The last time the Mazda 3 had a turbo stuffed under its hood, it was a performance-oriented hot hatchdubbed the Mazdaspeed 3 that enthusiasts compared to the likes of the Ford Focus ST and Subaru WRX . It was loud, crude, and kept you on your toes with unpredictable torque steer, but it was oh so fun. The 2021 Mazda 3 2.5 Turbo is not that car. And really, it shouldnt be a surprise to anyone paying attention to the automakers pivot to a near-luxury brand. --> To that end, the new Mazda 3 Turbo packs performance, but it delivers it in a more mature and polished way. And compared to the regular non-turbo Mazda 3, the turbocharged version makes it a much more convincing competitor to the entry-level German luxury makes like the Audi A3 , Mercedes-Benz A-Class , and BMW 2 Series , all of which also pack turbos. Under the hood is the same 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder Mazda uses throughout its lineup. Output is rated at 250 horsepower and 320 lb-ft of torque on 93-octane fuel. Those numbers drop to 227 hp and 310 lb-ft with regular 87-octane fuel. A six-speed automatic and all-wheel-drive system round out the drivetrain for both the sedan and hatchback body styles (neither front-wheel-drive nor the manual gearbox is offered with the turbo). All in all, its a decent jump in power compared to the non-turbo 2.5-liter 3, which comes in at 186 hp and 186 lb-ft. Speaking of which, I happen to be the caretaker for our long-term, naturally aspirated Mazda 3 hatchback. Its combination of FWD and manual gearbox prevent an apples-to-apples comparison with the turbo-powered hatch we tested here, but the extra horses and torque do a lot to liven up the chassis. Power delivery off of the line is linear and satisfyingly smooth whether youre in a hurry or taking things easy. The engine note is nice and deep under wide-open throttle, though the speakers play a little part in enhancing what you hear. The six-speed auto is an outlier in a world of eight-speeds and CVTs, but its responsive and mostly does its job imperceptibly. The turbo feels much quicker than the standard 3, and our test numbers certainly confirm that. Sprinting from zero to 60 mph and through the quarter mile took 5.9 seconds and 14.5 seconds, respectively, which is 2.2 seconds and 1.7 seconds quicker than a non-turbo 2020 Mazda 3 AWD sedan we tested . Those times are also on par with a couple of German counterparts Mazda aspires to compete with. A 2019 Mercedes-Benz A220 4Matic , for example, ran to 60 mph in 6.2 seconds, and a 2020 BMW 228i xDrive Gran Coupe did it 6 seconds flat. We have yet to weigh a standard Mazda 3 AWD hatchback, but compared to the aforementioned AWD sedan, our hatchback turbo tester was just 84 pounds heavier (3,374 pounds). To counter the added weight, Mazda increased the front spring rate by 15 percent and stiffened the dampers a tad. The steering arm was also beefed up, a change that will make its way into non-turbo Mazda 3s, as well. Thankfully, those slight tweaks havent had a negative effect on handling. Steering feel is similar to that in its non-turbo counterpartslightly numb, but it reacts well to inputs. Road test editor Chris Walton put down a figure-eight time of 26.4 seconds and had a good time doing so. Its unbelievable how the turbo really woke this car up, Walton said. It does a very good job of putting the extra power down for the skidpad exits. Theres only a slight tendency for mid-corner understeer but I was also able to rotate the car off-throttle. The list of gripes isnt long and mostly mirrors my experience with our long-term Mazda 3. For starters, it doesnt quite mask potholes or pitted pavement as well as the luxury makes do (or the Civic, for that matter), and the rear passenger area is quite tight. Mazda has also stuck with the piano black interior trim, which hasnt held up well in our long-termer. That said, the interior is still a pretty nice place to be. Our test car was a Premium Plus model, which includes new tech for 2021 including a 360-degree view monitor and Traffic Jam Assist, which handles steering, throttle, and brake inputs at speeds under 40 mph. Other goodies include a home theaterworthy Bose sound system, a head-up display, LED headlights, and a heated steering wheel. Pretty impressive for a list price of just under $35,000. So although the Mazda 3 turbo may not be the car enthusiasts were hoping for, its far from a bore behind the wheel and is packed with luxuries that might convince you that growing up may not be so bad, after all. 2021 Mazda 3 AWD SkyactivG Turbo BASE PRICE $31,845 PRICE AS TESTED $34,820 VEHICLE LAYOUT Front-engine, AWD, 5-pass, 4-door hatchback ENGINE 2.5L/227-hp/310-lb-ft* turbo DOHC 16-valve I-4 TRANSMISSION 6-speed automatic CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST) 3,374 lb (62/38%) WHEELBASE 107.3 in LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT 175.6 x 70.7 x 56.7 in 0-60 MPH 5.9 sec QUARTER MILE 14.5 sec @ 95.5 mph BRAKING, 60-0 MPH 123 ft LATERAL ACCELERATION 0.85 g (avg) MT FIGURE EIGHT 26.4 sec @ 0.65 g (avg) EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON 23/31/26 mpg ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY 147/109 kWh/100 miles CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB 0.75 lb/mile *Output rises to 250 hp/320 lb-ft on premium fuel The post 2021 Mazda 3 Turbo First Test: Power Move appeared first on MotorTrend .