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Even as the miles wore on during two recent road trips, our Mazda 3 remained comfortable and engaging. During a Thanksgiving trip to Boston, assistant editor David Zenlea found the seats supportive over the long haul while the 3's chassis soaked up bumps and kept the drive lively. Having made the same trip two weeks earlier in our long-term BMW 7-series, Zenlea made the surprising assessment that the 3 was "significantly more enjoyable." His only gripe during the1600-mile drive was the navigation system that failed to warn him about standstill traffic near the Canadian border costing him hours and forcing him into a hotel for the night.inline_mediumwraptextright25452041/reviews/12_month_car_reviews/0912_2010_mazda3_s_sport_5_door_december_update0910_01_z+2010_mazda3_s_sport+front_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue

Make no mistake, the Mazda Kiyora is not a concept car. At least, not as the term is typically used these days, when what is presented as an idea about the future is in fact a hastily restyled upcoming production car, presented to prepare public opinion in advance: "Wow, the new Thingamajig came from the Chimera concept car." No way will we see versions of the Kiyora on the streets anytime soon. Or ever.

Like Rusty, I'm close to the target demographic of the Mazdaspeed 3. I've certainly sung its praises in the pages of Automobile and on these Web pages, and all of that has been well-deserved. But if given the choice, I'd put my own money towards the base Mazda 3 without a second's hesitation.inline_mediumwraptextright26071454/reviews/editors_notebook/0911_2010_mazda3_vs_mazdaspeed30911_08_z+2010_mazda3_vS_mazdaspeed3+front_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue

Ford may be throwing a party for its new Fiesta at the 2009 Los Angeles auto show, but it's not the only automaker introducing a subcompact hatchback into North America. In fact, Mazda's using the same venue to launch its 2011 Mazda 2 into the New World.inline_mediumwraptextright31530639/features/news/0912_2011_mazda_mazda20912_06_z+2011_mazda_mazda2+front_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue

As winter approaches, we've now fit our Mazda 3 with Continental ExtremeWinterContact winter tires in preparation for the snow, slush, and ice storms that we're sure to receive. Our new tires match the stock rubber in size at 205/50TR-17 and sell for $114 each. We're used to making compromises to ride and handling when fitting our cars with snow tires, and the Continentals are no exception. The 3's sharp steering is dulled, handling is less confident, and the ride significantly choppier. "I noticed a lot more torque steer while accelerating, and the Mazda wandered on the highway, requiring significantly more corrections than when it was on the stock all-season tires," commented copy editor Rusty Blackwell. On the other hand, we're expecting these tires to be quite grippy once the snow starts flying.inline_mediumwraptextright26071445/reviews/12_month_car_reviews/0911_2010_mazda3_s_sport_5_door_november_update0911_03_z+2010_mazda3_vS_mazdaspeed3+head_to_head.jpgTrue