I’m not going to waste a lot of time with a crafty intro so I’ll get right to the point: the new 2010 Mazda3 is a fabulous car,

Hot looking car that lives up to its sporty styling. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

and probably the best in the compact class. So you can stop reading now and head to your Mazda dealer, or you can stick around for a few minutes to find out how I came to this conclusion.

My tester wasn’t outfitted the way I’d configure it if this were truly mine. Don’t get me wrong, I’d buy the sportier liftback version and I like the white paint, and its fully loaded features list would suit my luxury-sport pampered lifestyle better than a barebones model, but I wouldn’t opt for the automatic and that was the only car on hand while taking it to the streets in and around Monterey, California, and later up at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

I got out of town quickly and stole up one of my favourite roads, Laureles Grade that scales the mountain between Salinas Highway (right next to the track entrance) and Carmel Valley Road, which is ironically more of a highway than Salinas. If you’re not familiar, Laureles Grade is a twisting mountain pass that’s

Cool new lights give it a distinctive appearance from behind. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

particularly engaging, and one I’ve familiarized myself with from behind the wheel of Astons and Bentleys to Jaguars and Maseratis. So a jaunt through this circuitous route in a Mazda3 should be, yawn, boring, right? Hardly!

This particular car, outfitted in GT trim, is one fabulous little performer, equipped with an all new rev-happy 2.5L four that’s good for 167hp and 168 lb-ft of torque, which might not sound like a lot compared to some of the specially-tuned competitors out there (including the Mazdaspeed3), but believe me when I say that it feels a lot more rambunctious than mere numbers can relate. Likewise, its aforementioned automatic transmission was surprisingly sporty. It’s a five-speed unit complete with manu-matic mode that lets the engine rev to redline. BTW, standard GTs get a six-speed manual while base Mazda3s get the option of a five-speed auto or standard five-speed manual

It tackles the track brilliantly too. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

connecting through to a 148hp 2.0L four with 135 lb-ft of torque, which should be more than adequate for most peoples’ needs.

I pushed the little 3 up and down Laureles Grade and it rewarded with thrilling yet thoroughly composed dynamics, a racy exhaust note and impressive support from a well-bolstered driver’s seat, an experience I revisited on-track the following day, where its four-wheel disc brakes with standard ABS, BA and EBD came in very handy.

Underpinning the 3 is a strut setup up front and multi-link suspension out back, sophisticated for any class, while its 60/40-front/rear weight distribution never had me wishing for more neutral balance. In fact, it felt near perfect on the road and track, with a slight tendency towards understeer; the safest and most

Nice upscale interior. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

normal response from a FWD car. The optional 205/50R17 tires on my GT, up from standard 205/55R16s, felt sticky in the tight curves, a good match for the car.

On to more practical matters, the 3 Sport has always been an easy car to live with due to its hatchback layout. It can carry up to 481L (17.0 cu-ft) of cargo along with four adults (five in a pinch), or drop the rear seatbacks for larger loads. It’s practical in other ways too, with a fuel economy rating of 10.1 L/100km in the city and 6.9 on the highway a la manual and an even thriftier 9.2 and 6.8 respectively with the auto, plus it gets a PZEV Tirt2-Bin5 smog rating. Not bad for a compact that weighs in at 1,372 kilos (3,025 lbs) so equipped.

The 3

Big space for such a little car. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

comes impressively featured in standard trim with alloy wheels, air conditioning, power windows, locks and mirrors, keyless entry, plus tilt and telescoping steering, a CD player, and airbags just about everywhere, but the Sport GT gets a few items unexpected in the entry-level compact class such as dual-zone auto climate control, traction and stability control plus more for $23,995. You can add the auto tranny at $1,200, power moonroof at $895, the $1,295 Luxury Package that includes a leather-trimmed sliding front centre armrest, eight-way power driver's seat with memory, leather seats and leatherette door trim, and lastly the $1,995 GT-E Package, which needs both the sunroof and Luxury Package as prerequisites and then adds Sirius satellite radio, proximity sensing intelligent key with push-button start, and navigation. Altogether a Mazda3 Sport so equipped will total a rather premium-level $30,975 including $1,395 for freight, but it’s worth it.

Truly, the Mazda3 Sport GT looks and feels like a compact premium car, with interior design, fit, finish and features that make it comparable to many European competitors costing thousands more still, and performance that bests them.