Unless you’re a hypermiler – that is, the kind of person who pushes your car out of parking spots and who cuts the ignition while descending hills – you probably don’t derive much joy out of saving fuel.
Sure, it’s sort of fun to try to use as little gasoline as possible, but most of us would rather watch the tachometer climb to redline instead of dutifully calculating fuel economy at every fill up.
Now, Mazda says it has the solution for all of us: A car that’s both fun to drive and uses very little fuel. Enter the oddly-named Skyactiv technology, which appears first for this market on company’s popular Mazda3 compact sedan and hatchback.
What is it?
Sounding just like the Japanglish that it is, Skyactiv is a holistic approach to increasing efficiency.
While rivals tack on high-technology tricks, Mazda is going back to basics to trim weight, optimize engine compressions and reengineer automatic transmissions to reduce consumption. It’s a worthy effort because it helps keep vehicles less expensive and lighter, which makes them more appealing to both pocketbooks and the enthusiastic buyers Mazda’s zoom-zoom spirit has long embraced.
The 3 is the first Skyactivated vehicle to hit our shores, so it’s a little lighter on the upgrades than the soon-to-arrive CX-5, which was engineered as a gas sipper from the ground up. In the 3′s case, this means that the compact receives a newly optional 2.0-liter engine, a choice of new six-speed automatic and manual transmissions and extensive under-body aerodynamic aids.
Crucially, our sedan tester is the only trim level to net the government’s 40 mpg highway figure. Opt for a less aerodynamic hatchback or a manual transmission model and you’ll guzzle fuel at a 1 mpg greater rate.
For 2012, the rest of the 3 lineup saw a few modest upgrades that included a revised front fascia and a general reshuffling of options. Confusingly, the old non-Skyactiv 2.0-liter four-cylinder is still on the options roster, as is the more powerful (and thirstier) 2.5-liter four banger. Models with either 2.0 go under the i banner, while 2.5s are called s. Baffled yet? It gets worse: If you want a Skyactivized 3, you have your choice between either a Mazda3i Touring or a Mazda3i Grand Touring. Think “all the basics” for the roughly $17,000 Touring and “heated leather seats, moonroof, automatic and navigation” for the $22,000 Grand Touring.
The high-volume model is a Touring sedan with the automatic, which lists for just $20,000 but comes nicely equipped.
What’s it up against?
Most rivals now have an efficiency-minded model or trim level akin to the Mazda3 Skyactiv, although few go quite as far with the upgrades. Natural competitors therefore include the Ford Focus Eco, Chevrolet Cruze Eco, Volkswagen Jetta TDI and Hyundai Elantra.
Notably, all Elantras, regardless of trim or transmission, match our tester’s 40 mpg highway rating, while the others require some jiggling of options or powertrains to make that same claim.
How does it look?
Like a puppy, only not as cute. Mazda3 retains its happy-go-lucky smile, although the look has been slightly toned down for the new year. This body was introduced for 2010, so it’s hardly old, but we generally find ourselves missing its more dapper predecessor.
That’s not to say that the 3 is an ugly duckling, but its over-emphasized curves and none-too pretty face hide awkward sedan proportions. Outfitted as a hatchback, the look is more harmonious yet a bit too boy-racer for our tastes.
Still, we like the Skyactive-specific Sky Blue paint scheme and blue-toned headlamp inserts, as well as the Grand Touring trim level’s LED tail lamps.
We have high hopes for the next-generation Mazda3 since it will adopt the automaker’s new design language, which seems to work exceedingly well in the CX-5 crossover.
And on the inside?
Mazda3′s interior is a bit of a mixed bag. Its design eschews the old model’s simple symmetry for a more Starship Enterprise-like control layout with canted audio controls and a pair of screens mounted up near the windshield.
Our tester’s standard navigation system takes up one of those displays, but its resolution is too high and its size too small to make it useful at a quick glance. The other screen is a comparatively low-tech grey-on-black display for some redundant audio functions. We think a trim computer screen between the deep-set gauges and a widescreen display for navigation and main audio controls would solve this dilemma entirely.
Those main gauges are newly finished in an attractive blue and silver scheme for 2012, as are a few other details scattered throughout the cabin. A large center console offers decent storage and an adjustable armrest, while both driver and passenger sit in heavily-bolstered heated leather seats with power driver adjustment but no lumbar function.
Rear seat passengers don’t have much leg room, but they do get a nicely padded bench with decent hip and head space, plus a flop-down center armrest. Out back, the short trunk lid pivots all the way open to reveal a reasonably capacious trunk and non-intruding hinges.
