2011 Mazda 3 S Sedan 4-door 2.5l on 2040-cars

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Mazda3, CX-5 earn IIHS Top Safety Picks

Mazda technologies like SkyActiv-Body and SkyActiv-Chassis, plus ultra-high-tensile steel, six airbags, "crusable" brake and accelerator pedal assembly and collapsible steering column have helped the 2013 Mazda3 and 2014 Mazda CX-5 win Top Safety Pick laurels from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). It's the second year in a row for the Mazda3.
The accolade is earned by receiving "Good" marks for frontal moderate overlap crashes, side and rear impact crashes, and tests of roof strength. Remember, the small overlap test that the IIHS commenced in August 2012 has lately tripped up some makers who have excellent safety reputations.
The Mazda3 and CX-5 join offerings like the Dodge Dart, Hyundai Elantra, Mitsubishi Outlander Sport and Subaru Forester among the 117 vehicles so far declared Top Safety Picks - which is different than the 13 named Top Safety Picks+, mind you - for this year. Have a read of the press release below for more information.

2019 Mazda 3 recalled because the wheels could fall off while driving

Here’s a recall we had to read twice before believing. Mazda is bringing in 25,003 Mazda 3s that just rolled off the assembly line, because the wheels may fall off while driving. All the Mazda 3s are 2019 model year cars, so itÂ’s only the totally new generation Mazda 3 under the gun here. Thankfully, Mazda says there are no cases of this occurring to owners, and therefore no injuries or deaths related to the issue. As for the cause of the wheel detachment? Mazda put out a statement explaining the issue at hand.  “A manufacturing process error may result in a gap between the wheel hub bolt and hub flange during assembly. This gap causes loosening of the lug nuts though they were initially tightened to the correct specification at the plant. A rattling noise occurs prior to a wheel detachment from the vehicle,” Mazda says. ItÂ’s heartening to see Mazda did in fact tighten the lugs at the factory, but still extremely troubling to see that they can loosen all on their own. Our advice? Walk on out to your shiny, new Mazda 3 and torque those lugs to spec. If you donÂ’t have a torque wrench, then just use the wrench that came with the car to make sure theyÂ’re not loose. Those that have a new Mazda 3 should be on the lookout for a recall notice in the mail. YouÂ’ll then be able to take the car to the dealer for Mazda to fix the problem. Until then, just keep an eye on your lugs. A wheel flying off while driving at speed is always a recipe for disaster, and we sure do enjoy driving the new Mazda 3 at speed.

2021 Mazda3 2.5 Turbo is official, with automatic transmission only

The Mazda3 Turbo is here, and while it’s no Mazdaspeed, this is still a happy day for enthusiasts. Its full, official name is the 2021 Mazda3 2.5 Turbo, which begins to describe it perfectly. Just as was expected, Mazda has taken its 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder off its shelf and plopped it into the compact 3. When run on 93 octane fuel, Mazda claims 250 horsepower and 320 pound-feet of torque. You can still run it on 87 octane, but the numbers drop to 227 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque. Mazda says this engine has a specific calibration for the Mazda3 “to deliver the unique driving dynamics expected by our most passionate drivers.” The engine delivers a stout low-end shove in its other applications, so perhaps Mazda has found a way to make it more excitable in the upper rev ranges. WeÂ’ll see about that when we drive it. The Turbo is also paired exclusively with all-wheel drive and the six-speed automatic transmission. It is sad to see the six-speed manual being left in the dust here, but Mazda has decided to not offer it as an option. The all-wheel drive system operates the same as the one in the naturally aspirated version, which should hopefully be good enough to mitigate torque steer and understeer. Mazda hasnÂ’t quoted any official acceleration times for the Turbo yet, but we expect it could chop about a second off the carÂ’s 0-60 mph time. Something in the low 6-second range seems plausible. There are no changes to the chassis, suspension or brakes for this model; Mazda says "the current Mazda3, as well as all our vehicles, are always designed and tuned to be focused on dynamic driving. We are confident that the turbo engine will help to refine the already exciting driving experience without the need to add more than is necessary." It does come in a base trim (similar to a base hatchback in content), but even that trim is relatively well-equipped. A Premium Plus Package is available that raises the bar. This package includes leather seats, navigation, HomeLink, Traffic Jam Assist (provides steering inputs below 40 mph to stay in lane), 360-degree camera, rear automatic emergency braking, rear cross-traffic braking and parking sensors in front and back.  Unfortunately, the new driver assistance features we listed above are exclusive to the Turbo and wonÂ’t be available on other Mazda3 models this year.