2025 Mazda3 Hatchback Review: Classic Charm If You Keep The Specs Simple

Amid Mazda's crossover-heavy line up are a few cars for those who want the "zoom-zoom-zoom" without all that "room-room-room" and other baggage (of the figurative kind) crossovers are known for. Of course, there's the MX-5 Miata, a motoring icon preparing for its next incarnation in the coming years, all the while still offering the joy it has offered since the first roadsters landed back in 1989. From cruising down the Pacific Coast Highway on a sunny day to tackling road courses and NASCAR ovals in IMSA's Whelen MX-5 Cup Series, for many, Miata is always the answer.

And then there's the Mazda3, the entry-level sedan/hatchback duo bringing new fans into the fold since the 2004 model year. Back in 2023, we spent the week in a 2023 Mazda3 2.5 S Carbon Edition Hatchback, coming away with the view that this compact was both handsome and timeless. Now that the mid-2020s are here, does that conclusion still hold? To answer this, Mazda recently sent down to me a 2025 Mazda3 2.5 S Preferred Hatchback to review on the roads and highways running through my part of Southwestern Virginia. Let's see how well things hold up as another page turns on this turbulent decade, shall we?

The 2025 Mazda3 still comes in two flavors: sedan and hatchback. The sedan has the honor of being the least expensive model in Mazda's entire 2025 lineup, with a starting MSRP of $24,150 plus $1,185 destination. The hatchback takes a little more from the bank account at $25,150 plus destination, placing it at the doorstep of the Hiroshima-based automaker's lowest-priced crossover, the 2025 CX-30 ($25,195 base MSRP plus destination).

Our example for the week, the 2.5 S Preferred, is the third trim of seven total for the 2025 model year, and starts at $27,890 plus destination. As-tested, my Soul Red Crystal Metallic hatchback's total sticker was $29,605 with destination, including the aforementioned signature paint ($595) and a stainless steel rear bumper guard ($135) to protect that paint from loading scuffs. If you want the top-tier hatchback, the 2.5 Turbo Premium Plus starts at $37,150 plus destination, which gives you all-wheel drive with a six-speed automatic. 

Cameron Aubernon/SlashGear

Those who want to shift on their own will have to pick the 2.5 S Premium ($30,850 base MSRP plus destination), the only Mazda3 now offering a manual, and only in front-wheel drive to boot. The 2025 Mazda3 sedan, for what it's worth, only has a six-speed automatic as far as transmissions go. In comparison, though, the top-tier 2025 CX-30 2.5 Turbo Premium Plus also starts at $37,150 plus destination.

The 2025 Mazda3 hatchback can be had with one of two engine and transmission pairings. The 2.5 Carbon Turbo and 2.5 Turbo Premium Plus have a 2.5-liter turbocharged inline-four moving all four wheels through a six-speed automatic. On regular 87 octane fuel, there's 227 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque; dropping 93 octane into the 13.2-gallon tank opens up the full power of the turbo-four, resulting in 250 horses and 320 lb-ft of torque. 

All other trims below the top two come with a 2.5-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder, linked to either a six-speed manual with overdrive (2.5 S Premium) or six-speed automatic (all other trims). Of those trims, only the 2.5 S Carbon Edition offers all-wheel drive; the rest are front-wheel drive-only. Power output is the same across the non-turbo lineup: 191 horsepower and 186 lb-ft of torque, all on regular 87 gas.

Cameron Aubernon/SlashGear

The 2025 Mazda3 2.5 S Preferred I tested wore a set of 18-inch alloys fitted with Toyo Proxes A40 all-seasons, which were definitely appreciated during  the rainy weather experienced near the end of my time with the hatchback. All-wheel drive models use a larger 11.61-inch vented front disc over the front-wheel drive's 11.02-inch vented units, but all trims have the same 10.43-inch solid discs out back to bring everything to a stop. Front independent MacPherson struts and a rear torsion beam axle give the Mazda3 great handling skills no matter the weather.

Sliding into the 2025 Mazda3 Hatchback reveals more or less the same experience we enjoyed back in 2023. No complex controls here, just plenty of buttons, knobs, and switches to manage everything from the radio and dual-zone climate system, to the adaptive cruise control (which didn't get gunked up as had happened when I took the 2025 CX-90 out for a family adventure in Kentucky in late 2024). 

