Mazda unveiled the third generation of the 3 in 2013, and it was an entirely new car.
Its eye-like headlights showed an aggressive styling. From its sides, the sculptured door panels and fenders followed strict principles and led to an excellent aerodynamic coefficient of just 0.258.
Inside, the carmaker followed the minimalist design concept. Its dashboard was simple, and plain, with only a few buttons on sight, on the center stack.
The front bucket seats were designed to win a beauty contest, and their minimal bolstering reminded the front occupants that it was a family car.
In the back, the three-seat bench offered two Isofix anchoring points.
A floating infotainment display was in the middle of the dashboard, and the driver could access it from the steering wheel’s buttons or from the rotary knob placed on the center console.
Under the hood, Mazda installed its latest developed Sky Active engines. The Mazda 3 (Axela) was offered a choice of two petrol and two diesel engines.