2022 Mazda3 Turbo Test Drive Review: MazdaSpeed Incognito

The Mazda 3 Hatchback hasn’t changed much compared to last year’s model. To be fair, there wasn’t much Mazda needed to change. Other than swallowing its own pride and admitting it was wrong about this fantastic little hatchback. But more on that later. First, the fundamentals. After a week with the 250-horsepower Mazda 3 Turbo hatch, we were utterly convinced that every single crossover on the road ought to be replaced with one of these.

It’s cheap for what you’re getting as well, with our loaner coming out to $36,010. By and large, that’s a serious deal when you look at similarly priced crossover competition. That’s because Mazda manages to pack serious luxury into a very small, friendly package. However, this car isn’t without its faults, like any car.

What Mazda really screwed up on was not spending just a hair more cash to make this what it should be: the Japanese answer to the Volkswagen Golf GTI. Because man, does this thing get close. Mazda markets this as an upscale, luxury crossover alternative, but what it should be is the best damn hot hatch on the market this side of a Civic Type R.

Let’s start with the most contentious of automotive topics: design. Mazda nailed it here. The proportions are just right. The lines of the 3 make it look to be in motion, something you often hear designers striving for. Somehow, the 3’s massive grille isn’t offensive either- it’s more of an accent.

Then there are the wheels. While we’re happy with their shape and simplicity, we must ask why every damn wheel out there has to be black? Are silver wheels reserved exclusively for high-end supercars now? That aside, the best angle on the Mazda 3 is the front, which manages to look both inoffensive and sporty at the same time, thanks largely to its circular DRLs.

However, the profile of the Mazda 3 Turbo is a close runner-up. Subtle use of chrome and a quietly-styled rear spoiler really tie this pseudo-sporty hatch together. The header above says “minimalism done right,” and there’s no better place to illustrate that than the rear, which finishes the car with circular lights and two simple tailpipes. That’s all you need, and that’s all you get. The C-pillar will draw comments and perhaps be a bone of contention, but to this writer’s eye, it looks good. Well done, Mazda.

This is where our frustrations at Mazda’s inability to make more than one performance car begin. With a design like this, the car has to be fast, right? You’d be right, but it’s lacking the polish that makes the Golf GTI a hot hatch dynasty. Mazda got so close to that, and then simply decided it was good enough.

Let’s start with the engine. The 3 Turbo is, rather obviously, powered by a turbocharged 2.5-liter four-pot that’s good for 250 hp and 320 lb-ft of torque when fed by premium fuel. That gets routed through a six-speed automatic gearbox to all four wheels in Turbo form. These figures are higher than that of the Golf GTI, and yet this isn’t a true hot hatch. Which just kills us.

Of course, given the 3’s turbocharged powerplant and AWD system, that does mean that fuel economy can go one of two ways. You either live long enough to become a green thumb, or die at the gas station. We saw 20 mpg overall during our loan, but the EPA says you can manage 26 mpg combined, but in our experience, that would require a featherlight foot.

From the moment you take a seat in the Mazda 3, you’ll find yourself cursing whatever cruel god denied us a MazdaSpeed version. It’s tough to overstate just how infuriatingly, tantalizingly close this car is to absolutely taking a Golf GTI, or even the R to school. Take the gearbox for example. It’ll upshift just quick enough for you to momentarily forget that Mazda still makes manuals, but the downshifts are frustratingly slow in manual mode. Leaving the car in “Sport” helps, but we want it to listen to our commands properly. This car screams for a manual, and it’s a shame we’ll never get one.

Then there’s the engine. Like the GTI’s EA888 four-banger, this lacks character. But that’s nothing a more aggressive intake and exhaust couldn’t solve. Honestly, a simple ECU flash on top of that would put this car’s power outputs right up there with the Golf R. It delivers power smoothly, and does it when you tell it to as well. It’ll shoot out of a corner like an AWD bullet, and goads you to keep the pedal down thanks to both the torque figures and the AWD system.

Chassis-wise, the car feels stiff, but not in regards to ride quality. It feels like quite a lot of work went into making this a stable and balanced machine that ensures you have all the grip you need to push the limits. We hate to get all broken record on you, but once again this fantastic chassis means the 3 is so close to becoming the hot hatch it should be.

You could say the same about the ride. It’s not stiff, but we’d absolutely call this sporty. Mazda clearly put effort into making the Mazda 3 corner flat, and you can feel that. We suspect it has much to do with sway bars, as the 3 leans into corners beautifully. It doesn’t beat you up, either. Given this car’s price point, we found the ride to be better than expected in every regard.

While it sounds like we just spent 400 words moaning, we really did enjoy driving the Mazda 3. Every single issue we’ve brought up is only an issue because this car is built the way it is. It performs well, rides well, and keeps you comfy while doing it. But getting this close to a hot hatch is bound to draw some ire, as it has done here.

Not everyone is going to love the Mazda 3’s infotainment system. It’s not a touchscreen and is very akin to using BMW’s iDrive from about ten years ago. It’s all controlled via a physical rotary dial, a trend that mercifully includes a physical volume knob and climate controls. Honestly, there’s not much else to complain about here. In fact, we found the 3’s system easy to get along with. But some will prefer a touchscreen.

That said, the rest of the interior follows a similar ethos to the exterior: everything you need and nothing you don’t. All the controls are legible and fall easily to hand. The driving position is good. You sit low, close to the wheel, and the seats offer a good deal of support. Again, they’re just a hair shy of truly sporty, much like everything else in this hatch. You’ve got plenty of room, and so will most rear occupants. This is still a small car, and your 6’5″ friend will be uncomfortable.

We’d also like to point out this interior does truly feel upscale, more so than VW’s comparably-priced offerings. We love seeing a red leather interior at this price, and here the leather is lovely. It looks good in just about any light and mixes well with the chrome accents.

Then there’s this car’s hatch-y-ness. We fail to see a reason to buy a larger, more expensive crossover, even with kids. The rear seats don’t fold totally flat, but they still go down relatively easily. We’d have appreciated a way to do that from the rear cargo area, but no car is perfect. The sloping roofline hampers the loading of larger, squarer objects, but not enough to cause major concern in our eyes.

In the cabin, we had a small gripe with the depth of the center console. There’s just not enough of it. Additionally, taller water bottles in the cupholders will block the climate controls to a degree.

Gripes aside, Mazda has managed to nail the thrifty luxury feel it wanted out of this car. Sure, there’s too much piano black in the center console, but the solid build quality and lack of noise make up for it.

Much like Tupac, MazdaSpeed lives on somewhere. You’ve just got to know where to look. And that’s a shame. Mazda is one of the world’s most iconic performance brands, or at least it was 15 years ago. The fact that we have to belittle Mazda for shuffling off the mortal coil of its go-fast heritage is ultimately incredibly frustrating. The brand clearly still knows how to build a fast car that’ll satisfy even the most indifferent of buyers. Mazda could keep its mass-market appeal and make the enthusiasts happy. It just doesn’t want to spend the money to do so.

So, we’ll end with a plea. If Mazda can make some small performance-oriented tweaks to the Mazda 3, we’ll light a Golf GTI on fire and toss a couch through a window in Wolfsburg. It’s no secret VW bungled the Golf this time around, and now is absolutely Mazda’s time to strike. We just wish it had the guts to do it.

When it comes to pricing, the 3 starts affordably at $23,100. But if you want the Turbo, and trust us, you do, you have to spend at least $31,900 or a maximum of $34,750 for the top-spec Premium Plus.