Ask any of us, as students of the new-car market, for advice at the low end of the price spectrum, and odds are that we're going to steer you toward a small hatchback. Why? Their size makes for good fuel economy and ease of parking, while their hatchback body style yields more cargo capacity than that of a similarly sized sedan. And for anyone with even the slightest penchant toward driving engagement, we're going to suggest a manual transmission.

The Matchup

We're focusing on two longtime leaders in this space, the Volkswagen Golf and the Mazda 3, both hatchbacks (although the Mazda is also available as a sedan) equipped with six-speed manual transmissions. Mazda makes it more difficult to get a manual, as the 3 hatch starts at $24,520, but a manual is only available in its top premium trim, making it a not-so-inexpensive $28,420 proposition. On the other hand, the venerable Golf, ubiquitous on European roads and a regular on our annual 10Best awards list, makes the shift-it-yourself option available on both the base, $22,740 S and the $25,040 SE tested here, which, among other things, adds an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system and keyless access.

View Photos Roy Ritchie Car and Driver

On the Road

Both the Golf and the 3 are at the refined-riding and quiet end of the compact-hatchback spectrum, although the Mazda is noticeably quieter at speed than is the Golf. The lack of sound isn't the same thing as pleasing sound, though, and what can be heard of the Mazda's naturally aspirated four-cylinder is not stirring. It is, however, smooth and exceedingly hushed all the way up to redline. Partly due to its refinement and partly due to the poor labeling on its tachometer—the solid red doesn't start until 6500 rpm, but the limiter steps in at 6250—we bumped into the 3's limiter a couple of times before acclimating.

New for the 2019 model year, the turbo four in the Golf is smaller than before, a 1.4-liter rather than a 1.8, and it now makes 23 horsepower less. Also, in its upper rev range, it sounds grittier than before. While the turbo helps it to pack strong midrange thrust, if it isn't revving high enough it can be easily caught off boost and feel laggy and sluggish. Perfectly illustrating this is our 30-to-50-mph passing time, where the transmissions in this case are both left in sixth gear. The Mazda took 11.6 seconds, while the Golf took an excruciating 34.6 seconds more to complete the run. Golf drivers will always want to be poised for a downshift. Zero-to-60-mph acceleration times are similar at 7.6 seconds for the Golf and 7.3 for the 3, but the Mazda continues to pull away strongly from there, getting to 110 mph 6.3 seconds earlier.

View Photos Roy Ritchie Car and Driver

Ostensibly, the Golf's laziness should improve fuel economy, and it does get substantially better EPA estimates. Also, in our 75-mph highway fuel-economy test we saw 38 mpg for the Mazda versus 43 for the Golf. But in the combination of highway, backroad, and city driving for this story, the Mazda achieved 31 mpg versus the Golf's 30.

When the roads get twisty, it's obvious that the VW's suspension is softer, with more exaggerated body roll. But no matter how hard it's pushed, it never gets sloppy. The Mazda initially feels tauter and like the obvious dynamic leader. We appreciate the linear and quite tactile steering, and it generates slightly more maximum lateral grip from its 18-inch Toyo all-seasons than the Golf does from its 17-inch Pirellis. But lean on the Mazda too hard and the sporty veneer is breached, and then, surprisingly, it can float and wallow, as it did on our southern Ohio handling loop. Neither can hang with the current fun-to-drive champ of the segment, the Honda Civic Sport.

View Photos Roy Ritchie Car and Driver

Both manual transmissions are above average and satisfying, the Golf having reasonably short throws and consistent efforts, while the 3's slightly higher-effort shifter occasionally hangs up when performing a quick flick into second. Presumably because of the safety-obsessed world we live in, the Mazda has a brake-throttle-overlap warning that illuminates when pushing on the brake and then simultaneously blipping the throttle for a smooth downshift, a little icon depicting a heel/toe maneuver that would no doubt leave most new-car buyers scratching their heads. As with many things on the Mazda, such as—crazily—the time delay between the locking of the doors and the fuel door, it can be disabled in the settings menu.

The Inside View

Volkswagen has an excellent record of making the most of the available space in compact vehicles, and the Golf, while eight inches shorter than the 3, matches its cargo-carrying capability (five carry-on-size boxes) while having significantly more rear-seat legroom and headroom. If you plan to transport adults in back, you'll want to think twice before selecting the Mazda.

View Photos Roy Ritchie Car and Driver

But the Mazda is eons ahead in terms of both design and material quality, starting with the bold red-leather interior on our test car. Both driver's seats are comfortable, but the Mazda's leather-clad buckets have more support and full power operation. The Golf's seats are partly electric (with manual fore-aft adjustment and motorized backrest reclining mechanism) and are upholstered in leatherette.

