2019 Mazda Mazda3 AWD Hatchback | Funky or Fabulous? 

I really like the hatch, the sedan looks like everybody’s sedan. The hatch is unique.

I really like the look of the hatch. I remember when you could get the Mazda 626 in the 5 door. America has become so obsessed with the SUV that so many cool cars have either been discontinued or certain body styles are no longer available. Don't get me wrong, the SUV serves an important niche in America. But not everyone wants an SUV or CUV. Oh and it would be nice if performance wagons like the Audi S4 avant, S6 avant, or the Caddy CTS wagon could come back to our shores.

Sure it's a bit odd but I could get used to it. The Civic hatchback stays ugly no matter how often I see it.

I love the looks of the Mazda 3 Hatchback... but I also enjoyed the CATS trailer.

They both look great!! But I like the hatchback better, it just looks so different than almost anything on the road.

I've liked the 3 Hatch in photos from the moment it was launched. I saw my first one on the road a couple days ago and I LOVE IT. LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT. It looks FANTASTIC. The stance is incredible, the way the light plays across it is mesmerizing, the tailights are detailed and look very premium. It's a *beautiful* car, full stop.

We bought the Premium hatchback and traded our Audi A3 Quattro in on it. The Mazda is by far the better vehicle. It rides and handles better, is quieter and has better interior materials and more equipment for less money. We. Chose the hatch due to the style and LOVE the rear end design. Yes, we love the rear c-pillars and nothing else looks like it. Heads turn everywhere we go and we get lots of compliments. We have no issues with cargo room. No issues with rear visibility either. Alex says it has tight rest leg room, but I’m 5’10” and sat in the rear seat on a long trip back from FL. The rear seats are as comfortable as the fronts and I had no issues with headroom. Never have to tilt my head. I can not say enough about the seat design, both front and rear. Excellent job by Mazda! As a previous owner of a Civic Touring sedan, I can tell you that the Mazda is by far the better vehicle. Better even than the GTI we had a couple years ago. We’ve owned Mazda 3 GT hatches before and this new one rides better and handles better than any of the older ones. I was shocked that Mazda was able to get a smoother ride and better handling with the semi independent rear suspension versus the old independent suspension, but they did!

Excellent review!! I'm waiting on delivery of a premium, 6-spd manual, and, ofc, I totally love the hatchback design over the sedan. thx again for the detailed, great review....much appreciated! cheers from Toronto....

Maybe I'm weird here, but I love the hatchback. The shape is different but it resolves super well for me given the rest of the design language on the car. On the other hand the sedan just comes across as generic. Not bad, but nothing remarkable.

I love the hatchback. Im 17 and I hope that I’ll can buy a hatchback one next year

I love that people absolutely have no idea what to compare it to. Bought the polymetal hatch manual and love it Its oddly sexy and inside its basically luxury with a focus on being minimal. And people are absolutely surprised it's a Mazda...

Personally, I like the hatch as it is closest to their concept. I am biased though as I am a huge fan of hatches in general

By far the best and nobody even close to second when it comes to car reviews. 👍🏼

Love the hatchback, great review, waiting to see your review on the Arteon

You’re right about this being more luxurious than the ILX. I’ve seen both.

I read that people are having problems with how small the mazda hatch is but the corolla is same size or smallers but there is no complaining there. They say that the mazda 3 needs a turbo engine, it does not have sufficient power. But when the corolla and civic only had 140 hp from 2003 to 2016 for the civic and 2019 for the corolla. No one had a problem they said it was sufficient. But the mazda 186hp is not sufficient.

Have test driven the sedan and hatch. Also have owned a 2013 3 hatch, and currently own a 2017 CX5 awd. All that said in my opinion the 3 Hatch is a walk away winner. Very impressed with comfort, handling, and styling over the competition.

Great job with the very thorough review! To answer your question, although the hatch styling has grown on me and love the black grill and wheels, I do prefer the sedan's styling more. Too bad we can get the sedan in a manual, so the hatch wins by default for me. As it happens, I did cross shop the updated Crosstrek, '17 Forester, the '17 Mazda3 and 6 and ended up with '17.5 Mazda6 for the balance of power, room, features, fun driving nature and projected reliability. For where I live, AWD is appreciated ~3 months out of the year, but not a necessity.

Personally I love it. Stands out and that color is amazing. Awesome video!

Got one today! The car looks 10x better in person than in photos or videos.

I love the look of this thing.

I LOVE the way the hatchback looks, specially the back.

Own the hatch and love it like crazy!

