(October 4, 2013) SAN DIEGO — Highly-anticipated and much-speculated, the 2014 Mazda3 is all-new, representing the third generation of Mazda’s best-selling vehicle worldwide.  With more than 3.5 million vehicles sold, Mazda3 is the brand’s most recognizable nameplate, one that carries as much ardor as it does expectations. 

With SKYACTIV Technology — Mazda’s breakthrough engineering and manufacturing philosophy — the 2012 Mazda3 achieved the new segment-defining number of 40 miles per gallon (mpg) with nary a vehicle evolution but a definitive engineering revolution. 

SKYACTIV Technology presented impressive numbers on paper with its high fuel economy to fun-factor performance ratio being 1:1, and met or bettered those figures in real-world experience. 



For 2014, Mazda3 not only receives the full suite of SKYACTIV technologies but a complete KODO “Soul of Motion” makeover as well as offers all-new active safety technologies with i-ACTIVSENSE and introduces an all-new “heads-up” HMI/infotainment system known as MAZDA CONNECT.

“No doubt one of the most important launches for Mazda in recent memory, if not the most important, the all-new 2014 Mazda3 is as eye opening as it is door opening,” says Jim O’Sullivan, president and CEO, Mazda North America.  “Mazda3 introduced SKYACTIV Technology to North America with great success.  Mazda3 again is the leader in new product technology with i-ACTIVSENSE and MAZDA CONNECT, two all-new technology suites to further push the envelope of expectations in vehicle safety and comfort.”

On sale now, the 2014 Mazda3 is 100-percent removed from its non-SKYACTIV predecessors.  Shedding pounds, gaining efficiency and outfitted in a new wardrobe of KODO sheet metal, Mazda3 is poised to challenge its competitive-natured compact car colleagues. 

Available in four-door and five-door forms, Mazda3 is offered in four trim levels – SV (sedan only), Sport, Touring and Grand Touring.  Pricing starts at less than $17,000 for sedans and less than $19,000 for five-door configurations.

Lower and leaner, the 2014 Mazda3 sits on a wheelbase of 106.3 inches, which is 2.4 inches longer than the previous generation, yet the sedan is 0.6 inches shorter in overall length at 180.3 inches.  The five-door extends to a smaller 175.6 inches, a savings of 1.8 inches from the previous model. 

The rear seatbacks were lengthened nearly 2 inches for added passenger comfort.  Front and rear shoulder room also was increased – 2.3 inches to 57.2 inches in front, 0.4 inches to 54.4 inches in the second row.  Conceived with efficiency of space and engaging comfort in mind, the all-new Mazda3 packs a powerful punch far above its weight class.  Evidence is a first glance at its aggressive-yet-refined character lines courtesy of KODO.

With its name derived from “Intelligent Energy Loop,” i-ELOOP is a capacitor-based regenerative engine braking system that converts a vehicle’s kinetic energy into electricity as the car when the accelerator pedal is released.  The electricity captured is then stored for later use to power all the vehicle’s electrical components, such as headlights, climate controls and audio systems. 

This reduces the need for the engine to burn extra fuel in order to generate electricity and, therefore, improves fuel economy without sacrificing driving performance.  While the increased engine braking caused by the hard-charging alternator is too small for drivers to feel, the smooth power delivery coming from the capacitor means the electrical systems do not operate differently with i-ELOOP.  Exact fuel savings will vary based on electrical load and individual driving habits.

The interior is just as expressive and purposeful, starting with the driver-oriented cockpit.  In following with Mazda’s Jinba-Ittai philosophy of a rider and horse connected as one, everything from the arrangement of switches and knobs to the physical location of driving controls such as the shifter, the driver (rider) and Mazda3 (horse) perfect an understood dance to the melody of winding S-curves and long straightaways. 

For example, the pedals have been laid out symmetrically to the left and right of the driver’s center-line for further precision and comfort.  A new hinged organ-type accelerator pedal is now standard equipment for added safety as well as lessens the natural fatigue associated with frequent pedal pressure, such as during stop-and-go commutes.

For the North American market, the 2014 Mazda3 will be offered with two engine choices:  a SKYACTIV-G 2.0-liter gasoline engine and a larger SKYACTIV-G 2.5-liter gasoline engine.  Both advanced direct injection engines feature a new high-tumble 4-2-1 exhaust system that increases engine output.

The SKYACTIV-G 2.0-liter produces 155 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 150 lb-ft of torque at 4,000 rpm.  As compared to the outgoing MZR 2.5-liter engine, the torque output on the SKYACTIV-G 2.5-liter engine at low- to mid-range speeds is increased by 10 to 15 percent, and its weight is reduced by 10 percent. 

The SKYACTIV-G 2.5-liter produces a peak of 184 horsepower at 5,700 rpm and 185 lb-ft of torque at 3,250 rpm, both figures are increases of more than 10 percent over the MZR engine.

The 2014 Mazda3 will be available with a choice of transmissions with the SKYACTIV-MT six-speed manual or SKYACTIV-Drive six-speed automatic.  SKYACTIV-MT offers the short, crisp shift pattern reminiscent of the MX-5 Miata. 

Mazda3 is sold in more than 120 countries and accounts for 30 percent of the Mazda’s annual global sales.