2014 Mazda3 First Look
Game On! Mazda's Frisky Best-Seller Lures Young Buyers with Xbox Launch Party
We can't tell you what the new 2014 Mazda3 is like to drive yet, but maybe it doesn't matter. The seven-page press release didn't mention the powertrain until the bottom of page four, following a thorough explanation of the car's innovative new display screens, its Aha Radio integration, its ability to read Twitter and Facebook posts and to send replies using the Shout function. What was made perfectly clear was that Mazda is celebrating the 10th anniversary of Mazda3 production with a world's-first vehicle-launch/live-concert-simulcast over Microsoft's Xbox entertainment console network featuring the band Metric.
The next Mazda3, like the recently revamped 6, is a complete departure from the outgoing model, with virtually no lingering Ford DNA whatsoever. Following the anthropometric trend of gradually increasing size, the wheelbase stretches 2.4 inches to 106.3 and the width broadens by 1.6 inches, yielding 2.3 inches of front and 0.4 inch of rear shoulder room. The roofline drops by 0.6 inch for better aerodynamics, and while there's no loss of headroom, lowering the rear seat pinches legroom by 0.4 inch -- bad news, given that we recently judged the last Mazda3 to have the most cramped rear seat in a five-car comparison. Offering potential relief are re-sculpted front seatbacks that result in more knee room.
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