Daily Auto News 2010 Mazda 3 Revealed – and Praised
Daily Auto News
An automaker’s small cars have never been more important than they are now. In a depressed car market, small, fuel-efficient cars are nearly the only thing actually selling. With that in mind, Mazda has revealed the next edition of its small Mazda3 to the press, and early reviews are quite positive.
The 2010 Mazda3 will make its first public appearance at the Los Angeles Auto Show on November 19. Motor Trend had an early look at the car, and calls it, “a scaled-down sports sedan, with a large grinning front grille that sits below a pair of sharp, angular headlamps flanked by two air intakes and a set of fog lamps.” They also note that the next 3 “is supposed to weigh significantly less than the current Mazda3 — the result of a corporate policy to reduce weight in the Japanese automaker’s lineup, thereby increasing efficiency as well as the driving experience.”
Kicking Tires says “The 2010 Mazda3 will come with either a 2.0 or 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine but no other specs were released.”
Mazda has also developed a 2.2-liter common-rail diesel engine. That one is certainly destined for overseas markets, but with more manufacturers bringing diesels stateside, we may see it as well.
The U.K.’s AutoCar has driven several prototypes of the car around the coast of Iceland, and reports, “it’s clear that the next Mazda 3 will be a big improvement over the current car.” They add, “the revamped 3 still delivers the sensation of being a more compact, handy and pointable car than is common in this class,” and note that the gasoline-powered engine they drove (they don’t tell us whether it was the 2.0 or the 2.5) “feels broad shouldered and bigger than its quoted capacity.” The diesel engine, meanwhile, is “a major leap forward” from Mazda’s previous efforts.
The sedan model will be introduced first, Edmunds Inside Line reports, with a five-door hatchback “to be revealed in line with Mazda’s global sales schedule.”
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