Review: 2017 Mazda3 Sport GT

By Emily Chung

In a segment with many brands to choose from, the 2017 Mazda3 offers a premium touch to the compact sedan lineup. Our model tested came with Mazda Radar Cruise Control, Colour Active Driving Display, and many other features that bring refinement to this vehicle class.

Exterior Design

The 2017 Mazda3 Sport has a lower, wider stance than previous generations. This gives it an appearance that more aggressive and is a result of Mazda’s ‘Kodo’ theology for design: “soul of motion”. From the side, you can see definite lines across and the wheels are placed so that there isn’t much overhang from the body.

The rear hatch is bubble-backed, kind of reminds me of the old-school hatchbacks (I’m dating myself here). It’s not my favourite but I’ve had some clients remark that they really like it.

The Mazda3 has its signature grille, U-shape like it’s smiling!

I loved the headlight designs… Mazda’s got one of my favourites. On our GT model, the LED headlights remind me of our eyes with the lighting strip and the circular lens. The front fog lights and rear tail lights were also LED.

Interior Design

The 2017 Mazda3 Sport display resembles a tablet placed on the dashboard. Overall, the controls are streamlined throughout the centre stack and steering wheel.

True to its Sport GT badge, the instrument panel has a centre analog display for the RPM with a digital speedometer.

One thing I noticed… push the start button to accessory mode and the warning lights illuminate the instrument cluster like a Christmas tree! I think they’ve got a warning light for everything here!

The automatic climate controls were sleek and our model had dual climate zones, heated seats and heated steering wheel. The CD player is built-in just below the climate controls, for those of us who are old-school and still run discs.

The centre armrest flips up and has a storage compartment (standard on the compact sedans, don’t expect it to be extra deep) with a smaller tray that fit my transponder nicely, as well as USB charging ports and a 12V/120W outlet.

Notable Features

The Mazda HMI Commander control is my favourite. This system allows you to control your infotainment system without needing to take your eyes off the road and look at the screen, it’s not distracting at all. With the knob, you can scroll through the menu options and select. It’s easy to use. The default is phone, scroll once to the left and you get music. From the default, scroll once to the right and you get navigation. The display is a touchscreen though so if you insist, you can touch it to make your selections. The only time I use the touchscreen is to input a street address since scrolling would take some time. While driving though, it’s easy to make a call, change the radio station, etc and I can keep my eyes on the road.

Our model had the Mazda Radar Cruise Control, which receives signal from a sensor located behind the front emblem. While you’re on cruise, select the gap that you’re comfortable with and the vehicle will naturally keep the gap. This is handy if someone comes into your lane or the vehicle in front of you slows down, the Mazda3 will also slow down to maintain the gap that you’ve specified.

Something unique for this vehicle segment is the Colour Active Driving Display. This display folds up when the ignition is started and shows you the vehicle speed, posted speed sign, navigation cues, and notifies you when vehicles are in your blind spot. The driving display helps you keep your eyes on the road as you don’t need to look so far down at the instrument cluster for relevant info.

Want to know how much technology your car has? Take a look at its rear-view mirror. Gone are the days when it was just a mirror stuck to the windshield. Nowadays, these mirrors include cameras that help with safety technology including Lane-keep Assist System.

Basic Maintenance

Mazda used all the space it could in the engine bay, when you lift the hood up you can see that it looks quite compact. Basic maintenance items are located up top: washer fluid reservoir, engine oil cap and dipstick, even the air filter is easily accessible for those so inclined.

While the coolant fluid reservoir is located at the front of the vehicle and up top, you have to stand to the side of the car to read the fluid level. The reservoir’s full indicator is also right where the bottle makes a bend (see pic) so it’s not necessarily a full ‘line’ you’re looking for.

If you need to jump start the vehicle, the battery is exposed (gone are the days of the plastic cover that used to be on top of the older generation Mazda3s) and it is located close to an engine ground.

Child Car Seat

In terms of installing a rear-facing child car seat, you’ll likely lose some space for the front seats as they shouldn’t be touching the car seat. The rear seats have a slight bucket shape so you’ll want to use pool noodles during the installation to get the correct recline angle. The UAS anchors are clearly marked and they’re tucked just in between the cushions.

The headrest of the rear seats protrudes forward so when you install a forward-facing child car seat, you’ll want to remove the head rest so that the back of the child car seat will sit flush with the car’s seatback.

As a result of the hatchback design, the tether hooks are located behind the seatback towards the middle of the seat – this makes it easy for you to hook the tether strap and doesn’t interfere with items in the trunk.

Trunk

Given that the Mazda3 is a compact sedan, the hatchback option gives it a bit more cargo room. The trunk space was sufficient for our daily routine, and big enough to fit a single stroller. I also liked that the shape was open without the wheel wells or awkward storage compartments interfering.

I was happy to see that there was a spare tire with the 2017 Mazda3 Sport (located under the trunk floor panel), as some manufacturers are heading towards giving you a small compressor or flat tire kit rather than using a spare tire. Those options are never as good as having an actual spare tire! Make sure you check the inflation on the spare tire every so often… it’s a huge disappointment when you’re ready to change a flat tire and then discover that your spare is underinflated!

There are a few options available for those looking to purchase a hatchback, and the 2017 Mazda3 Sport is a good contender. Our GT version was a fun drive, which made our commuting life a bit nicer. The 2017 Mazda3 Sport starts at $19,550CAD.

Model tested:

2017 Mazda3 Sport GT

2.5L 4-cylinder engine

6-speed manual transmission

Front-wheel drive

Seating Capacity: 5

Road Test Terrain: 70% city, 30% highway

Price Tested: $29,595 CAD