Highly rigid body

The basic development concept for the body shell of the all-new Mazda 3 was to improve the overall balance of the body's rigidity and ensure it firmly absorbs the reaction force of the dampers. To this end, particular attention went to reinforcing the area around the front and rear suspension mounts and the joint sections in each corner, which are subject to greater stress. Structural adhesive was used to strengthen the joints for the front and rear suspension towers, and spot welding was added to reinforce the joints of the door openings. The result is a substantial improvement in rigidity and body hysteresis (the degree of car body deformation due to repeated applications of torsional load).

    See also:

    Features
    Standard features not already mentioned include power windows and locks with remote keyless entry, air conditioning, cruise control and Bluetooth cell-phone connectivity. The Touring trim level ad ...

    Competing for Space
    The interior is well-engineered and well-executed, but there's no avoiding the fact that there are six seats in a relatively small space. This isn't uncommon, but many models sacrifice space in ju ...

    Interior
    The previous Mazda3's cabin was starting to show its age, but the redesigned interior for 2010 features significant revisions that result in a contemporary cabin. The gauges have red illumination, ...