Driving dynamics - The evolution to a more sophisticated sporty ride
The development theme for the all-new Mazda 3's dynamic performance was "exhilarating driving." It refers to the satisfaction derived when a car acts in perfect concert with the driver's intentions. It could also be described as the sense of accomplishment derived when the driver can handle the car easily and have it respond exactly as desired to their will.
Toward this end, the development team didn't settle for merely adding small changes to the already high levels of body rigidity and driving performance. Rather, they made every effort to completely eliminate all negative aspects, from the engine noise, vibration in the body and road noise. At the same time, the team retained all positive aspects including the sound of the engine, the feeling of acceleration, the quality of brake response and control and the road holding sensations.
See also:
Interior
The second row's backrest can recline or fold flat, and the seat can slide
fore and aft to optimize legroom and cargo space. There's room for two in the
50/50-split third-row seat, which also can ...
Ride & Handling
The Mazda5's steering response is designed to engage the driver. A turn of
the wheel delivers a quick change of direction, and there's a fair amount of
feedback. The suspension is on the firm side ...
Defining Attributes
On the upside, the current generation's reliability has been above average to
well above average, and it's one of the most fun cars in the compact class. Fun
is hard to define, but it usually invo ...