2010 Mazda Mazda3

I hate the term, “sporty.” It’s like saying something or someone is “sexy,” without any promise of the “sex” part. Sporty doesn’t mean sport, racing-ready, or track-honed. It just means the car looks like it’ll give you a good time.

In Mazdaland, the 5-door Mazda 3 compact car is being pitched as the sportiest in its class…but does it deliver?

I’ve driven both a pretty basic 2.0-litre Mazda 3 “i Touring” sedan equipped with a manual transmission, and a loaded-to-the-gills automatic-equipped 2.5-litre Mazda 3 “s Grand Touring” 5-door hatchback.

They differ in character because of their engines. The Ford-sourced 2.5 has a power advantage (167 horsepower vs 148), but is slow to rev and not particularly efficient. The 2.0, on the other hand, is a Mazda motor also used in the MX-5. And we all know how awesome and race-ready the MX-5 Miata is.

As I alluded to above, the 2.5 isn’t that efficient, either. In mixed driving, I managed 25 mpg with the big motor, and 35 mpg with the 2.0. That’s a big difference, but don’t forget that the Sport is marginally heavier, the one I drove had an automatic, and the navigation system plus leather interior also adds weight.

Yes, you can order a navigation system in the 3. It’s a front-of-dash screen with steering wheel controls, with navigation data stored on an SD card plugged in a slot beside the screen. Navigation isn’t all that intuitive: inputting destinations letter-by-letter depends a lot on thumb dexterity, and some of the buttons (left and right arrows, I’m looking at you) don’t do what you expect them to.

The only other complaint inside was that when equipped with heated seats, the 3 loses a very convenient storage bin for two buttons.

Otherwise, the interior gets high marks: the seats are comfortable, it’s easy to see out of, the materials are great, and Mazda’s treatment of the Honda Civic’s double-level dash is more appealing.

On the road, the 3 is definitely a Civic and Toyota Corolla love child, providing most of the ‘Rolla’s comfort with a smidge of Civic sportiness. Not sure if it was just my tester, but the luxo-Sport hatchback would rattle over some bumps, and creak over others. No such complaints from the sedan.

The price spread between a 2.0-litre 3 and the 2.5 is about $4,000, but Mazda throws in quite a few options when you plump for the big motor. The difference between my testers was about $5,000.

In Canada, Mazda offers the 2.0-litre engine in the hatchback, a combination I suspect would be the ideal 3.

Offering a hatchback is Mazda’s trump card, because although American buyers aren’t too keen on hatches, none of the competitors (save the Subaru Impreza) offer the configuration. Overall, I’d pick the 3 before a Civic, Corolla, or Nissan Sentra, because the 3 sedan is still the choice if you want a commuter car that’s actually fun on a twisty road.

Would I pick the “sporty” 2.5-equipped Mazda 3 5-door over the sedan? Not so much.