While the styling of this basic Mazda3 is excellent, the sound-system is most certainly not. The first complaint about the sound setup is that the car frequently struggled to get a strong radio signal, resulting in frequent static and varying levels of sound quality. Even when switched to Bluetooth streaming, the tunes pumping out of the speakers sounded flat and unimpressive. It seems like the only way to rectify this issue is to pony up $1,600 for the Technology package which includes a nine-speaker Bose stereo and the new Mazda Connect infotainment and navigation system. Past tests found this infotainment system to be very easy to use thanks to a touch screen and control knob interface.
Also included in that package is a dual-zone automatic climate control system and rear-view camera making the bundle especially appealing.