I really love the hatchback version, much more than sedan version

I have a 2018 Mazda 3 Hatchback Grand Touring! Mazda has come a long way, it’s my first Mazda and for sure it won’t be my last! 😊

Thank you, Alex. Well done 👍. Really appreciate you.

I have to pay a visit to a dealer to see how the interior smells. Some years ago I almost got a headache from the chemical smell of their materials. Thank you for a good review!

I always look for cars that are unique and appealing, and this hatch definitely is on my list 😍

Alex, I test drove that exact Mini Clubman, extensively. I was glad to get back to my Mazda3. There is really nothing that I liked about that Mini besides somewhat fancy cabin

Nice to see orange rear indicators. American cars stress me out with red indicators, they're objectively less safe.

Thorough review. Still thinking about a Hyundai Kona vs Mazda 3, however.

Good review as always Alex. Mazda 3 AWD hatch why: 1) you like the styling, 2) you need AWD, 3) you don't intend to subject any one over 5'5" to attempt to be comfortable in the rear seat. Hatchbacks used to be a more like mini station wagons because they could carry more stuff and in larger-longer dimensions, but Mazda has chosen to elevate style over practicality in the 2020 hatch. The 2.0L Skyactiv-X with mild-hybrid technology is coming to Europe and Japan but is less hp and torque than the 2.5L, but better mpg. It will be very interesting to see what the automotive press has to say about it.

People who bash on mazda 3 have never driven one. The power definitely isn't super impressive off the line but this car can hold a line like on rails on a curvy road. Mid-range torque is nice and punchy if you keep it slightly geared down (which makes for a more fun and engaging experience anyways). A set of nice tires and a stiffer rear sway bar make the FWD version an absolute hoot to throw around. Incredible value and engineering. My 2015 2.5 FWD gets 32+ mpg mixed driving and I don't drive it slow. Gets 40 mpg on road trips. Will be buying lightly used '19 hatchback manual in a couple years when they've been out a little while. Can't wait for that day.

Great review! Thanks Alex.

Great step up from my 3sport black! Far more preferable to a 6, excellent body styling including the rear end, excellent video.

Both hatch and sedan are amazing looking cars for the price point. Love them both.

It's unique, but I'm kinda diggin the hatchback styling. Both the hatchback and sedan look good to me.

How can I reset the infotainment system? Holding down the mute, nav and back buttons doesn’t work...

It's amazing to me how much better Mazdas look than their competition. And their interiors are so nice these days. I just wish Mazda went for a little less form over function on this one and had bigger windows/less sheet metal and more headroom in the back.

Currently own the 2019 AWD hatch, and I can attest, it is DAMN GOOD.

I absolutely love the hatch. Probably my next car

Saab Reborn..( Ive own six:)...no reason to get Till the new engine comes out? correct Alex?

I took the sedan for a test drive and I’m going back to test the all wheel drive hatch. I agree with commenters hear that the hatch has a unique sexy quality to it with that design however functionally it may be difficult with limited visibility but it does get looks. I’m interested in the car primarily for the upscale design and interior combined with an all wheel drive capability because I do a lot of skiing.

Great review, thanks, though I'm worried about the long term use, will it be an issue?

Alex great review. I read in Europe the engine is available any word let

I looooove the way of this hatch!!! It is a piece of art.

Alex, I wonder why the front wheel drive version is even faster than the all wheel drive version, its 7.8s vs 7.1s from 0-60 test right?

alex when you make your comparison with the Acura you forgot to mention that it handles better than the TLX as well.

I like Mazda, a lot. I would like to be able to choose the AWD behaviour by myself. During my trips to the mountains, I`d like to have the rear axle connected all the time on the curvy and wet parts of the mountains.

Love the hatchback!

I own the FWD hatch. I agree with Alex's fuel economy score. I get 40 MPG between fillups, but I do drive a lot at 35-50 mph where it gets its best MPG. Cylinder deactivation / "rocker arm falling off" recall hasn't officially started, but I recommend getting in touch with your dealer: they're already doing it for people who ask. My dealer reflashed its entire inventory as soon as they heard about it. Anyway, after reflash, the energy flow diagram is no longer showing cylinders deactivating. Which means that either the cylinder deactivation display is not compatible with the updated PCM software OR Mazda quietly killed off cylinder deactivation. A newer (than mine by a few months) Mazda3 sedan doesn't have an energy flow display menu option at all.

Contrast to your view, In my opinion, the back is the best looking part of the Mazda3😍😍😍😍loved it, drove one !

I have a love/have relationship with the exterior. The interior is incredible looking and the best in the class though. The competitors aren't nearly as premium looking and that red option is very nice. I have a 2017 Civic Hatchback EX and the interior on the Mazda 3 makes me want one but I prefer the exterior of the Honda.

