BlackMKIII

Several years ago, a friend of mine asked me how I felt about the Toyota Prius, and hybrid technology in general. Being the perfectly honest person that I am, I frankly described to my friend how I hated the Prius and everything it stood for. Sure, the cars are fine if all you’re doing is commuting or people hauling, but they just weren’t fun to drive. It was like trying to use a steak knife to perform open heart surgery; it may work, but the results are sloppy and nobody’s happy.

I inevitably told my friend that if Mazda, a smaller car company dedicated to building cars with zoom-zoom adopted similar tech, I could consider it. Today, with the 2012 Mazda 3i, the wait is finally over. Mazda has taken the internal combustion engine to new heights with their Skyactiv-G, and this has made every second of delay worthwhile.

Last month, my wife and I traded in her 2007 Ford Focus for a 3i Touring 6MT hatchback. After about 1600 miles, I can honestly say this is a car worth waiting for. With a “sky high” 12:1 compression ratio (Euro models get a bump to 13:1, requiring premium gas) and direct injection, Mazda has built a fun-to-drive small car with an engine that delivers the performance we expect from the company while sipping fuel like a semi-hybrid.

The first thing most people will notice is the very distinctive styling of the outgoing body. The 2012 model year is a mid-cycle refresh, with some tweaks made to satisfy the primary complaints of both the automotive press and consumers. The large, goofy smile has been reshaped into more of a smirk, the fog lamps have been recessed slightly, and the black bumper across the radiator inlet has been widened about threefold. Out back, appearances haven’t changed much, save for the blue Skyactiv badging.

The interior is refined, and though hard surfaces are plastic like most other models in this segment, has a very “soft” feel to it. The instruments and displays are high on the dash, most viewable while still being able to pay attention to the road ahead when driving. The exterior refresh follows through to the interior, where softer blue and white colors have taken the place of harsher reds that fade in sunlight. The seats are comfortable, but supportive enough to hold a butt in place around a freeway cloverleaf offramp at 45. Legroom in the backseat is ample, with enough space to fit my 6’0” frame behind my properly adjusted driver’s seat comfortably.

But how does it drive? This is a Mazda we’re talking about, but how well have they been able to actually combine fuel economy with performance? The answer lies under the hood with the Skyactiv-G mill, which cranks out a whopping 155 bhp at 6,000 rpm and a tire-roasting 148 lb-ft of torque at 4,100. Beating the outgoing 2.0 MZR by 7 horsepower doesn’t seem like much of a feat, until you consider it’s also rated for an extra 7 mpg on the highway.

Back to point, one thing most drivers immediately feel is a distinct “lack of power” when starting from a stop. This is due to the large amount of retardation to ignition timing required to keep the high compression engine from experiencing knock on 87 octane gasoline, which saps power potential. For owners that can afford it, however, premium fuel makes this less of an issue in my experience.

Once out on the highway, the Skyactiv engine shines. Around 4,000 rpm, the valve timing system kicks over and boosts the power production. From there on, the engine really shows the potential afforded by a 12:1 compression ratio before getting a harsh cap at 6,500. While this is understandable from a reliability standpoint, the engine feels like it has way more to give at higher revolutions. This seems to be another unspoken tradition at Mazda; to build engines that make gobs of power above the reliability threshold and corking them at lower RPMs to keep them from grenading on unsuspecting owners.

The other key component to the Skyactiv formula is fuel economy, and again on the highway, it’s a whole new world. In 6th gear at 60 mph, the engine hums along happily at around 2,000 rpm, netting an incredible 40+ mpg. EPA estimates peg the sedan version at 40 miles for every gallon, with the five-door rated slightly lower at 39 to compensate for the decreased aerodynamic efficiency of a hatchback. In practice though, your mileage may vary.

When I say the vehicle achieves “40+ mpg,” there’s an emphasis on the “plus.” While cruising on a flat surface with no tailwind, I’ve seen numbers in the 45-50 range. One thing most owners don’t realize is that the “average fuel economy” listed in the menus of the information display isn’t based on actual miles driven. It’s a cumulative average of all the 2-second readouts since the meter was reset. A perfect example of this was the first day I opted for 91 octane fuel.

After filling the tank, my wife and I journeyed around the highways and city streets of our metropolitan area. This included 80 or so miles on the freeway, with around 30 spent on city streets. I don’t claim to have a light foot by any stretch of the imagination; I drive more like there’s an insole of depleted uranium in my shoe until I get to the speed limit. After 110 miles of mixed driving, I returned to the gas station to find only 2 gallons missing, meaning I had somehow managed to achieve a miraculous 55 miles to the gallon. This, at least to me, says more about Skyactiv than anything else.

In the twisties, the Skyactiv 3 handles like every other 3, with confidence and a slight oversteer. Out on backroads the car just wants to play, willing to dance a fine line at the edge of control for those that can handle it. Low rolling resistance tires from the factory do limit the fun factor somewhat, as they give little warning prior to letting go completely. While a stickier tire might alleviate this, fuel economy will more than likely suffer as a result.

Overall, the 2012 Mazda 3 with Skyactiv is a car I can recommend to anyone with a driving license. Its winning combination of sporty performance and fuel economy make it the best choice for just about anyone shopping for a new small car. There’s a reason Mazda has the fanbase and owner loyalty it does. As the Skyactiv platform continues to find its way into new models, Mazda is looking to prove to the rest of the industry that it can continue to innovate and put their cars into driveways across the world.

Gunfyter

Nice.

I just traded my 2004 RX8 for a 2013 3 Sport, 6MT. 15000 miles a year is probably 1000 gallons premium gas. I plan to save 500 gallons and pay for regular. I figure about $2k savings per year.