Safety First: 2024 Mazda3 Adds More Standard Safety Tech, Starts at $25,335

Now four years on from its redesign, the current generation of the Mazda3 is solidly middle-aged. It’s trying to work a little less hard (having dropped the base 2.0-liter engine for 2023) and think a little smarter. Standard safety tech on the Mazda3 already included forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go, and lane departure steering assist. For 2024, the roster of standard features now includes blind spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and rear door alert.

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Trim Levels

For 2024, hatchback and sedan body styles continue to be available, although not in every trim level. At the bottom of the lineup is the Mazda3 2.5 S, available only as a sedan. It rides on 16-inch aluminum wheels and has LED lighting all around. Its 8.8-inch infotainment screen is controlled with an intuitive knob, and standard equipment includes push-button start, Bluetooth capability, black cloth seats and rain-sensing windshield wipers. Next comes the 2.5 S Select Sport sedan and hatchback, which includes black 18-inch aluminum wheels, synthetic leather seats, keyless entry, dual-zone automatic climate control, and gloss-black heated side mirrors with integrated turn signals.

The luxury goods start to trickle in at the 2.5 S Preferred trim. This adds a moonroof, a choice of black or gray synthetic leather, heated front seats and a power driver’s seat. The Preferred sedan’s 18-inch wheels are finished in silver, while the hatch’s wear a darker gray metallic finish.

Available exclusively in a muted blue-gray Mazda calls Polymetal Gray, the AWD 2.5 S Carbon Edition wraps the Preferred content in a stealthy look complete with black mirrors and 18-inch aluminum wheels. The subdued exterior gives way to an exuberant red leather interior that also features wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and charging.

Manual-transmission devotees have one choice in the Mazda3 lineup: the 2.5 S Premium, which comes exclusively as a hatchback with front-wheel drive. They’ll want for little else, as the Premium includes black or red leather seats, navigation, Mazda’s full-color head-up display, adaptive headlights and a Bose 12-speaker audio system. Digging that Carbon Edition look but jonesing for a hit of turbo power? The 2.5 Carbon Turbo has you covered with Zircon Sand (tan) metallic paint with black 18-inch wheels. As with all turbocharged Mazda3s, the Carbon Turbo also comes with all-wheel drive. Instead of the Carbon Edition’s red leather, the Carbon Turbo gets brown with red contrast stitching. It also features a 10.3-inch infotainment display capable of touchscreen operation when paired to a phone, and connectivity and charging are both wireless.

For the whole kit and kaboodle, buyers will need to opt for the 2.5 Turbo Premium Plus. They can be identified by the gloss-black lip spoiler on the trunk lid of the sedan and a black roof spoiler on the hatchback. The Turbo Premium Plus includes all of the Premium’s gear, though sedans come with a choice of black or white leather seats instead of the hatch’s black or red. Additional safety gear includes a 360-degree camera system with front and rear sensors, a head-up display, traffic-sign recognition and automatic emergency braking when either the rear parking sensors or rear cross-traffic alert detect a potential collision.

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Carryover Powertrains

The Mazda3’s standard engine is a 191-horsepower, 2.5-liter four-cylinder, and a 2.5-liter turbo four-cylinder making up to 250 hp is available. With the exception of the 2.5 S Premium hatchback, which courts traditionalists with a six-speed manual transmission, all Mazda3s have a six-speed automatic. Front-wheel drive is standard, while higher trim levels have all-wheel drive.

Pricing and Availability

Mazda will roll out the 2024 Mazda3 hatchback in the summer; the sedan will arrive later in the fall. Pricing (including a $1,165 delivery fee) is as follows:

Sedan

• 2.5 S: $25,335
• 2.5 S Select Sport: $25,855
• 2.5 S Preferred: $27,355
• 2.5 S Carbon Edition: $30,225
• 2.5 Carbon Turbo: $32,915
• 2.5 Turbo Premium Plus: $36,615

Hatchback

• 2.5 S Select Sport: $26,885
• 2.5 S Preferred: $28,555
• 2.5 S Carbon Edition: $31,425
• 2.5 S Premium: $31,515
• 2.5 Carbon Turbo: $34,115
• 2.5 Turbo Premium Plus: $37,815

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