Mazda3 Sedan debuts at the LA Auto Show

The Mazda3, the Japanese carmaker’s most successful vehicle, received a new sedan version, which made its debut at the LA Auto Show. The new Mazda3 Sedan has a more dynamic exterior design, improved performance, more environmental and safety features and new standard and optional equipment. The first impression is that the car looks really good, following Mazda’s Zoom Zoom trend and borrowing a lot of styling elements from the gorgeous Mazda6.

Under the hood, the Mazda3 will be available with a MZR 2.0 liter (148 hp at 6500 rpm and 135 lb-ft of torque at 4500 rpm) and a new MZR 2.5 liter four-cylinder, borrowed from its big sister, the Mazda6, which delivers 167 hp at 6000 rpm and 168 lb-ft of torque at 4000 rpm. Both engines benefit from Mazda’s advanced electronic throttle actuation and exclusive torque base control technology.

Regarding the transmission, the Mazda3 will be offered with a five-speed manual transmission, a six-speed stick-shift transmission or a five-speed electronically controlled Sport-AT automatic transmission. Unfortunately, the fuel economy figures are not that impressive, the 2.0 liter Mazda3 getting 25 mpg (with manual, and 24 mpg with the automatic) in the city and 33 mpg on the highway, while the 2.5 liter version gets 21 mpg (city) and 29 mpg (highway). I don’t know about you, but for the car’s size and for the current times, this sounds a little too much.

© Source: autounleashed
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