Mazda took the wraps off the five-door hatchback version of the redesigned Mazda3 at the Bologna Motor Show last month, but here in Detroit, we saw the car for ourselves at its North American debut. As you can see in the gallery of high-res pics below, the Mazda3 five-door gets the same swoopy sheetmetal as the sedan we saw in Los Angeles, including the comic smiley face front end. What's new is the lengthened roofline that drops down at a steeper angle to create a wagon-esque profile. Some of the D-pillar design cues remind us of the Pontiac Vibe/Toyota Matrix, but it also resembles the old Mazda3 hatch more than the new sedan. While we prefer the five-door to its four-door counterpart, we know customers want both, so this makes sense for Mazda.
Mazda3i models are still fitted with the MZR 2.0L engine, putting out 148 hp at 6500 rpm and 135 lb-ft of torque at 4500 rpm and controlled by either a manual or automatic five-speed. The Mazda3 MZR is packing the newly up-sized 2.5-liter four, providing 167 hp at 6000 rpm and 168 lb-ft of torque at 4000 rpm, with a choice of either a five-speed auto or a six-speed manual. And naturally, we're looking forward to the next Mazdaspeed model, preferably in hatch form.
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