Even the driver display cluster still looks like the classic circular analog gauges of yore, even if I did set the main one up with a digital read out of the speed and other metrics. I won't complain about a focus on driving rather than overwhelming the driver (and, sometimes, even the passenger) with a glass wall of sparkling tech. Sometimes, the iPad experience should just be experienced on an iPad, not as a car.

Cameron Aubernon/SlashGear

Black leatherette covers the front and rear seats, while the Preferred package (included at no charge per the sticker) adds a power-adjustable driver's seat with two-position memory (the front passenger must manually adjust everything in their seat), heated front seats, and a power sunroof. The front seats are plenty comfortable, but the three adults seated upon the 60/40-split rear bench will be wanting to stretch their legs sooner rather than later. 

As far as cargo space for groceries and some big purchases go, there's 20.1 cu-ft with the rear seat up, and 47.1 cu-ft for more items with the bench down. That happens to be around 2 cu-ft more than the 2025 CX-30 with its rear bench down, for what it's worth.

The elegant minimalism behind the wheel of the Mazda3 continues with the small nod to technology that is its 8.8-inch center display. Not a touchscreen, but a display, through which you scroll via the center console dial. Housed within the display is wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which I definitely needed in this tester, as all it had for OEM navigation was a compass. You can pick up the SD card at your nearest Mazda dealership to enable full GPS for $399.95, if you really want it; otherwise, your phone or a dedicated GPS will do just fine. You'll also need your phone if you want SiriusXM, as the 2.5 S Preferred I tested didn't have it installed; this one just has an AM/FM radio with six speakers. 

There are two USB-C ports for charging and connecting all phones, plus Bluetooth for phone calls, and Amazon Alexa for doing everything from finding your way to the newest hot spot in town to unlocking your smart home's front door upon arriving home. Carbon Turbo and Turbo Premium Plus trims get a larger, 10.25-inch display with wireless smartphone projection, plus the option to turn on touch functionality (though only for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto). 

Cameron Aubernon/SlashGear

As for how the base Mazda sound system... sounds, the six speakers were pretty good, giving my favorite hosts the respect their voices deserve. Mazda offers 8-speaker and Bose 12-speaker versions on higher trims. Standard safety features include rain-sensing wipers, driver-attention alert, blind-spot monitoring, lane-keeping assist, lane-departure warning, and rear cross-traffic alert.

The 2025 Mazda3 Hatchback I tested didn't have turbo power or all-wheel drive, but it was pretty good with what it did have to work with. One big drawback to the overall experience has been and continues to be the tiny rear glass interior opening and massive C-pillar creating a blind spot big enough to hinder the NHTSA's Blindzone Glare Elimination Mirror Method; good thing for that blind-spot monitoring, then. Those 191 horses and their combined 186 lb-ft of torque are quite sufficient on the highway, especially with Sport Mode turned on briefly (it shuts off automatically upon setting/resuming the cruise control) for merging onto the highway or passing by the big rigs on the left.

Speaking of passing by things, the Mazda3 Hatchback will pass by a few gas stations before needing to fill up on regular. EPA-estimated MPG is 30 (27 city/35 highway). I managed around 25.6 mpg via in-town driving and my one interstate/U.S. highway photo shoot/test loop. We said a mild hybrid or PHEV system might help both in the driving dynamics and fuel economy department back in 2023, and I can say it might help in 2025, too.

We also said back in 2023 that the Mazda3 Hatchback had a certain charm that couldn't be ignored. As the latter half of the 2020s comes around the bend, it's safe to say that's still true, though it may be starting to get long in the tooth. After all, the fourth-generation of Mazda's entry-level sedan/hatchback duo is the longest-lived generation at seven model years as of this writing, first arriving in U.S. showrooms all the way back in March 2019. 

There are newer and hotter competitors coming for this compact, including the Honda Civic, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, and Acura Integra. We'll have to wait and see how Mazda responds as this decade begins its run to the finish line.

Until then, though, anyone who opts for Mazda's entry-level compact will be rewarded with a competent machine that still fits with the rest of the automaker's lineup, and fits well, to boot. This is a driver's car for drivers who want to focus on the road, not on all the razzle-dazzle of the tech world. Sometimes, the classics are all anyone needs. The pricing doesn't hurt, either.