2016 Mazda3 S Grand Touring

I partnered with DriveShop to test drive the Mazda3 S Grand Touring for a week in order to write this review. All opinions are my own.

We took the 2016 Mazda3 S Grand Touring on a road trip and found it to be, not only sporty and stylish, but fun to drive, nicely equipped, and loaded with safety features. This car is also very photogenic! What's not to love?!

When the Mazda3 was delivered, the first thing I noticed was how stylish it looks. This car has great lines, and the Soul Red Metallic is stunning! The exterior made a good first impression for sure!

Mazda's SkyActiv Technology promises more fuel efficiency without compromising performance, and the Mazda3 did not disappoint! It is fun to drive and gets an average 33 MPG! Perfect for a road trip or just tooling around town running errands! Saving money is a good thing!!

Standard Exterior Features

• 18" Alloy Wheels
• All Season Tires
• Rain-Sensing Windshield Wipers
• Heated Power Side Mirrors with Turn Lamps and Halogen Fog Lights
• Moonroof with One-Touch  Open
• Auto On/Off Bi-Xenon Headlights
• LED Daytime Running Lights
• Gloss Black Grille
• Body Color Rear Deck Lip Spoiler
• LED Combination Taillights
• Adaptive Front Lighting System

The style and function continued inside with tons of standard features in the spacious cabin. The first thing I noticed was all the leather! I knew instantly our road trip was going to be uber comfy in the Leather-Trimmed Sport Seats! Standard on this model!

The first thing Don noticed was the Leather-Wrapped Steering Wheel with mounted controls, and it didn't take him long to spot the 7" Color Touch-Screen Display! All standard features on this model!

Standard Interior Features

• Leather-Trimmed Sport Seats
• 6-Way Power Driver's Seat
• Variable Heated Front Seats
• Dual-Zone Auto Climate Control
• Power Windows/Locks/Auto Door Locks
• Advanced Keyless Entry Systems
• Push Button Engine Start
• Auto-Dim Homelink Rearview Mirror
• 60/40 Split Fold-Down Rear Seat
• Rear Seat Armrest with Cupholder
• Leather-Wrapped Steering Wheel, Gearshift Knob, and Brake Handle
• Carpeted Floor Mats
• Active Driving Display
• 7" Color Touch-Screen Display
• Multi-Function Commander Control
• Rearview Camera
• Mazda Navigation System
• Bose 9 Speaker Center Point Audio
• Pandora, AHA, Stitcher Audio
• AM/FM/CD, HD Radio, 2 USB Inputs
• SiriusXM Satellite Radio
• SMS Text Message Delivery and Reply
• Bluetooth Hands-Free Phone/Audio
• Cruise Control and Trip Computer
• Steering Wheel Mounted Controls
• Paddle Shifters

The 2016 Mazda3 S Grand Touring isn't just a pretty face loaded with standard features! Oh no! This beauty has a 5 star safety rating! Coming from someone who survived a horrific accident several years ago, this is THE most important thing to me when purchasing a vehicle.

One of my most favorite safety features, that I feel should be standard on ALL vehicles, IS standard on the Mazda3 S Grand Touring. It is the Blind Spot Monitoring. You know that little signal in your side mirrors when a car is in the lane next to you? Yep! Something as simple as that could have prevented that person from entering my lane on the highway back in 2009.

Mazda takes it a step further and makes this warning even better! If you use your signal to change lanes, as I know you always do <smile>, when there is a car next to you the Mazda goes into self-preservation mode and beeps to warn you as if to say 'WAIT!! Bad idea!!' If Blind Spot Monitoring were standard on all vehicles, I am confident it would reduce accidents and save lives too! Thank you, Mazda, for doing your part to make the roads a safer place!

I also really love the back-up camera. It is a standard feature on this model and has a huge 7" color screen with a really nice, wide angle. This, coupled with another favorite safety feature (again, a standard feature on this model), the Rear Cross Traffic Alert, you'll always feel secure when backing up.

