2010 Mazda Mazda3 review
AdminAF April 28th, 2009
When I first saw the 2010 Mazda3 all I could think was that the gaping front mouth had been lifted directly from a Peugeot. After having spent a week in the car I can now see the redesign has significant elements of Mazda’s Nagar design philosophy – specifically in regards to the RX-8.
At first, and from a distance, the rest of the car looks mostly unchanged, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. The new design is more aggressive all around with sharper edges and a strong line that runs the length of the car. The new bodywork actually gives the Mazda3 a more European look and also makes it appear like something more than just a compact car. Mazda, we should note, has done many things with the 3 to push the boundaries of the compact car class; but we’ll get to those later.
The new front-end design grew on me over the week (and has continued to do so after I returned my tester). The redesigned Mazda3 certainly has character, which is more than you can say of a Focus or Corolla.
One reason for the pronounced face is that Mazda is using the 3 to shape the brand’s identity. Often companies create highly stylized flagship cars and then water down those design elements for lesser vehicles. The 3 is the reverse of that philosophy, as Mazda hopes to better brand the company using a bottom-up approach, which is a good plan considering the popularity of the vehicle.
In fact, one-third of all Mazda vehicles sold are Mazda3s and in North America it’s almost one-half.
More: 2010 Mazda Mazda3 on AutoGuide.com
- 6Club Frontpage
- Comments(0)
