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8 stouffville suntribune thursday march 25 2004 wheels an advertising section of the economist sun thursday march 25 2004 v t sfess n k s s kgk w ju jllj jfisbi v j- cv rjfii sw 7sbs x sgls p ffihl fewsi st ffisgggggg 1iip v f sllllilll v i ihhi iswiffiw sss sp ik v lllis r tfr i iiii i 5ppi r k2 hie v jtsral vyi5t v 4vij ssg f sf if iilili if j v- tsfflfijbeok 5 v2jjsc1v m3gs i v- sgg iisi thh v j v pjsf fe v i instead of following the japanese trend of compact cars with anonymous looks that blend in the mazda3 demands your attention with its decidedly german looks this mazda is going to appeal to drivers who crave a little visual verve in their driving the interior of the mazda3 is surprisingly turned out for what is acompact car for instance the glove box is big enough to hold a laptop visually exciting mazda3 is 2004 car of the year by jim robinson road worthy the buzz that the mazda3 might be named the 2004 canadian new gar of the year coty began last october thats when members of the automotive journalists association of canada ajac held its annual test fesr in the belleville area it attracts car writers from across canada who over four days rate all the new vehicles sold in canada by secret ballot there are several sub categories but the prize is the overall car and the overall truck of the year normally the journalists dont talk openly about they favourites so as to not let carmaker x know you think his latest sled is a dog at test fest however several writers were open in their praise for the mazda3 yours truly was in the family sedan sub category won by the mazda6 so i did not get a chance to drive the car at that time but with the announcement of the coty at this years canadian international auto show cias in toronto being the mazda3 1 grabbed one to try it on for size the 2004 mazda3 is offered in two body styles 4door and 5door and three versions mazda3 4door 20litre engine mazda3 4- door 23litre engine and mazda3 5door 23litre engine despite the compact car price point the mazda3 comes standard with a tilt and tele scopic steering wheel multiadjustable driver and passenger seats allow occupants of prac tically all sizes to travel in comfort mazda designers and engineers even placed the parking brake beside and behind the gear lever which they determined would allow smaller drivers to operate it more easily when the seat is in a forward position an uncluttered instrument panel com bined with cleancut door trim reinforce a feeling of spaciousness comfort and quality the prominent redbacklit threegauge instrument cluster is integral to the mazda family look and feel as is the threespoke steering wheel with integrated audio controls and when ordered cruise control a choice of contrasting interior colors and materials offers mazda3 owners an opportu nity to express their own personality and taste these choices enhance mazda3s high ly ergonomic environment which quite liter ally envelops the driver to give greater com fort and control and a heightened sense of connection to the cars overall performance optional on mazda3 s 4door and 5door is leathertrimmed seat upholstery making mazda3 one of very few cars in this segment to offer such luxury the interior holds a lot of nifty features like a glove box big enough to hold a laptop com puter purse twoliter beverage bottle or as many as 16 cd cases and theres a double- tiered centre consolearmrest and two cupholders in the center console and one more bottle holder in each door the shape of the mazda3 has the new cor porate look of a fivepoint grille rising hood- line and pronounced rear wheel well haunch es instead of following the japanese trend of compact cars with anonymous looks that blend in the mazda3 demands your atten- tion with its decidedly german looks this mazda is going to appeal to a drivers who crave a little visual verve in their driving the mazda3 4door is available with either the 148 hp 20litre engine mazda3 4door or 23litre engine mazda3 4door while the 5door is only available with the 23 mazda3 5door mazda3 both 4door and 5door models produces 160 hp to provide power at higher rpm levels while not sacrificing low- rpm driveability the 23litre engine incorpo rates variable valve timing wt on the intake valves the car is offered with a fivespeed manu al transmission as tested or a fourspeed automatic that can shift 20 per cent faster than the automatic it replaces suspension is coil springs over struts at the front and an independent multilink with coil springs at the rear the mazda3 4door is available with a sport package for a more aggressive personal ity and onroad presence in developing the package engineers focused on functional aesthetics and subtle details more impor tantly the development of the package was integral to the mazda3 program and the resulting components combine seamlessly with the body contours in a way that cannot be achieved with aftermarket parts the sport package includes specific front and rear bumpers sideskirts 17inch alloy wheels front fog lamps and unique taillights the sport package is standard on mazda3 5door as tested here continued on page 10 don z 3 days only thurs vj financing as low as o on some models taa sale prices apply to over 40 preowned and demonstrators 5 ffcasm a 3 5 star safety rating wn 1 selling vehicle k i in canada up to 6500 in rebates on some models tt fri 1 selling brand of suvs in canada 1 midsize suv explorer 1 compact suv 1 large suv expedition prices slashed on everything new preowned demonstrators j r 21 main street unionville ll4 rtzcty kennedy road 1 block north of hwy 407 markville ford lincoln svt 9054741350 wvavmarkvillefordcom vavwmarkvillefordcom vavwmarkvillefordcom