All of the 3's touchpoints are well executed. There's a high-quality leather wrap on the steering wheel and shifter, and the steering-wheel buttons are dressed up with a chrome strip that bifurcates them. The Mazda's gauge cluster shows careful attention to detail, as it's artfully integrated amid the mechanical gauges, while some competitors just lazily plop a rectangular display into the cluster. Although the Mazda's revised center screen is much higher resolution and brighter than before, we still found the center-knob-controlled system to be less easy to use than the Golf's touchscreen. And the awkwardness of using a knob to control Apple CarPlay or Android Auto is a reminder that these were designed for touchscreen systems.

View Photos Roy Ritchie Car and Driver

The Golf's interior is simple, plain, and even sparse, but at least it doesn't fall for any cheap dress-up fakery as do some others in the class. And its upright, conservative exterior design leads to rear visibility that is vastly better than the Mazda, in which chunky C-pillars and pinched rear glass block 27 percent more of the rear view, according to our testing.

Both cars have a complement of driver-assist features, including adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, and blind-spot warning, but the Mazda has substantially more feature content, including automated climate control, memory seats, a head-up display, and LED headlights.

The Bottom Line

The Mazda makes a convincing case for a premium hatchback, one that we could imagine someone choosing to drive even if they could afford a more expensive car. Although opting for the manual is pricey, its higher price is justified by a substantial load of additional content. When it came time to vote, we preferred the stylish and luxurious 3 over the staid but functional Golf. But we lament the 3's swerve away from sportiness, and it'd be difficult to make a case for it over the Golf's similarly priced, dramatically quicker, and more enthusiastic-driving GTI sibling.

View Photos Michael Simari Car and Driver

Specifications Specifications 2019 Mazda 3 manual VEHICLE TYPE

front-engine, front-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door hatchback PRICE AS TESTED

$30,060 (base price: $28,420) ENGINE TYPE

DOHC 16-valve inline-4, aluminum block and head, direct fuel injection Displacement

152 cu in, 2488 cc

Power

186 hp @ 6000 rpm

Torque

186 lb-ft @ 4000 rpm TRANSMISSION

6-speed manual CHASSIS

Suspension (F/R): struts/torsion beam

Brakes (F/R): 11.0-inch vented disc/10.4-inch disc

Tires: Toyo Proxes A40, 215/45R-18 89V M+S DIMENSIONS

Wheelbase: 107.3 in

Length: 175.6 in

Width: 70.7 in

Height: 56.7 in

Passenger volume: 91 cu ft

Cargo volume: 20 cu ft

Curb weight: 3060 lb C/D

TEST RESULTS

Zero to 60 mph: 7.3 sec

Zero to 100 mph: 19.2 sec

Zero to 110 mph: 23.7 sec

Rolling start, 5–60 mph: 7.8 sec

Top gear, 30–50 mph: 11.6 sec

Top gear, 50–70 mph: 11.0 sec

Standing ¼-mile: 15.5 sec @ 91 mph

Top speed (governor limited): 131 mph

Braking, 70–0 mph: 168 ft

Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.86 g C/D

FUEL ECONOMY

Observed: 31 mpg EPA FUEL ECONOMY

Combined/city/highway: 29/25/35 mpg DOWNLOAD TEST SHEET – 2019 Volkswagen Golf SE VEHICLE TYPE

front-engine, front-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door hatchback PRICE AS TESTED

$26,335 (base price: $25,040) ENGINE TYPE

turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve inline-4, aluminum block and head, direct fuel injection Displacement

85 cu in, 1395 cc

Power

147 hp @ 5000 rpm

Torque

184 lb-ft @ 1400 rpm TRANSMISSION

6-speed manual CHASSIS

Suspension (F/R): struts/multilink

Brakes (F/R): 11.3-inch vented disc/10.7-inch disc

Tires: Pirelli Cinturato P7 All Season, 225/45R-17 91H M+S DIMENSIONS

Wheelbase: 103.8 in

Length: 167.6 in

Width: 70.8 in

Height: 58.1 in

Passenger volume: 93 cu ft

Cargo volume: 23 cu ft

Curb weight: 2904 lb C/D

TEST RESULTS

Zero to 60 mph: 7.6 sec

Zero to 100 mph: 22.7 sec

Zero to 110 mph: 30.0 sec

Rolling start, 5–60 mph: 8.7 sec

Top gear, 30–50 mph: 34.6 sec

Top gear, 50–70 mph: 15.6 sec

Standing ¼-mile: 16.1 sec @ 88 mph

Top speed (governor limited): 125 mph

Braking, 70–0 mph: 184 ft

Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad*: 0.85 g

*stability-control-inhibited C/D

FUEL ECONOMY

Observed: 30 mpg EPA FUEL ECONOMY

Combined/city/highway: 32/29/37 mpg DOWNLOAD TEST SHEET Expand Collapse

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