Reader Review: 2021 Mazda3 100th Anniversary Edition

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Commemorating a century of auto production in 2021, Mazda offers 100 th anniversary editions of several of its models, all finished in Snowflake White Pearl paint with red leather interior.

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That includes the compact Mazda3 sedan, a vehicle named 2021 Car of the Year by AJAC, the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada. Introduced in 2003, the five-passenger Mazda3 is now in its fourth generation having received its last update in 2019.

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The 2021 Mazda3 100th anniversary edition is the top of the line. Three other models are available, including the GX, GS and GT. In GX and GS trims, the base powerplant is a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine while a 2.5L four can be specified for the GS; both cars are supplied with a six-speed manual gearbox, with the availability of an optional automatic six-speed. That same 2.5L engine is standard in the GT, while a 2.5L turbocharged engine is an option for that model. In the 100th anniversary edition, the only available engine is the turbocharged mill, and it’s paired with a six-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters and Mazda’s i-Activ all-wheel drive system.

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Brian Smith of Calgary spent some time with the 100th anniversary edition of the Mazda3. While lukewarm to the car when he first saw it, it was a vehicle he grew to appreciate.

“It didn’t jump out at me,” the father of two says. “But, more and more, as I caught different angles of it, I noticed different details, some of them rather aggressive. I didn’t get tired of it, and I could see Mazda’s design philosophy in the grille and headlights – overall, it made sense, and I think it’s a design that will age well.”

Smith’s top of the line Mazda3 in the anniversary edition cost just a bit less than $38,000, including freight and PDI but before any taxes. For comparison, the base GX with no options or accessories can be had for close to $23,000.

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“This car is packed with tech, comfort and safety features,” Smith says, and adds, “I could list them off, but I’d sound like a vehicle brochure. Some features are becoming pretty standard on all vehicles, like auto on/off headlights and rear backup camera, while others like heads-up display (HUD) and traffic jam assist are normally only on much more expensive cars. There is just so much included with this car, especially considering it has a purchase price below $40,000, and to top it off it’s an all-wheel drive vehicle.”

But we’re ahead of ourselves here. When Smith moved inside the car for the first time, he was struck by the red upholstery.

“It looked sporty, and not gimmicky or over the top – just very classy in the red leather,” he says. One aspect of the interior design that did throw him, however, was the insertion of a cream stripe across the central width of the dash.

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“It’s fine, but I think it should have been metallic grey or black,” he says.

Smith is six-feet-two and getting into the car and settled in the eight-way power adjustable driver’s seat was a simple task. He had enough legroom and headroom, even with the power glass moonroof. Mirrors were easy to set to his liking, and the gear shift fell to hand.

“The gauges were a mix of new and old, with analog-style dials to the left and right of a middle information screen,” Smith explains. “I’ve had experience with heads-up displays in the past and haven’t loved them. This one showed up bright and clear and was easy to read, but after a while you tend to ignore it and sometimes it’s actually distracting.”

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Regarding the performance capacity of the 2.5-litre turbocharged engine that can run on either regular or premium gasoline, Smith was impressed.

“It pulled really well, and it was a fun car to drive, especially in Sport mode,” he explains. “The pull was very consistent across the rev range and the transmission always seemed to be in tune with the engine. The car always gave you a great deal of confidence.”

While he was in the Mazda3, daytime temperatures ranged from a low of -15 C to a high of 18 C. The tester was equipped with winter tires, and the handling, Smith thought, was affected by the rubber.

“It had good control and handling, but the road feel was a little dulled and because the car had winter tires, I’m guessing I didn’t get the full picture of what it can do,” he says. “With the all-wheel drive, the car always felt like it was firmly planted on the pavement.”

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The ride wasn’t harsh, and the cabin was cited as being a very quiet place to be. While on the highway to the Okotoks Costco for a shopping excursion, Smith experimented with the radar cruise control and lane keep assist system – all worked well. The Costco load was kept purposely lighter, but Smith says the Mazda3 trunk space was impressive, and he liked the fact the rear 60/40 split seat backs could be folded to accommodate larger loads.

“It’s a hard car to put a label on,” Smith says. “It probably falls into the class of cars like Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla and Hyundai Elantra based on price and status. But in performance I would class it right up there with Acura ILXs, Audi A3s and base model 2 series BMWs; but you get way more for the money in terms of tech then you would in those luxury car brands, and way more performance than you would with the non-luxury compact sedans. And of course, it has AWD which most of its competitors wouldn’t have.”

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He concludes, “Overall, I do think it is a great bargain considering everything you get and I would have definitely considered it pre-kids.”

DRIVER’S JOURNAL

Day 1

Picked up the car in the evening. Nothing really striking about it from a distance nor anything really wrong. Inside everything was understandable and I quickly got the feel for the basics and set myself up to drive. Driver seat had lots of adjustments and easily found a comfortable seating position. The stereo system is a Bose and I found it provided really great sound. The car was definitely loaded with a lot of tech so took the manual out when I got home and did some homework.

Day 2

First chance to look over the car in the sunlight. Nice white paint with subtle but sporty silver alloy rims. Inside the red leather seats are very striking and look great. The seats felt a little firm at first but once I got used to them, I did find them supportive and comfortable for longer drives. Engine has a nice tone to it when accelerating. Definitely no issues merging into traffic on the Deerfoot as the car always seemed to have pretty good pick-up at whatever speed I was going.

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Day 3

First trip with someone else in the front as I take both my kids to a park for outdoor training. My oldest son notes that the passenger seat has manual controls versus the power driver seat. Not the end of the world but surprising considering the amount of tech and upgraded features that the car otherwise has. My younger son said the rear seat was comfortable (he is five feet two inches tall), and as a nice touch the rear middle seat has a fold down console with cup holders.

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Day 4

Used the steering wheel heater and seat warmers. Those options have gone from nice to have to must have options for me. I notice that the gas tank is less than quarter full after only about 350 km of driving which seemed like a short distance for the tank to be running low, but when I fill up, I notice I only put in about 35 litres. I looked up the specs and the gas tank is a relatively small, 48 litres, which means if you are doing a lot of city driving you are probably filling up more than you would expect with a smaller car.

Day 5

Its styling has grown on me. I see some incorporation of the Mazda Miata and possibly some similarities to a Jaguar XE with its simple classic lines. Maybe the Mazda3 isn’t a design that will turn heads at first, but I’m guessing it will be one of those cars that will still look current for many years to come. First time I have my wife and two kids in the car at the same time, which means my 6-foot tall 13-year-old has to get in the back seat. His knees were jammed into the back of the front passenger seat even after my wife moved the seat up a bit.

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Car is easy to jump in and go for day-to-day activities.

Day 6

Car is easy to drive on the highway, and easily keeps pace with the flow of traffic. While standard drive mode is pretty good at keeping the car in the right gear to accelerate, the sport mode is excellent. The one complaint I had was that to change the car into sport mode you had to click a little button on the console left of the gear shifter, which means that you had to take your eyes off the road to find the button.

Day 7

Weather not great so thought about a sightseeing road trip but my older son was not overly thrilled with the thought of being crammed in the back of the car for a few hours. So parked that idea and my wife and I went to the grocery store to pick up a few more items. Car is easy to jump in and go for day-to-day activities, and with the front and rear cameras and obstacle warning system parking is made easy.