Front Comfort
It took awhile to get the seat properly adjusted, but once we got situated the Mazdaspeed 3 was reasonably comfortable. Somehow, the seats manage to deliver support for long drives and hold the driver in during aggressive curves without feeling hard or restrictive. Nice trick, Mazda. Gripes include an upper door panel that’s hard plastic and uncomfortable, and an accelerator that’s too close for taller drivers resulting in fatigue during longer drives. The thick, leather-wrapped steering wheel is pleasing to hold, but not as stylish or meaty as what Volkswagen installs in a GTI.

Rear Comfort
It doesn’t look roomy, but the Mazdaspeed 3 can carry four adults in cross-town comfort. Family types with kids in rear-facing or regular child seats will have trouble with clearance space between the front seatbacks and the rear backrest, so wait to trade the minivan until Frick and Frack are a little older. For adults, leg room is snug with tall people in front but the back bench is supportive and foot space is decent. The rear center armrest contains two cupholders and the plastic surround is moved forward far enough that it doesn’t impede on comfort.

Interior Noise
Our Mazdaspeed 3 Grand Touring model came with a 222-watt Bose stereo that successfully eliminated the booming exhaust; the rat-a-tat-tat rifle shots coming from every expansion joint, pock mark, and Bott’s dot on the freeway; and the irritating wind noise around the pillars at speeds over 75 mph. In case you hadn’t inferred it from this description of the driving experience, the Mazdaspeed 3 is a loud car when it’s underway.

Loading Cargo
Based on the Mazda 3 hatchback, the Mazdaspeed 3 benefits from a low liftover height and decent cargo space behind the back seats. The hatch lid sits a little low when it’s raised, so watch your head when bending down to load or retrieve items. To expand space, just flop the 60/40 split-folding rear seats down using the handy releases mounted to the outboard edges of the seatbacks. Once everything is in, or out, Mazda provides a close assist grip to make closing the hatch easier.