The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

www.oakvillebeaver.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, January 6, 2010 · 12 $ $ any oil changepackage any oil change package 5 OFF 5 OFF 345 Speers Rd., Oakville Valid at all GTA locations. Expiry: Jan. 31, 2010 Code: 5443 See store for details. The Mazda3 scoops Best New Car Award for a reason By Jim Robinson Metroland Newspapers Carguide Magazine Mazda continues its winning ways with Canadians thanks in very large part to the Mazda3 Sedan and Sport (hatchback) models. These cars respectively won their categories, Best New Small Car under $21,000 and Best New Small Car over $21,000, at last November's Automotive Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) Best New Car of the Year awards. Both cars are in the running for the overall 2010 Best New Car Awards that will be announced at this year's Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto in February, an award the first-generation Mazda3 won in 2004. Two years ago, I talked with Yoshiyuki Meada, the program manager for the 2010 Mazda3 and joked that his job truly was to fix something that isn't broken. That wasn't far off. One of every three Mazdas sold around the world is a Mazda3, so Meada's task came with a lot of pressure. Although the 2010 and the first generation Mazda3 have virtually the same dimensions, much attention was paid to aerodynamics with things like panels under the body to smooth air flow with the car's overall coefficient of drag dropping from 0.31 down to 0.29. The biggest visual change is the muchenlarged grille. While it retains the Mazda five-point design, the wide mouth is there, not just for improved cooling, but is an actual part of the aero package. If you look closely, the upper half of the grille has the blacked out front bumper behind it. The bottom part of the air intake that's left is kept as small as possible. In fact, with a 2.5-litre four-cylinder that was joined two years ago by a 2.0-litre, DOHC inline four-cylinder that offered better fuel economy. It is now standard on the GX and GS and it is responsible for the marked upswing in overall Mazda3 sales last year. This engine produces 148 hp and 135 lb/ft of torque and comes with as standard five-speed manual transmission or optional five-speed automatic driving the front wheels. Fuel consumption numbers for the 2.0litre manual and automatic are 8.1/5.9L/100 km city/highway and 8.7L/6.0/100 km city/highway respectively. The other available engine remains the 2.5-litre inline twincam producing 167 hp and 168 lb/ft of torque on the GS and GT. A six-speed manual is standard with a fivespeed automatic optional. The 2.0-litre is very spunky with the fivespeed but I noticed the car at AJAC's "TestFest" came with the optional five-speed automatic with sequential/manual shift. I own a Mazda5 with the larger 2.5-litre engine and the four-speed automatic and the five-speed is what I'm really missing. FYI the 2010 Mazd5 is no fitted as standard with the automatic. The automatic in the GS as tested more than makes up for the smaller displacement of the 2.0-litre engine. In fact the GS felt quicker in every scenario than my Mazda5. Part of it is the weight of the larger Mazda5 but an extra gear is always a good thing. The GS is the value leader of the three with six air bags, dual heated/power mirrors, power windows and locks/ active front head rests, Bluetooth hands-free phone system, and steering wheel mounted audio and cruise controls. What came through clearly at TestFest was the very positive steering feel and the adroit handling of both Mazda3s compared to their competitors in back-to-back testing. Mazda says it builds everything it makes with the "soul of a sportscar" and the Mazda3 proves this out. Perhaps the biggest thing for me is my XXL son fits behind the steering wheel of the GS thanks to the generous seat travel and the tilt/telescoping steering wheel. I would have liked traction control and even stability control but that would mean moving up in price to the GT. But, this is offset by the standard Bluetooth connectivity and rain sensing wipers which is pretty rich stuff for a car under $21,000. But then again, that's why the Mazda3 continues to be a hit with Canadian small car buyers. The 2010 Mazda3 sees a host of changes designed to improve on the outgoing model that was one of the most successful cars in the history of the company. One major visual change is the front grille which is partially responsible for a major improvement in aerodynamics. it is 20 per cent smaller than the first generation Mazda3. Taking in excess air creates drag, which was considerably lessened in the new car. The front bumper has a flange that funnels air to the radiator. The nose is also shaped to route air not directed at the radiator around and down the flanks of the car. Even the taillights are shaped to aid airflow. The cabin area underwent not just a major redesign with liberal use of softtouch materials, but the switch to what Mazda called a `Zone Layout'. Instrumentation is placed in zones of importance based on eye movement, the primary ones being the large tachometre on the left and speedometer on the right in pods directly in the line of sight of the driver. Housed in a second zone is a Multi Information Display (MID) on the centre of the dash and raised 100 mm higher and to the right of the main gauges. Positioned here, it is still in the line of sight. Depending on the model and options, it shows fuel consumption, distance and even an optional 3.5-inch color navigation screen. The seat cushions were made 20 per cent larger and seat backs were extended 35 mm for better support. Adding to the quality is the interior lighting that illuminates and fades theatre style and that includes foot well lamps as well. When the door is opened, lights in the handle grips come on to welcome the driver and passenger. As the driver sits down, gauges on the centre stack including audio and air conditioning systems light up. The grille treatment is hard to ignore. People love it or hate it, but 2009 sales figures show Canadians like it just fine, thank you. Following the, now, Mazda signature rounded front fenders back along the body side panels is a very pronounced character line that arches upward as it runs to the tail making for a Mazda3 that is very different from the 2009, but is unmistakably, still a Mazda3. One thing I found interesting is 80 per cent by weight of each end-of-life Mazda is recyclable. They are working on the other 20 per cent, mostly glass and plastics, and are aiming at 90 per cent recyclability in these areas. The 2010 Mazda3 is available in three trim levels: GX, GS (as tested) and GT. The first generation Mazda3 was offered BUY LOCALLY SERVICE LOCALLY SUPPORT YOUR COMMUNITY Phone: (905) 825-8088 www.volvoofoakville.com SERVICE DEPARTMENT OPEN SATURDAYS