Video: 2010 Mazda Mazda3

What Mazda offers is what they call zoom zoom, or that means it's a little bit more fun to drive. Most compact cars aimed for value and high gas mileage. Mazda gives up a little on the gas mileage front that sporting excitement. They really want that zoom zoom for every driver. Now we're going to take you through if that zoom zoom actually translates to the road. The Mazda3 comes in either a sedan or hatchback body style. That hatchback we have here comes with only the larger 2.5 liter four cylinder. So it's a little more fun to drive. Has a little more power also comes with a six speed manual transmission standard. One surprise I found today was the new Mazda3 drives a lot like the old Mazda3. So even though it looks all new and has a new interior handling is superb and a lot of old fans will definitely want to check this one out. We're in a grand touring model, which is the highest trim level. And that means it comes with a navigation system and a really high end entertainment system. It's got lots of nifty features, but what I liked best is the nav system has a small screen up at the front of the dashboard. So it's up height near the road. So you don't take your eyes off the road too much when you want to check out the navigation. But the best thing about it is all the controls are right here on the steering wheel. And they're really simple. The zoom in and out is a toggle switch. You just move up or down to go in and out. So that's really easy. You don't have to look down at the controls. You don't have to touch a screen or a button on a screen to do that zoom in, which is what I use the most also to go between screens, just go left and right, you get a compass and you go back to the navigation screen. And then it has one more screen that deals with the entertainment it's called the info button. So you go to that and it tells you what station you're on, what song is playing, but also handle all your music or MP3 player information. Um and it goes through your average miles per gallon; what the radio is playing; and a bunch of other useful information. If you want to compete in the compact class, you better stand out. The Mazda3 definitely has a look that stands out, but what I think drivers will really enjoy is getting behind the wheel and taking it on the road. <v Narrator>For more car related news, go to cars.com, or our blog kicking tires.net. (outro music)