The 2024 Mazda3 retails from $25,355 in the United States and from $26,195 in Canada, freight and delivery charges included.
Undeniably fun to drive, attractive design inside and out, rich cabin interior fit and finish.
Limited outward visibility, the least fuel-efficient compact, lack of rear-seat room.
The Mazda3 has been one of the most engaging vehicles to drive in compact-car segment since it first appeared for the 2004 model year, and the same can be said for the Mazda Protegé that preceded it. The obvious trend here is that the Japanese brand has long been a peddler of cars that embrace driving pleasure, at the expense of more rational purchase factors. The 2024 Mazda3 is once again offered in four-door sedan and five-door hatchback body styles, with minimal changes for the latest model year.
The lineup differs between the U.S. and Canadian markets, so let’s try to summarize it here. In the United States, the Mazda3 sedan is offered in 2.5 S, 2.5 S Select Sport, 2.5 S Preferred, 2.5 S Carbon Edition, 2.5 Carbon Turbo and 2.5 Turbo Premium Plus, while the five-door variant also adds the 2.5 S Premium positioned between the two Carbon trims.
Meanwhile in Canada, the 2024 Mazda3 sedan is available in GX, GS, GS AWD, GT, GT AWD and GT Turbo AWD. The five-door Mazda3 Sport gets the same lineup, along with the range-topping Suna Edition.
The U.S.-market 2.5 S variants as well as all Canadian-market trims except GT Turbo and Suna Edition are equipped with a naturally aspirated 2.5L inline-four that develops 191 horsepower and 186 pound-feet of torque. It’s managed by a six-speed automatic transmission, save for one five-door GT trim in which a six-speed manual is available, for those who still want to row their own gears. The 2.0L engine is gone, as it wasn’t any more efficient than the 2.5L engine.
The 2.5 Turbo, GT Turbo and Suna Edition benefit from a turbocharged variant of the 2.5L I4 engine, producing 227 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque with regular fuel, or 250 hp and 320 pound-feet using 93-octane fuel. AWD is mandatory.
The base engine is plenty powerful, and among the most potent in the compact-car segment. Is the turbo engine worth the extra coin? From a performance standpoint, not really, especially if we’re not keen on spending even more money on fuel to extra all those 250 ponies. The turbo engine undoubtedly makes the 2024 Mazda3 quicker under sporty driving, but during the daily commute at a more relaxed pace, the extra torque isn’t all that noticeable.
Here the fuel economy ratings for the 2024 Mazda3:
| Engine | Drivetrain | Body Style | City/Highway/Combined MPG | City/Highway/Combined L/100 km |
| 2.5L I4 | FWD | Sedan | 27/37/31 | 8.4/6.3/7.5 |
| 2.5L I4 | FWD | Five-Door | 27/35/30 | 8.5/6.5/7.6 |
| 2.5L I4 w/6-speed manual | FWD | Five-Door | 26/36/30 | 9.0/6.4/7.8 |
| 2.5L I4 | AWD | Sedan | 26/35/30 | 8.9/6.6/7.9 |
| 2.5L I4 | AWD | Five-Door | 26/33/29 | 9.0/7.1/8.1 |
| Turbo 2.5L I4 | AWD | Sedan | 23/32/27 | 10.1/7.3/8.8 |
| Turbo 2.5L I4 | AWD | Five-Door | 23/31/26 | 10.1/7.5/8.9 |
During our winter test, we managed 24 mpg or 9.9 L/100 km aboard a Mazda3 sedan equipped with the turbo engine and AWD.
Standard features vary from one region to another, but in both cases, the more affordable trim levels are equipped with 16-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights and taillights, an infotainment system housing an 8.8-inch display, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto integration, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, cloth seat upholstery and a manually adjustable driver’s seat. The U.S. market also gets a six-speaker stereo, rain-sensing wipers, adaptive cruise control with stop and go, lane departure warning, and lane keep assist, Driver Attention Alert, auto high beams and autonomous emergency braking. The Canadian market gets an eight-speaker stereo and heated front seats as standard, while most active safety features are found from the GS trim level up.
A slew of uplevel features are available on pricier trim levels as well, such as leather seats, a heated steering wheel, a power sunroof, a power-adjustable driver’s seat, navigation, 18-inch alloy wheels, front and rear park sensors, rear emergency braking, a 360-degree camera system, head-up display, adaptive headlights, a windshield wiper de-icer and a Bose 12-speaker sound system, and more.
Changes for the 2024 model year include the deletion of the 2.0L engine and reduced availability of the manual transmission, while a new 10.25-inch touchscreen is optional in order to facilitate use of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Wireless phone charging has been added as well, along with wireless phone projection. The 12V power socket has been ditched.
Pricing ranges from $25,355 to $37,835 in the United States, and from $26,195 to $40,895 in Canada, freight and delivery charges included. The 2024 Mazda3 competes with the Honda Civic, the Hyundai Elantra, the Kia Forte, the Nissan Sentra, the Subaru Impreza, the Toyota Corolla, the Volkswagen Golf GTI and the Volkswagen Jetta.
Why You Should Buy a 2024 Mazda3
- If you’re into driving dynamics and spirited performance, get a Mazda3. It’s the most engaging compact you get buy right now. However, if our budget is over the $35K mark, then some rivals such as the Golf GTI and Civic Si are just thrilling than a Mazda3 Turbo, maybe even more so.
- The Mazda3’s cabin is well decked-out with rich materials and an elegant design that wouldn’t look out of place in a luxury-branded car.
- Like the Impreza, the Mazda3 is available with all-wheel drive for that extra shot of confidence in slippery conditions. Mazda’s AWD works well, too, despite being a reactive system unlike the Subaru’s full-time setup.
Why You Shouldn’t Buy a 2023 Mazda3
- The Mazda doesn’t offer the most spacious cabin in its category. In fact, it’s one of the smallest ones. Rear-seat passengers don’t get much legroom, which has been a Mazda3 trademark since day one.
- The car’s steeply raked windshield requires fatter pillars, and combined with the small side windows, outward visibility is a challenge. It’s even worse in the five-door with its slim rear window and wide rear pillars.
- While the Mazda3 isn’t a gas hog, it’s the least-efficient compact, though the gap is marginal in some cases. The turbo engine is comparable to that of the Golf GTI. On the other hand, some rivals offer hybrid powertrains—namely the Civic, the Elantra and the Corolla—that Mazda doesn’t.
Final Word
Competitively priced, refined and fun to drive, the 2024 Mazda3 is a strong choice in the compact-car category. The turbocharged AWD variants may be a little pricey, but their direct competitors are as well. In addition, the Mazda3 gained a good reputation for reliability in recent years, especially equipped with naturally aspirated engines. Simply put, it gives the impression of driving a luxury car with mainstream-brand monthly payments.