Technology is toward the top of the class, especially in our loaded-up tester. Frustratingly small navigation screen aside, the system was easy to use via steering wheel controls and Bluetooth had no problem linking to streaming audio devices. Materials are a bit of a mixed bag; while the dashboard, door panels and leather-trimmed seats felt class-above, the 3 uses a cheap mouse fir-feeling headliner instead of the high-tech fabric seen in most rivals. Mazda should get with the program here.
But does it go?
Shielded by a blue engine cover (noticing a theme here?), the 2.0-liter Skyactiv-G four-cylinder (that’s G for gas since there’s also a Skyactiv-D diesel that will arrive on our shores in the CX-5) cranks out 155 horsepower and 148 lb-ft. of torque. That puts it just ahead of the non-Skyactiv 2.0-liter in base 3s and somewhat ahead of the class average.
What makes the Skyactiv-G engine special is its ultra-high 13:1 compression ratio, which Mazda has somehow managed to achieve without relying on premium fuel to reduce knocking. Direct injection is on board to further improve performance and cut consumption, while the whole engine has been carefully reengineered to reduce weight.
Our tester’s trim level comes standard with the Skyactiv-Drive six-speed automatic transmission, although forgoing cow-hide seats for the Mazda3i Touring will net you a standard six-speed stick. The automatic unit is a technological tour-de-force, however, since it features a full-range lock-up multi-clutch torque converter to provide a more direct delivery of power. While a full-range torque converter should result in increased NVH, Mazda carefully damped the transmission.
The transmission delivers exactly what it promises: Ultra fast shifts that are smooth across the range and a pleasingly direct feel. Those acquainted with dual-clutch units can toss out their pre-conceived notions; this transmission is buttery smooth as it rapidly fires through the gears. So too the 2.0-liter engine, which makes a barely discernable hum even at high rpms. This level of NVH refinement was once reserved for cars with double the cylinder count.
Weighing about 3,000 lbs. as-equipped, the 3 is among the segment’s lightweights, so it easily makes the most of its 155 horsepower. We noticed smooth acceleration throughout the range and rapid kickdowns from the six-speed when additional power is requested. Around town, the 3 was pleasantly quick, while a manual mode to the gearbox added a bit more driving engagement when the road turned curvy.
And it is in those curves where the 3 continues to excel. In 8/10ths driving, it remains one of the most composed front-wheel-drive compacts on the market. Turn up the wick and the brilliantly firm steering continues to translate road surfaces directly to the driver, while the chassis becomes more prone to understeer. Stability control is quick to intervene, although the 205/55-16 Bridgestone tires on our tester were selected more for their low resistance than for their outright grip.
No compact is as ultimately entertaining as the 3, but some compromises are evident. The ride is firm at all times and almost jarring over extremely rough pavement. Road noise isn’t as well suppressed as in the nearly silent Cruze. And, as with all enthusiast-oriented cars, the 3 brings out the racer in all of us, which tends to eat into fuel consumption.
We were careful to drive like, well, normal people over a variety of conditions. In town, we met the EPA’s 28 mpg rating, while more gentle highway driving netted an average of 41.8 mpg that bests the government’s 40 mpg. More aggressive driving brought us down to a combined average of 32 mpg, which is just below the EPA’s 33 mpg suggestion.
Looks like you can have your cake and eat it, too.
Why you would buy it:
You want a fun-to-drive car that doesn’t guzzle fuel.
Why you wouldn’t:
You want a plush cruiser and you don’t care how often you have to visit the pump.
Leftlane’s bottom line
Credit Mazda with creating what is undeniably the most fun-to-drive 40 mpg car to hit the market yet. Its sport-oriented design forces some compromises for drivers seeking the mainstream, but for those who want a little more zoom-zoom in their daily commute, the Skyactivated 3 delivers in spades.
We’re unabashedly enthusiastic about the potential for Mazda’s Skyactiv technology, which goes about saving fuel in the most logical way we’ve seen. Let’s just hope this roll continues.
The Blackboard:
Aesthetics: C+
Technology: B+
Green: A
Drive: A-
Value: B+
Overall Score: B+
2012 Mazda3i Skyactiv Grand Touring base price, $22,300. As tested, $24,970.
Interior lighting kit, $200; Auto-dim rearview mirror with Homelink, $275; Technology Package, $1,400; Destination, $795.
Words and photos by Andrew Ganz.
