AHEAD of 2012 model year, Mazda 3, a newly optional 2.0-liter engine has joined the international motoring space with more horsepower and higher fuel economy than last year's 2.0-liter engine.The new product boasts of several new trim levels, expanded availability of the hatchback body style, slight revisions to exterior and interior styling, and additional standard equipment for most trim levels.For 2012, the Mazda 3 sedan and hatchback are available with Mazda's new 'Skyactiv' powertrain components; a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine paired to either a new six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission.Mazda's engineers, according to the auto firm essentially went through the internal combustion engine with a fine-toothed comb, looking at the myriad inherent inefficiencies and devising clever solutions to address them.The 2012 Mazda 3 is available in four-door sedan and hatchback body styles. Both are available in 3i and 3s trims that are further broken into subtrims. The high-performance Mazda speed 3 is reviewed separately.The 3i SV and Sport trims are available only on the sedan. The SV comes sparsely equipped with 16-inch steel wheels, power mirrors, power windows, a height-adjustable driver seat, a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, a 60/40 split-folding rear seat and a four-speaker sound system with a CD player, auxiliary audio jack and steering wheel controls. The Sport adds air-conditioning, power locks, keyless entry and an outside temperature display.Mazda 3 trims are available on both the sedan and hatchback. The 3i Touring adds to the Sport equipment the Skyactiv-G engine, 16-inch alloy wheels, cruise control, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shifter, a rear-seat center armrest, a trip computer, Bluetooth (phone and audio streaming) and a six-speaker sound system.The Touring can be had with a package that includes a sunroof and a 10-speaker Bose surround-sound audio system. Those items are standard on the 3i Grand Touring, which also gets heated mirrors, an eight-way power driver seat, heated front seats, leather upholstery, a sliding front center armrest, a color trip computer and a compact navigation system.The 3s Touring adds on a more powerful four-cylinder engine, 17-inch alloy wheels, upgraded brakes, foglamps, LED taillights, a deck lid spoiler (sedan), keyless ignition/entry, sport seats and dual-zone automatic climate control. However, it reverts back to manual driver seat and cloth upholstery, while the sunroof and navigation system are options. The 3s Grand Touring includes those items.New Mazda 3i SV and Sport trims are powered by, a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 148 horsepower and 135 pound-feet of torque.The 3i Touring and Grand Touring trims get a new, more advanced 2.0-liter four-cylinder (Skyactiv-G) that produces 155 hp and 148 lb-ft of torque.A six-speed manual transmission is standard and a six-speed automatic is optional. Mazda's preliminary fuel economy estimates for this new engine put it among the class leaders, 28mpg city/40 mpg highway for an automatic-equipped sedan and 27/39 for a manual-equipped sedan. The hatchback is estimated to return 28/39 and 27/38, respectively.Every 2012 Mazda 3 comes standard with antilock disc brakes, stability and traction control, brake assist, front side airbags and side curtain airbags. A blind spot warning system is optional on the Grand Touring trims
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