I bought the hatchback version. I like the look of the sedan better but I wanted the practicality of the hatchback. I prefer the upscale styling inside and out over having more speed or space that competitors provide.

Is it bad that I can’t see the dimensions in the contrasting color unless I read it all? :(

That’s a nifty nixie clock Alex!

I own the 2019 premium package hatch and think it's the best looking car in the segment not even close. It's beautiful esp from the side. It looks like a stretched out adult hatch back and sexy af at the same time. Dark blue paint w the 18 inch black rims. Simply beautiful! Don't get me started on the luxury interior!

I just got rid of my Golf GTE and I'm test driving the Mazda 3 Skyactive X (186 HP) this Saturday (with automatic gearbox). I'm already convinced that the looks of the Mazda 3 are lovely and that the interior is better. I'm just not convinced yet about the performance. My GTE did 0-60 in 6.4 seconds. It has a 1.4 turbo petrol engine (150 HP) and electric motor, combined its 204 HP. The performance is just great on that GTE. How is it compared to this? I know this doesn't have a Turbo, but it has a small compressor. I also know that the engine only releases the 186 HP at about 6K RPM. 7.1 seconds for the FWD 186 HP automatic seems alright to me, even though it's a small downgrade of almost a full second. How does it feel without the turbo though?

I love both options but the hatchback in that color and red interior is hard to beat.

The 2004 Mazda 3 hatch was outstanding, iconic, classic design. Best car I ever owned.

How about a Mazda three 2024 GT sport manual six transmission. Where is that video?

Nice job!!

fabulous i've had it for 1 month, soooooooo fun to drive.

I really like the looks of the hatchback.

Sad but true that Alex explained stuffs about this Mazda 3 way better the dude who tried to sell me one at the dealership.

I LOVE the look of the hatch, but the lack of the visibility out of the rear windshield and the lack of headroom in the backseat really sucks. I have the 2017 Mazda 3 hatch, and my lease is up in a month or 2. I may have to move up to the CX-30......

For people who want a Mazda 3 that ist a little bit higher and offers more space in the back, they might want to consider the CX-30. It will be out soon and is basically a SUV Version of the 3.

I had a 2006 3 hatch that I loved to drive with the 2.3 motor. I don't like what they did with it in the next generation and this one. If I were looking for a new hatch, I would choose the Elantra GT with the 1.6 turbo.

The sedan looks nice. The hatchback, in person, looks like an actual space ship. Which you’d either love or hate. Personally the hatch is absolutely breath-taking in person, but I can understand the criticism about the C-pillar.

Enlarge the rear door glass even if a fixed window. That will go a long way to opening up the interior reducing the huge blind spot and perhaps even reducing some of the design awkwardness

The hatch looks unique and would be my pick. I own a 2014 Mazda 3 S GT. I've driven the 2019. The suspension doesn't bother me. The 2019's steering is slower, so it feels less direct than the earlier model. The engine is retuned where torque peaks higher in the rev range, so it doesn't feel as urgent as previous years. The 2019 is quieter and the Bose sound system is great too.

I Absolutely love the look of this hatchback. It reminds me of Super Luxury cars made buy Jaguar, Alfa Romeo, and older models of Porsche etc.

How is the blind spot in this hatch? I don't think I heard it mentioned in the video.

big fan of both the new hatch and sedan. I don't get why people dislike the c-pillar on this hatch, it looks soooo fresh and makes all other hatchbacks look rather dated..

I love this hatchback in white on black rims. Beautiful vehicle.

Love the new design of both the hatch and sedan Mazda3 . Mazda is targeting the new 3 at people who will buy it on its style. The new CX30 will sell to those that love the look of the 3 but want or need more rear seat and luggage space. Given how the market has changed globally with suv and cuv sales this is a very clever approach

I EU we have only the 2.0l engines. Non the less this is probably my next car.

The very happy owner/driver of a '16 Mazda3 hatchback, my aging knees told me to get something with a seat height farther from the ground. Disappointed to see the new 3 hatchback has even less ground clearance, not because I want to go off-road, but because I needed a higher seat to save extra strain on my knees. I tried several small crossovers & SUVs, settled on a Subaru Crosstrek mostly because my knees liked it the best for entry and exit. That was a mistake. I liked the looks of the Crosstrek, but I don't care about all-wheel drive, and the overall driving experience was not even close to the Mazda3. The Crosstrek was a comfortable highway car, but fuel mileage was mediocre (10 mpg less than the Mazda). Some small crossovers and SUVs were tempting, but they didn't have manual transmissions - my strong preference if available. If I had to drive an automatic, I decided to go for fuel efficiency, and settled on the Kia Niro (seat height is friendlier than other small hybrids like the Prius). It's half a second slower 0-60 than the Mazda3, but half a second faster than the Crosstrek. More legroom in back than the Mazda, but less hip room. I agree that the back half of the 3 hatchback looks a little bit odd, but if it sat a little higher, and cost a little less, I'd buy another one just for the driving dynamics,. Alas, Mazda is pricing me out of their market.

