2025 Mazda3 2.5 S Carbon Edition AWD – MAZDA SEDAN’S AWD BEHAVIOR

2025 Mazda3 2.5 S Carbon Edition AWD

MAZDA SEDAN’S AWD BEHAVIOR

As the one-time owner of a 1974 Alfa Romeo Berlina I’ve enjoyed real affection for any and all Alfa sedans and small hatchbacks, and think a mildly modified Giulia from the ‘60s would look just fine in my garage. Alfa, of course, still markets a 4-door sedan in these United States, the Giulia. But the Giulia’s footprint is no longer compact, and its $45K (and up!) price point isn’t for the entry-level shopper. Thankfully, Mazda offers a viable Plan B, a Mazda3 4-door with – in its mid-level, Carbon Edition form – 191 horsepower and all-wheel drive. Solidly built and beautifully appointed, it’s just about perfect for tapping into your Alfa male, even if not using a male pronoun. 

In a lineup that is predictably crossover-centric (beginning with Mazda’s CX-30 and ending at the company’s 3-row CX-90), the Mazda3 – in both hatch and 4-door form – is as much of an outlier as the company’s 2-place Miata. And in a U.S. market with almost no sedan entries from the domestic OEMs, it’s been left to Europe and Asia to fill the void. If looking for affordable entries among those sedan offerings, with the exception of VW and its Jetta, anything accessible is Japanese or Korean. 

The Mazda3 makes a solid first impression. The sheetmetal is not quite Euro in its design, but neither does it suffer the overt angularity of some Asian contemporaries. This is an organic shape, and while it may be slightly deficient in character (I’m still not sure if Mazda’s Polymetal Gray Metallic helps or hurts), there’s nothing here that will wear on you. And while wishing the platform had less front overhang, the 4-door sedan’s trunk works well to offset that. Also, without the hatchback’s large C-pillar you can see traffic to the side of you, while in the cave-like hatch you’re relying on the camera tech; personally, I hate relying on tech. 

Inside, the Mazda3’s four doors open to an almost jaw-dropping interior. The comfortable seats are trimmed in perforated red leather, the driver’s seat is power-adjustable, both front seats are heated, and amazingly, the rear seat has room for two real adults or (maybe) three pre-teens. This 5’6” frame was comfortable behind this 5’6” driver, and if under 5’10” you probably will be, also. And while you don’t have the elevated hip point of Mazda’s CX-30, neither do have to yoga yourself into the cabin, as I do in my Miata.

The biggest grin while inside is seeing the Mazda3’s array of traditional gauges. A readable tach is to the left, large speedo is front and center, and temp and gas gauges are to your right. Notably, without benefit of a hybrid drivetrain the EPA still gives you a 30 mpg combined estimate, saving you about $150/year when compared to the ‘average’ new vehicle. 

That, of course, brings us to what’s under the hood. The Mazda3 is equipped with either a normally aspirated 2.5 liter with 191 horsepower and 186 lb-ft of torque (which is what our test example provided), or an available turbcharged 2.5 liter with roughly 60 more hp and 320 lb-ft of torque. In Mazda’s crossover lineup I’ve been notably underwhelmed by the base 2.5, but then, the crossovers are inevitably heavier and less aerodynamic. 

This non-turbo application actually works in the Mazda3 4-door, in that it’s pushing/pulling just under 3,300 pounds. Car and Driver’s test team arrived at 60 in just 7.5 seconds, and while that took two seconds longer than the Turbo option, no one hit me in the rear as I’m merging into Southern California traffic. And at 80 miles per hour – which is what SoCal drivers do in 55 mph zones – the Mazda3 is utterly serene, with well-connected steering and a comfortable, composed ride. 

If carrying ‘stuff’ the hatch probably get the nod, but in the sedan you do enjoy 13 cubic feet of real cargo volume, with the not-incidental ability to conceal what you’re carrying: suitcases, booze or the inevitably noisy kid. And a low liftover height means the airport dropoff won’t require a chiropractic visit, unless – of course – you just want someone to work you over while your health insurance covers it. 

With a base price in the mid-$20s, the Mazda3 4-door is as affordable as new vehicles are gonna’ get. And with all of its luxe features the AWD Carbon Edition – all-in at about $31K – is ridiculously compelling. My inner-17-year-old would prefer the Turbo, but for the $6K bump my fixed-income self would find the $150/month surcharge debatable. The real win would be the non-turbo 2.5 with a manual transmission – but that ain’t gonna’ happen. 

The sedan’s automatic trans console does include a ‘Sport’ button. I’ll guess I could learn how to use it…