Three Ways to Power Your Mazda3
October 25 2022,
The Mazda3 continues to be one of the brand’s biggest sellers. With two body styles, two drive types and styling that will overshadow most any compact you park beside, there is variety for days and a cool factor that isn’t necessarily built; it’s earned.
And much of how its earned comes from what lives beneath the hood, which we’re going to highlight here.
2.0-litre four-cylinder Skyactiv-G
This is the entry level engine for the Mazda3, but it isn’t without its technical prowess. Power is rated at 155 horsepower and 150 pound-feet of torque, fed to the front wheels through either six-speed manual or automatic ‘box. It comes only on the entry-level GX model and it’s the only way you can have a manual transmission in the Mazda3.
More than just the power, however, the engine is designed with efficiency in mind, achieved thanks to a 13:1 compression ratio and six-hole direct fuel injector.
2.5-litre four-cylinder Skyactiv-G
You could make the case for this being the bread-and-butter of the line-up. You can have it with either front-wheel-drive (FWD) or all-wheel-drive (AWD), and it can be paired with the luxury package that adds a number of features to improve life on the road.
Power here is rated at 186 hp and 186 lb-ft and it also gets the fuel-efficiency treatment seen on the 2.0L.
2.5-litre four-cylinder Skyactiv-G turbo
Which brings us to the “grand poobah” of Mazda3 power. This turbocharged ‘plant makes 227 hp and 310 lb-ft if you opt for 87 octane fuel, but jumps to 250 hp and 320 lb-ft if you plump at the pump for some 93 octane juice. Then, you’re treated to one of the most powerful four-cylinder engines available in a production car today, and you can ask for that power to be sent to just the front wheel, or to all four. It doesn’t get quite the compression level the other motors do, but its 10.5:1 compression ratio and lower combustion temperatures help in the efficiency department. Makes opting for the more expensive gas that much easier to swallow.
