The Mazda3 Turbo is genuinely fun to drive. Just don’t go into it expecting a reborn Mazdaspeed3.
Jeff Perez / Motor1
Mazda isn’t bringing back Mazdaspeed—at least not for the foreseeable future. The current company is so adamant about moving upmarket that it would never slap such a juvenile badge on the backside of one of its fine premium automobiles. How gauche.
The next-best thing is the Mazda3 Turbo. With a forced-induction four-cylinder, a stiffer suspension, and standard all-wheel drive, the Turbo is genuinely fun to fling around. And at $34,435 to start, it’s priced pretty well. But if you were hoping for a Mazdaspeed3 under a new name, this ain’t it.
| Quick Specs | 2024 Mazda3 Turbo Premium Plus |
| Engine | Turbocharged 2.5-Liter Four-Cylinder |
| Output | 250 Horsepower / 320 Pound-Feet |
| Transmission | Six-Speed Automatic |
| 0-60 MPH | 5.8 Seconds (est.) |
| Base Price / As Tested | $34,435 / $38,410 |
The turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine makes 250 horsepower and 320 pound-feet of torque on 93-octane fuel (or, 227 horsepower and 310 pound-feet on 91-octane). That’s a healthy 59-horse increase over the standard Mazda3 and a whopping 164 extra lb-ft. A six-speed automatic comes standard, as does all-wheel drive. Strike one against the Turbo 3: No manual transmission.
Dip into the accelerator and you feel that extra torque immediately. Mazda doesn’t officially publish a 0-60 mile-per-hour time, but my butt dyno says somewhere under 6 seconds. It’s genuinely speedy. The torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive system means no torque steer—for better or worse—even though it does send three times more power to the rear axle than before. And the six-speed automatic borrowed from Mazda’s crossover lineup is just… okay. It shifts smoothly, but not quickly enough.
Stiffened front springs and a reinforced front knuckle make the already great-handling Mazda3 even more agile. The steering is heavily weighted but responsive, the suspension is tuned for aggressive driving, and body movements are predictable. Stickier rubber would help; The standard Bridgestone Turanza EL440 tires aren’t exactly great performers.
Just make sure you’re in Sport mode for the most engaging experience—it makes a genuine difference. A quick flick to Sport fine-tunes the throttle response, adjusts the shift points, and weights up the steering. In Normal mode, the 3 Turbo feels like a run-of-the-mill Mazda hatchback (not necessarily a bad thing).
Subtlety is the Mazda3 Turbo’s MO—but in some ways, it’s too subtle. There’s a baby burble from the exhaust and a slight whooshing from the turbo, but very little visually to tell you what’s underhood (other than the tiny Turbo badge on its backside). The 3 Turbo looks like an ordinary Mazda3 hatch with minor upgrades.
The 18-inch black wheels are exclusive to this model, but they’re not particularly interesting. The rear spoiler is tiny and camouflages well into the rear hatch. There’s a gloss-black front air dam that barely makes an impact. And the grille surround is a gloss black instead of silver—impossible to notice unless you put the two versions side by side. You can add side sill extensions for $450, but why would you?
The interior doesn’t get any visual upgrades, but at least it didn’t need much in the way of changing. Mazda’s “premium” ethos is evident from the moment you pop open the driver’s door; Swathes of red leather, premium black accents, and high-quality aluminum finishes. The seats are super comfy and have power adjustability with lumbar support for the driver, while the passenger gets heating. You do have to upgrade to the Premium Plus model as tested here for most of those features, but it does feel more luxurious than some luxury cars.
But with just 37.2 inches of headroom, the second row is cramped. The Volkswagen Golf GTI has 38.1 inches of headroom by comparison. The 20.1 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats, though, is pretty good—better than the GTI’s 19.9 cubic feet. But the Honda Civic Hatchback is still king with 24.5 cubic feet.
While still better than Honda’s antiquated interface and VW’s confusing display, Mazda’s infotainment system is starting to feel dated. The rotary controller is fussy with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, the home screen is hard to navigate, and even though the 10.3-inch screen is (finally) touch-capacitive, it’s positioned too far away from the driver to use comfortably.
The cheapest way to get into a Mazda3 Turbo is by opting for the Carbon Turbo model, which starts at $34,435 after destination (a mandatory $1,185). But that doesn’t get you real leather or any of the visual upgrades, minuscule as they may be. The Turbo Premium Plus costs $38,135 with destination, and the optional Machine Gray paint is an extra $595. The total as-tested cost comes out to $38,410.
Even though the Golf GTI starts at $33,585, a fully loaded example with comparable features will cost you more than $40,000. A Honda Civic Hatchback Sport Touring Hybrid costs a good chunk less too ($34,045), but it’s no match for the Mazda dynamically.
All things considered, the Mazda3 Turbo is priced well. It’s a premium hatchback with a punchy turbocharged engine and likable dynamic qualities. With that in mind, it’s a solid buy—just don’t expect it to be a second coming of the Mazdaspeed3.
Jeff Perez / Motor1
Competitors
- Honda Civic Hatchback
- Volkswagen Golf GTI
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