The sedan has a sweet, rounded shape and smooth, cohesive design. The five-door looks more aggressive, and provides a lot of utility with its hatchback design and folding rear seats.
Quick, nimble handling makes these cars fun to drive on twisty country roads. The Mazda 3s features a free-revving 2.3-liter engine that delivers spirited performance. The 2006 Mazda 3i benefits from increased power this year from its 2.0-liter engine. The five-speed manual transmission shifts beautifully and there's an automatic available with a manual-shift feature.