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Ranked #8 in Compact Cars from U.S. News and World Report, the 2018 Mazda 3 is a stylish, affordable vehicle. It starts at just $18,095 for the base model, and even upgrades such as the available premium equipment package won't break the bank. The Mazda 3 comes in both a sedan and hatchback model, and this vehicle offers a variety of features that will have drivers excited to take on the challenge of the open road. Interior Mazda used exceptional quality materials to design the interior of the Mazda 3. The front seats are contoured to hug your body, and they are upholstered with soft, breathable cloth, leatherette, or dual-stitched leather. The cabin is laid out for maximum driver convenience, with all of the controls and displays placed within easy reach. There is seating for five and two full sets of LATCH car-seat connectors in the back row. The sedan has 12.4 cubic feet of cargo space, while the hatchback offers just over 20 cubic feet with the rear seats up or 47 cubic feet with both rear seats folded forward. more Power The Mazda 3 doesn't skimp on power. The Sport model comes with a SKYACTIV-G 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that has 155 horsepower and 150 pound-feet of torque. The Touring and Grand Touring models each feature a SKYACTIV-G 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with 184 horsepower and 155 pound-feet of torque. All models come with front-wheel drive, and you can choose between a six-speed overdrive manual transmission or a six-speed automatic transmission with Sport mode and manual shift. All this adds up to a satisfying driving experience that earns the vehicle 4 out of 5 stars from Car and Driver in the Engine and Transmission category. Performance The Mazda 3's responsive steering makes it fun to drive. SKYACTIV Vehicle Dynamics with G-Vectoring Control makes cornering a breeze by shifting the vehicle's weight inside the turn and adjusting power delivery for an exhilarating experience. The 4-wheel independent suspension system delivers a smoother ride on bumpy surfaces, and sturdy brakes also help you tackle corners. The vehicle gets a respectable 28 miles per gallon in the city and 37 miles per gallon highway, saving you about $100 per year in fuel costs depending on your driving habits. Technology Drivers these days expect their cars to come loaded with technology features, and the Mazda 3 does not disappoint. It comes standard with the Mazda Connect system, which includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Bluetooth connectivity, and HD radio. A 7-inch touch-screen controls the system in tandem with console-mounted controls. There are also plenty of safety technology features onboard. These include adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning, and traffic sign recognition. With all these features at your fingertips, you'll feel secure knowing your car is helping to keep you safe on the road. The Mazda 3 is a well-rounded, fun-to-drive compact car with exceptional power, performance, and handling. Its many features make it appealing to commuters and families alike, and its value is hard to beat. Test drive one today and find out for yourself! Photo by egm | Licensed under cc BY-SA 2.0

The Mazda3 has consistently maintained a position within Kelly Blue Book's 10 Coolest New Cars lists, and the 2018 Mazda3 continues that impressive trend. In a world where the sedan is quickly becoming less and less popular in the wake of the rising popularity of larger vehicles like crossovers and SUVs, the fact that the 2018 Mazda3 continues to get so much positive attention is impressive. So what is it about this car that has everybody so interested? Here are some of the coolest features of the 2018 Mazda3. Active Driving Display Heads-up displays are nothing new in the modern vehicle market, but to call the Mazda3's Active Driving Display a heads-up display would be doing it a serious injustice. Most displays like this offer very limited information and even some of the better implementations don't have very effective displays. more The Mazda3's Active Driving Display is a small full-color display that projects important information directly into the driver's field of view without distracting his or her attention from the road. Important updates suddenly become immediately available, and you can keep track of navigation without having to take your eyes off the road to look at the car's main display. Avoiding distractions helps create safer ways to drive. MAZDA CONNECT Infotainment System Speaking of the Mazda3's main display, the vehicle's full-color, 7-inch touch-screen display is powered by Mazda's innovating MAZDA CONNECT operating system. This system provides you with direct access to important modern features like Bluetooth connectivity, hands-free calling, streaming media playback, and onboard navigation control. Everything you could want or need in an onboard control center is here, with an intuitive control interface that's specifically designed for the driver's ease of use. Commander Control One feature that makes the Mazda3's onboard control panel better than those found in most other vehicles is the Commander control interface. This takes the form of a simple omnidirectional knob located directly on the car's center console. The Commander control knob provides the driver with an intuitive interface that offers direct control of the infotainment system without distracting too much from the road. Adaptive Cruise Control One of the Mazda3's coolest features is one that you likely won't even notice because that's exactly what it's designed for. In the past, cruise-control features were almost more work than they were worth because you had to constantly turn the cruise control on and off depending on traffic conditions. The Mazda3's Adaptive Cruise Control makes use of an onboard radar system to automatically slow the car down when it detects a vehicle in front of you and seamlessly resume cruising speed once it's safe to do so. That takes a lot of work out of maintaining a constant speed on the highway. The many really interesting features on the Mazda3 all add up to something so special that this sedan continues to garner attention while other cars in its class are declining in popularity. If you'd like to experience these features firsthand, visit a local Mazda dealership for a test drive. Photo by FotoSleuth | Licensed under cc BY 2.0