Summer Driving Mazda3 Style

Mom Central received a Mazda Mazda3 to test drive in order to facilitate this review.

Summer weather calls for barbeques, beach days, and long rides in the car just to get the best ice cream sundae you can find. Windows down, Pandora radio playing wirelessly through your Bluetooth connected stereo system, and cruising in a sleek car that gets 33 mpg, you might as well take the gas money you’re saving and splurge on the extra large brownie sundae! Well, I guess this would all depend on the car you’re driving. After receiving a 2013 Mazda3 with SKYACTIV TECHNOLOGY to test drive for a week, summer cruising just hasn’t been the same.

Lucky enough to receive a 2013 Mazda3 for a week, I had seven days of escape from my old car that desperately needs a replacement. I remembered what it felt like to be 16 with a brand new license – driving was fun again. When I first saw the car, the crystal white pearl color caught my eye immediately. From a distance, the car appears a normal white until you move closer and see the subtle shimmer from the pearl color. Stunning! The exterior also speaks to the modern flair of the car with its balance of sporty yet classy design. The rounded edges and compact size sit 5 comfortably without sacrificing trunk space. This model had more than I was looking for before even getting behind the wheel.

When I finally climbed into the drivers seat, the push button start caught me off guard. You mean I don’t have to dig around in my bottomless purse to find the keys – inevitably pausing with the sinking feeling that I’ve lost them – to start the car? Fantastic. The ease and convenience truly added something to the car.

Beyond aesthetics, gas mileage, and stereo/navigation system technology, my favorite feature – one I’ll never again buy a car without – was the blind spot monitoring system. This feature prevents those scary merge moments when you look in the rear view mirror, see an empty lane, and begin to merge only to find another car seeming as if it surfaced out of nowhere. Families with small kids especially understand the importance of safety and preventing such scenarios. I felt much safer knowing the car sensor would light up and a beeping noise would sound. For a small family not quite ready to take the SUV or minivan leap, this safe, fuel-efficient car provides a wonderful option.

Let’s just say I made my fair share of shopping trips, offered to drive friends around when going out, and of course went on several ice cream excursions during the week I spent driving the 2013 Mazda Mazda3 with SKYACTIV TECHNOLOGY. While I still may not understand all of the intricate details that make one car different from the next, I’m a new Mazda3 fan and excited that my compact car search may finally be coming to a close.

Mom Central