its stunning and mind blowing nice car
srinivas
Have the designers gone mental ? The front is totally out of sync with the rest of the car.
this is what happens when they take a balanced design and stick an over-the-top bumper to it, in the name of giving it a family face.
Anonymous
Like everything but the grill, which appears to be out of proportion to the rest of the car! Knowing Mazda, I'm sure they got the driving dynamics right!
Anonymous
That is one very ugly toothless grin!
Raywave
Astonishingly beautiful design. I´m amazed. No wonder Mazda are winning lots of design awards. They are really on the right track.
compassstl
I love love love the rear end of the car. I wish they had kept with the Atenza (non-US Mazda6) design for the '09 Mazda6 instead of the Camry-esque rear that made it to production. The new 3 looks great, except for the front: it looks like an anime character, which is only really appropriate on micro-cars and sub-compacts like the Fit or Versa, not the class-leading and refined 3. Make it look less like it's a giant grin with overly large brake ducts and it'd look much better.
Anonymous
Im disappointed with the way the front end looks.....it doesnt look mean like the other versions do. The plastic where the fog lights are at are WAY too large. They should have just made the body a little wider and made a little fender lip sort of like the BMW M3 or M5 series cars. The rear-end is attractive ONLY because of the dual-exhaust. The tail-lights are a little funky looking like the 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer tail-lights. I'll be keeping my 2007 Mazda 3.....looks alot better in my opinion. Only thing i wish was different was the interior, i wish it was more like the speed series interior.
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