Today's Drive: 2015 Mazda 3 - Vancouver Courier
Some time ago, I found myself behind the wheel of a rollcage-equipped Skip Barber MX-5, entering into the semi-legendary Corkscrew turn at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in California. But I’m no racecar driver – as this was a learning lap, there was a quicker car out in front, one with a veteran instructor at the wheel managing to keep the proper line, calling out instructions on the radio, and keeping one eye on his rearview... So what’d he have to keep a safe margin out in front. the gent in question had a small, fuel-efficient compact car with a four-cylinder engine. In fact, he had one of these: A Mazda3. When the Mazda3 first replaced the venerable old Protege, everybody had to have one. Specifically, everybody wanted to have a Sport GT hatchback, with the zippy little 2. 3L engine, preferably in dark grey. I distinctly remember parking between four such vehicles in a row along Broadway, and then seeing two more pass by. The succeeding generation wasn’t quite as pretty, but this new one – hoo-boy, she’s a looker. However, if you go for the basic model, the size of the alloys don’t quite balance out all that swoopy sheet metal. Here in the GT version, however, there’s 18” alloys to really fill out the wheel wells. Source: www.vancourier.com
