Under the Hood

The Mazda3 i comes standard with a 148-horsepower, 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that can team with a five-speed manual or five-speed automatic transmission. Mazda3 s models use a 167-hp, 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine that works with a six-speed manual or five-speed automatic. The automatic includes a clutchless-manual mode that lets the driver control gear changes by nudging the console gear selector up or down.


A Mazda3 i with a manual transmission achieves the best EPA-estimated gas mileage, with its 25/33 mpg city/highway rating. Selecting the automatic lowers the city rating by 1 mpg. The Mazda3 s, meanwhile, is rated at 21/29 mpg with the manual and 22/29 mpg with the automatic.

    See also:

    Jump-Starting
    Jump-starting is dangerous if done incorrectly. So follow the procedure carefully. If you feel unsure about jump-starting, we strongly recommend that you have a competent service technician do t ...

    Two Strikes Against
    The two strikes against the 2009 Mazda3 are its crash tests and its gas mileage. With the crash tests, the problem isn't the results, it's the lack thereof. The Insurance Institute for Highway Saf ...

    A Powertrain for Sporty Performance with Great Fuel Economy
    The Zoom-Zoom driving experience that Mazda strives for has two key attributes: 1) a sense of linear acceleration and deceleration that responds crisply to how far the accelerator pedal is depressed ...