Standard Safety and Security Features

• 60 month/60k mile Powertrain and 36 month/36k mile Bumper-to-Bumper Warranty
• 24-Hour Roadside Assistance
• Anti-Theft Engine Immobilizer
• Blind Spot Monitoring
• Rear Cross Traffic Alert
• Tire Pressure Monitoring System
• Dynamic Stability Control
• Traction Control System
• Hill Launch Assist
• ABS with EBD with Brake Assist
• Advance Dual Front Air Bags
• Front Side-Impact Air Bags
• Front and Rear Side Air Curtains

The Mazda3 comes standard with Mazda's Active Driving Display (pictured above). When the car is off, the display is flat against the dashboard, but once you fire up the engine the Active Driving Display comes to life and raises up to give you an easy view of your actual speed, cruise control speed, and several other features. The display is easily adjustable, so no matter who is driving it's always in view.

In the photo above you can see my actual speed was 68 miles per hour and the cruise control was set to 70 miles per hour. Available with the optional GT Technology Package is Mazda's Radar Cruise Control. The Radar Cruise Control adapted the vehicle speed slightly to keep a safe distance when it detected a vehicle in front of me. Once the lane was clear, it adapted again to bring my speed back up to my cruise control setting. Pretty sweet! Self-driving car much?! This is a great option, and I highly recommend it! 

No more hitting the brakes and resetting the cruise when you have someone in front of you that can't keep a constant speed. The car does it for you. All you do is set the distance by choosing 1 to 4 bars. 1 bar being the shortest distance and 4 bars the greatest distance between you and the car in front of you. The actual distance the car keeps between you & the vehicle in front of you varies depending on how fast you are traveling. For this demonstration, I had it set at the greatest distance - 4 bars.

Both Don and I loved this feature! When Don first tried it out, he was so thrilled I tweeted his reaction

"All these people putting on their brakes HA not me!" #adaptivecruisecontrol is awesome! @MazdaUSA #drivemazda pic.twitter.com/xrlhUSdYki

— Life Tastes Good (@Lifetastesgoood) February 11, 2016

Another optional feature in the GT Technology Package that I feel will reduce accidents and save lives is the Lane Departure Warning System. If you look at the Active Driving Display pictured above you'll notice the 2 lines that represent the driving lane. If the car drifts out of the lane on either side, the Lane Departure Warning System will beep at you and a car going out of the lane appears on the Active Driving Display. I like that! A lot! Good job, Mazda!

Optional GT Technology Package ($2600)

• i-ELOOP Regenerative Engine Braking System
• Active Grille Shutters
• High Beam Control
• Lane Departure Warning System
• Smart City Brake Support
• Mazda Radar Cruise Control
• Forward Obstruction Warning

I'm proud to partner with Mazda in their Drive for Good campaign and their commitment to charitable service with a donation to my favorite charity courtesy of Mazda. They gave me this $25 gift card to share with the non-profit of my choice. I am gifting my donation to Brevard County 4H. My daughter was involved with the 4H program for many years and it helped to shape her into the amazing person she is today. It's a very worthy organization doing wonderful things for the youth in our community. Thank you, Mazda! #MazdaDrive4Good

Over the past few years, Mazda has donated more than $7.6 million dollars and logged more than 120,000 service hours all in the effort to give back to the communities in which they do business. I like that!

As you can see, there are many standard options on the 2016 Mazda3 S Grand Touring making it one of the best in its class! With a spacious, well appointed cabin, a large trunk and split folding rear seats, this car had plenty of room for all of our luggage and was a comfortable ride, even on our long road trip.

If you are in the market for a sporty, fun to drive car that is loaded with style and advanced technology, as well as having an overall 5 star safety rating and great fuel economy, then you should definitely take a look at the 2015 Mazda3 S Grand Touring! This car is everything you want and more!