2010 Mazda MAZDA3 - Styling Review

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Shopping for a 2010 Mazda MAZDA3? MSRP: $15,345 - $22,945

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The completely restyled 2010 Mazda Mazda3 definitely makes a statement, and while most reviews read by TheCarConnection.com love the new look, a couple of reviewers aren't yet sold on the Mazda3 2010's reworked sheetmetal.

The 2010 Mazda3 is an affordable compact from Mazda that is available as a "four-door sedan and four-door hatchback (a so-called five-door)," according to USA Today. The 2010 Mazda3 boasts a completely new look compared to its predecessor, but Car and Driver says that the "various Mazda traits make the sedan immediately recognizable as a Mazda3." Anyone looking at the new Mazda3 2010 will immediately notice what AutoWeek calls the "stronger lines" on the latest Mazda3, as well as the "distinctive character lines that tie together the high rear deck and the front fascia." Cars.com reviewers report that they "really like the new shape of the front end, especially the flares on the front fenders," and they appreciate that "the 2010 Mazda3 looks radically different while still being recognizable as a Mazda." USA Today reviewers are much harsher on the new 2010 Mazda Mazda3, though, sniping that "whatever formula Mazda used to jazz up its compact Mazda3 sedan for 2010 certainly included two squirts of ugly," including the "open-mouth grille, like a fish, [that] makes the front look so heavy you expect the car to tip on its snout."

Although there is some dissent regarding the new exterior of the 2010 Mazda Mazda3, the interior draws high praise in nearly every review read by TheCarConnection.com. Cars.com remarks that the 2010 Mazda3's cabin "looks to maintain its classy feel with a sloped center stack and a new scalloped gauge cluster that flows over the center stack and, on higher trim levels, also houses an integrated navigation screen." Jalopnik loves how the "dash sweeps dramatically from its center to the cabin's sidewalls," while also noting that "the slant of the instrument panel optimizes operating efficiency while providing an attractive focal point." The only major criticism of the interior styling of the 2010 Mazda3 regards the Multi-Information Display, which Automobile Magazine says "displays information in white and in a dramatically different font and size than the main, red display—it looks so out of place that it might as well be from another car."