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MAZDA3

Published 9:30 am Friday, August 14, 2009

With pent-up demand growing by the day for fun, practical, fuel-efficient, affordable automobiles, the 2009 Mazda3 is ready and waiting to Zoom-Zoom up the sales charts.

Actually, this compact sedan is already Mazda’s best-selling vehicle globally and is the perfect fit for consumers who don’t want to sacrifice fun behind the wheel for fuel economy. A five-door hatchback body style is also available.

Mazda3 delivers a total driving experience far greater than its price tag would have buyers believe. And then, of course, there’s the MazdaSpeed3. That’s another story altogether.

Mazda3 received many new and upgraded features in mid-year 2008. These features carried over to my tester, the 2009 Mazda3 4-Door s model. The extended goodie bag now includes standard anti-lock brakes, side-impact airbags and side air curtains, 17-inch alloy wheels, fog lights, MP3 compatible CD player and factory-installed Sirius satellite radio with a free six-month subscription.

Albeit small in size, the Mazda3 four-door sedan can squish five adults inside with adequate head and leg room. The trunk, while not cavernous, does the job.

Power comes from a 2.3-liter engine that is mated to a six-speed manual transmission. The engine generates 156 horsepower and 150 lb-ft of torque, and I’d rate its performance somewhere between peppy and zippy — knowing that the MazdaSpeed3 is where the real fun resides. But the Mazda3 engine accelerates quickly, churning through the gears smoothly and effortlessly to produce more than enough power to keep a toothy grin on the face of its driver. Despite its commanding performance, the Mazda3 remains a fuel sipper, not a guzzler. Its EPA rating is 22 mpg city, 29 mpg highway.

The car’s interior has reclining sport-type bucket front seats, and the rear seats are a 60/40 split fold-down configuration. Standard amenities include a three-spoke steering wheel with audio controls, power windows and door locks, a telescoping steering wheel column, and a four-speaker audio system with CD player, Sirius satellite radio compatibility and an auxiliary audio input jack.

Mazda3 maneuvers effortlessly through backed-up I-5 traffic or slicing and dicing country roads en route to the Snohomish Golf Course.

For those with the foresight to consider safety features, the Mazda3 will once again not disappoint. Front seat-mounted side and roof-mounted curtain airbags are standard. Impact-absorbing trim on the steering column is designed to minimize injury to the driver’s knees, and a collapsible brake pedal helps reduce the risk of lower leg injury in the event of a frontal collision. Unchanged for 2009 but still class-leading are anti-lock brakes with brake assist.

Dynamic stability control and traction control are standard on the Touring and Grand Touring s models.

Tell me what’s not to like about an affordable car that delivers above-average fuel-efficiency, excellent handling, a tight chassis and enough power to keep a smile on the face of its owner.

This car sells itself. Case closed.