That lowered the structure's weight by 24 pounds and increased bending rigidity by seven percent.
Underneath the new skin, engineers doubled the percentage by weight of high-strength steel. Airflow tweaking via flat underbody panels, less engine-bay airflow, and smoother glass mounts has dropped the drag coefficient to 0.29 from 0.31. Overall, it's a handsome design that's functional too. There's more presence to the car even though dimensionally it's about the same as the old model. The car appears to lean forward, like it's ready to go. Two more gentle, bodyside creases travel rearward from the front fenders. Subtle creases fan out from the front of the hood to the windshield and the headlights flow organically across the corners of the car. That aggressive front sets the tone for the rest of the car. Flanking this wide mouth are a pair of mini grills that look like brake ducts but are in fact housings for auxiliary lights. A blacked-out five-pointed smile spans nearly the width of the front end and it visually brings the 3 closer to the RX-8 sports car. The goal, says Mazda was to make the 3 the compact car that's the "closest thing to a sports car." Let's see if it is. The new version, which will go on sale early next year, isn't a complete makeover, rather a major restyling with subtle mechanical tweaks. Even though the 3 is in its fifth year of production, the car still feels better than its rivals. It's great fun to drive and was the first of the genre to offer big-car luxury items like leather seats and a full-screen navigation system. LOS ANGELES - Mazda's compact car, the Mazda 3, has always been a favorite. 2008 LA AUTO SHOW: All of Our Updates and Analysis in One Place.
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