The truth about cars today is that, frankly, most of them are pretty darn good. Yes, some are better than others, but it’s pretty rare that something is truly awful, or for that matter truly brilliant. But on the brilliant side, we’d have to give the 2012 Mazda MAZDA3 sedan the nod.
Styling
We certainly like the looks. This is a handsome, crisp looking little sedan, definitely a little less swoopy than its sibling 5-door hatchback, and maybe the better for it. An all-new Mazda 3 was introduced for 2010, and at that time it got the new corporate smiley face grille that has polarized some buyers. For 2012, Mazda has tamed the design a little. Now the car just looks happy, not bordering on deranged.
Of all the near-magical electronic helpers available today, Attention Assist scores high on the safety scale. Introduced on luxury vehicles from Mercedes-Benz and Volvo, these systems monitor the driver’s attention level, issuing a noticeable warning if signs of drowsiness–perhaps even dozing–begin to appear. Clearly, such systems can save lives, and deserve to be made available in vehicles from many additional manufacturers.