2026 Mazda Mazda3 Sport GT 6MT

[Blueprint]

That's all you need to see, really

[GreatBigAbyss]

^^^ Sweet.  Still one of my favorite cars. 

Too bad you can't get the manual with AWD. 

[Johnnymac]

I wonder why they chose to bring back the manual?  Maybe because you can't get a manual in most of your competitors they see some buyers who they can capture.

[Blueprint]

I wonder why they chose to bring back the manual?  Maybe because you can't get a manual in most of your competitors they see some buyers who they can capture.

It never went away - it just retreated to a single trim/version a few years ago: the 5-door fwd GT. This is the last remaining "ordinary" small car with a stick. The Civic Si is close, but clearly a sporty offering with a ducktail spoiler, turbo power and red trimmed interior. Your in-laws won't question the chic Mazda.

[Blueprint]

Ok, light is bad on the phone pic but better stuff is on the way. Same exact paint as my CX-90 - makes for a nice driveway.

[Blueprint]

My typical press car week starts off with the trip computer showing great fuel economy, because off-hours driving and free-flow 70-90 km/h urban highways. Then stabilizes just a bit down with commuting to work, before plunging beyond NRCan numbers after a bunch of short distance suburban errands.

And then there's traffic mayhem. In the GMA, it's back to school with way too many lane closures and such, so lots of bumper following. Automatics - even hybrids - hate traffic and it takes a LOT of driving to bring the fuel numbers back down.

This cycle is rinse and repeat for my reviews, and repeatibility is key for experiments like my fuel economy numbers. And, yes, I use the trip computer as I don't have the time to go through even a single tank on most loans. It takes months to get a "manual" reading you can trust, especially since pumps and the prior guy always vary.

Y'all now know that modern automatics trounce manuals - when offered - in fuel economy numbers. The Mazda3 is no exception - 8.9 / 6.8 / 7.9 automatic, 9.5 / 6.9 / 8.3 manual (city / hwy / comb).

But here's the thing. With a manual, it takes LESS time for the "correction" to happen. And this 3 is no exception. It shot from 8.2 to 9.2 after two hour long stints on a bridge, but made up half the gap once out of the bridge.

Let's raise our glass to left foot / right hand algorythms !

(NB - and manuals behave like this despite actually driving them like they should be driven)

[Blueprint]

... and do note that after sitting for an hour behind the same bumper, I was still below the NRCan 9.5 rating.

[Blueprint]

Review is out: https://www.autohebdo.net/editorial/essai-routier/mazda/3/mazda-mazda3-sport-gt-manuelle-2026-essai-routier/

[Blueprint]

[Blueprint]