Feeling Free in a Sporty Mazda 3
MAZDA 3 MAKES SENSE

The Family Car is always on the lookout for vehicles that will offer you high mileage, safety and comfort at affordable prices. The Mazda 3 is a premium compact vehicle with sporty intent and good gas mileage that will add some exhilaration to your commute, due to superb performance, five speed manual transmission with overdrive, and peppy pickup afforded by its forced induction. The S-model we test drove was equipped with a 156 horsepower 2.3 liter DOHC 16 valve engine.

The 2008 Mazda 3 hasn't changed much from the 2007 model, and only minor modifications look to have been made to the 3 of '09. But the blogs are all abuzz with news about the 2010. Pictures showing supposedly supplied with the patent application for the 2010 are circulating.

Since the weight has been kept well under 3000 pounds and the design cuts through the wind, the fuel economy is 32 mpg on highways and 24 mpg in city driving.

And what we're happiest about for families is the Mazda 3's five star National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) crash-test rating. The five stars indicate that the Mazda 3 has the highest level of injury protection available.