A look under the hood of the Kelley Blue Book editorial process: We try not to be too technical. We have some editors who could take your car apart piece by piece and rebuild it better (I’m not one of those). But we ask them to write about cars for the general buyer. Not everyone wants or needs that kind of detail.
And yet, I can’t discuss the 2026 Mazda3 without going just a bit too far and telling you this — I was nervous about the torsion beam rear suspension. Indulge me a moment?
Every automotive journalist I’ve ever discussed the matter with has loved the Mazda3 for many years. Since 2003, it has been a very good car, priced affordably and able to serve as the family car but with better handling than most if not all family cars.
There have always been reasons to buy a Civic or a Corolla instead. But the Mazda3 has always been the mainstream compact sedan the staff of every car publication would buy with their own money, because it had the best handling.
In prior years, we gave credit to a multi-link rear suspension that cost Mazda more to build than most rivals spent on the handling of a compact car. With the latest generation, they gave it up for a cheaper torsion beam instead.
That happened back in 2019, but I hadn’t spent much time in the current generation. I got in as nervous as if I were re-meeting an old crush, afraid the years had taken the charm away.
After a week driving through downtown Washington, D.C., and the suburbs around it, including an afternoon jaunt down all the winding roads I could think of specifically to find the flaws, I’m happy to report that the Mazda3 is as delightful as ever.
Which Trim Level
Mazda builds the 2026 Mazda3 in five trim levels, and loaned me only the top of the lineup, the 2.5 Turbo Premium Plus. With the 3, that’s not a simple matter of some extra speakers and leather. This one gets a 250-horsepower turbocharged 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine, which is 64 hp more than non-turbo models. It should be noted the 250-hp rating is with premium gas. Filling it with 87 octane lowers the output to 227 hp. It also comes standard with all-wheel drive (AWD). Mazda builds three lower trim levels in front-wheel drive (FWD).
New 2026 MAZDA MAZDA3 Prices
|
Retail Price
|
Fair Purchase Price (43213)
|
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
$25,785 |
$25,100 |
|||
$26,675 |
$25,900 |
|||
$28,325 |
$27,600 |
|||
$31,445 |
$30,600 |
|||
$32,685 |
$31,800 |
|||
$37,975 |
$36,900 |
Favorite Feature
I’m delighted to report that the Mazda3’s best feature remains its crisp, firm steering that snaps back to center out of a hard turn more than that of any other current compact car.
The Mazda3 remains the most athletic affordable compact car. That’s not about the engine, and I don’t think you need to buy the top trim to get it. It’s about the steering, which remains excellent even with a simpler rear setup.
That could even prove an advantage in the long run, as fewer parts might mean fewer things could go wrong.
What It’s Like to Drive
The 250-hp turbocharged engine in this particular Mazda3 is quite powerful for its price range, and responds quickly with little lag. It seems completely unnecessary to me – the 186 hp of lower trims is plenty for a car this size.
All versions get the same balanced suspension and well-weighted steering, which translates into a car you can really enjoy on the kind of twisting road the Forest Service seems to specialize in. The ride is not sports-car firm, but just a bit sportier than you’d get in most competitor sedans.
AWD, standard at this trim level, lends it a planted feel and adds some confidence in the winter.
Braking is firm and linear without feeling grabby.
One complaint — the automatic high beams are a bit hyperactive, flicking on and off more than you likely would if you were controlling them yourself.
Interior Comfort and Technology
Mazda has long been known for cabins that feel just a touch more refined than most similarly priced competitors. The material choices and gaps inside the 2026 Mazda3 retain that feeling.
The technology does not. I prefer the instrument cluser and touchscreen set apart rather than mounted as one, the way most competitors do. Mazda does keep them well apart in the 3. The steering wheel never obstructs your view of them.
But the central screen is still an oddity. Most of the time, it’s not a touchscreen. You operate it with a puck controller on the center console, the way car screens operated a decade ago. Strangely, when you connect a phone through Apple CarPlay, it becomes a touchscreen.
It would probably be better if it didn’t. It works unreliably.
On Mazda’s newest new car, the 2026 CX-5, the company has switched to a permanent touchscreen. That likely means this will get one in a year or two. If you’re the sort who swaps one Mazda3 for another (I know a few), that might make waiting worthwhile.
Otherwise, the cabin is well-designed, with comfortable seats, real leather (not the synthetic stuff most rivals now use), and a 12-speaker sound system that is not among the best but sounds a little better than average in this price range.
Limitations
You can still get a Mazda3 with a stick shift, if you’re so inclined. But only a hatchback model, which also suffers from poor rearward visibility.
Key Considerations
The turbo’s added power is fun, but maybe not worth the extra cost.
Stepping up to the turbo also gets you AWD grip. That makes this an excellent snowbelt car for under $40,000. If you want to save a little, the Carbon Edition might be the sweet spot, with the less-expensive engine but AWD.
