The original Mazda 3 helped usher in the idea that people might like to equip their economy cars with premium features such as heated seats and navigation systems. Now all that stuff is de rigueur among compact cars, and Mazda is turning to design to lend credence to its newfound premium image.

If you ask us, it's working; the new fourth-generation 3 has officially outgrown its mainstream milieu. As we gaze upon its sinewy lines and touch its plush interior surfaces, we can't lump it in with the Honda Civic or the Toyota Corolla anymore. It's really more like an Audi A3 or a Mercedes-Benz A-class.

More Than a Compact

Mazda surely looked at these aspirational, luxury-badged compacts and saw that they all offer all-wheel drive. To help the 3 elbow its way into this cool-kid posse, Mazda now offers an all-wheel-drive system as a $1400 option on the 3 sedan and hatchback.

View Photos Michael Simari Car and Driver

This fully loaded AWD hatchback, stickering at $31,335, weighed a mere 117 pounds more than a similarly equipped front-drive 3 sedan. The extra heft slowed its acceleration slightly, by 0.2 second, to 7.2 seconds from zero to 60 mph and 15.6 seconds at 96 mph in the quarter-mile. A paddle-shiftable six-speed automatic is the sole transmission choice, and it's so crisp and intuitive that we're almost not peeved the manual is offered only with front-wheel drive.

If anything falls below the level of the 3's otherwise cohesive package, it's Mazda's naturally aspirated 186-hp 2.5-liter inline-four. Though perfectly pleasant, this engine lacks the shove of Honda or Volkswagen's turbo fours—and its fuel economy is unremarkable, at 25 mpg in our hands.

A Suspension Beaming with Confidence

Despite its new torsion-beam rear axle, the 3 is unflappable on our 10Best loop. Likely due to its all-season tires, the 3's turn-in is slightly duller than the sharp-witted Civic Si, although the Mazda's steering informs its driver of the tire/road relationship more usefully. You can't feel the all-wheel-drive system working in daily use, but at the limit it brings the chassis to life, having meaningful impact on midcorner adjustments. On the skidpad, the all-wheel-drive hatch pulled 0.88 g on its Toyo tires, just 0.01 g more than the identically tired front-drive sedan.

View Photos Michael Simari Car and Driver

Mazda is using a new all-wheel-drive control strategy in the 3 that differs from that used in its SUVs. The old system considered outside temperature, steering input, and wiper activation to select an all-wheel-drive map appropriate for preventing wheelspin. The new system continuously calculates vertical load (a good measure of grip) at each wheel based on vehicle speed, steering input, and accelerometer and yaw-sensor data with the goal of expanding performance. The result is more torque to the rear axle at times when it can be helpful, even on dry pavement.

We've gotten this far without mentioning the hatchback's controversially chunky C-pillar. Mazda seems to have no problem sacrificing convenience on the altar of design purity: The blind spots are significant, the back seat is tight and feels claustrophobic due to the high window line, and the revised infotainment system, though prettier than before, isn't that intuitive to operate.

But who says a small car has to cater to such rational demands? Mazda has no desire to be like Honda or Toyota, and the new 3 goes a long way toward establishing its maker as a different breed.

Specifications Specifications 2019 Mazda 3 Hatchback AWD VEHICLE TYPE

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

$31,335 (base price: $29,820) ENGINE TYPE

DOHC 16-valve Atkinson-capable 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 automatic with manual shifting mode CHASSIS

Suspension (F/R): struts/torsion beam

Brakes (F/R): 11.0-inch discs/10.4-inch discs

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: 3228 lb C/D

TEST RESULTS

Zero to 60 mph: 7.2 sec

Zero to 100 mph: 19.6 sec

Zero to 120 mph: 32.1 sec

Rolling start, 5–60 mph: 7.7 sec

Top gear, 30–50 mph: 3.7 sec

Top gear, 50–70 mph: 5.1 sec

Standing ¼-mile: 15.6 sec @ 91 mph

Top speed (governor limited): 131 mph

Braking, 70–0 mph: 164 ft

Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.88 g C/D

FUEL ECONOMY

Observed: 25 mpg

75-mph highway driving: 34 mpg

Highway range: 430 miles EPA FUEL ECONOMY

Combined/city/highway: 27/24/32 mpg Expand Collapse

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