Mazda naturally aspirated engines have a lot of torque over other brands and I like the six speed transmission mated to it. Toyota has less torque but used an 8 speed to compensate. That is my take on the numbers as well as around town driving the Toyota couldn’t choose a gear with conviction.

I love my blacked out hatchback 3. It turns heads and in sport mode with a hp increaser that thing screams. 10/10

I love this look of the car

I really like the sedan over the hatch, and I wished they kept the 6 speed man option on the sedan as well.

Looks good!

Comparison with the Golf or AWD Sportwagen? I'm surprised you left out the Outback. Also will you be getting your hands on the VW Arteon?

Mazda chose style over practicality with the hatch. I didn’t like it until I saw one in person. I think it looks great.

Totally agree with you Alex, sedan is classy the hatchback is just odd.

The Mazda 3 hatch is simply beautiful.

70.5 decibels is really good for a small hatch. Is the sedan quieter? I might go the the sedan one day because although I like the hatch design it's not that ergonomic.

The legendary "King of Handing" hot hatches Citroen ZX, Peugeot 205 & 306 GTi are all torsion beam monsters. So far, VW hasn't been been able to produce any hatches that handles better than those French beauties. Even the great BMW E46 (even though it's not a hatch) with it's 50/50 weight distribution and rear wheel drive, those French still out handle it.

Love the hatchback

I really like the huge c-pillar, especially on a vehicle that is low to the ground like this. It looks planted, stable and weighty. The gentle curvature is very unique and appears taut. It works well with Mazda's styling in general. Nothing seems overdone. No gaudy chrome strips, edgy stamped steel body lines or multi-pattern grilles/faux grilles or crazy shaped lighting. It looks better in person, especially in white or red.

I always think, buyers who have a priority for rear space and boot capacity, wouldn't be looking at this car anyway. They'd buy an SUV or estate. This car is for singles, couples or those retirees, and I own one and I'm blown away by how good these Mazdas are!

My 2014 Mazda 3 with the smaller 2.0L engine is rated at 41mpg highway and I've done 600 mile road trips where I've gotten over 44mpg cruising at 70-75mph. The new model is 200lbs heavier than the last gen and that hatch is 400lbs heavier so the 0-60 on my car is nearly identical to that hatch. I get Mazda is trying to make the car more premium by adding more sound dampening materials and insulation but I believe that's taking away from the 'raw' feeling of driving a zippy lightweight car, like what they do with the MX-5. With all that added weight it's no wonder they only offer the 2.5L now and thus fuel economy suffers as well. Hopefully the Skyactiv-X addresses both the performance and fuel economy numbers and puts the Mazda 3 back up to the top.

I definitely like the hatch better than the sedan; the profile is like a coupe, even with the 4 doors.

I might be slightly biased, having a CX-9, but I'd much rather have this than the CX-3. That car doesn't make sense to me. It's barely higher off the ground and pretty much is a weirder Mazda3. This Hatchback version fixes a lot of things. The back is a bit weird, but most Mazda's backs are just okay. They have fantastic fronts and sidelines, but the backs are just okay.

The hatchback looks polarizing and "quirky" - but that also means it's not bland like so many other cars and therefore gets bonus points from me. Unfortunately, I'm not a big fan of the "premium" direction Mazda is going lately. Otherwise, it would probably be on my shopping list.

I love the hatchback

How come you didn't compare this to a Honda Civic?

I would get the hatchback!

Really like the Mazda3! I test drove a Preferred with AWD. I like the look of the hatchback - distinct and sexy. That said, the visibility rearward is notably compromised. The blind spot monitoring notifications both within the instrument cluster and in the side mirrors do a commendable job mitigating the problem while driving in a forward direction. As I see it, the problem with the visibility in the hatch is most noticeable when in reverse - it’s a safety compromise for sure. I’m disappointed that parking sensors are not available in the U.S market; they are available in other markets, are very useful and would offer a big safety improvement. The other feature in other markets that is disappointing not to have in the U.S is rear HVAC vents. The way Mazda positions the vents in the front makes airflow to the rear difficult.