A sporty cockpit that improves functional beauty

The new "zone layout" approach focuses on improving visibility and more intuitive controls which provide "a sense of the car and driver as one" and "a reassuring sense of confidence that frees the driver to concentrate on driving." First, the Mazda 3 development team integrated the information display and positioned it towards the front in the optimal "zone." This placed the information necessary while driving where it can be seen with the least amount of eye movement. Next, the engineers placed all the controls and switches within a single "zone" closer to the driver's hands. Designing the cockpit with controls and information display in separate zones frees the driver to concentrate on driving.

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    Introduction
    Be extremely careful and prevent injury to yourself and others or damage to your vehicle when using this manual for inspection and maintenance. If you're unsure about any procedure it describes, w ...

    Manual Transmission Operation
    Manual Transmission Shift Pattern The vehicle is equipped with either a 5- speed or 6-speed manual transmission. The shift pattern for each is shown above. Depress the clutch pedal all the way d ...

    Accessory Sockets
    The ignition switch must be in the ACC or ON position. Only use genuine Mazda accessories or the equivalent requiring no greater than 120 W (DC 12 V, 10 A). The accessory socket is in the center ...