If you've ever forgotten to secure even a single lug nut holding a wheel to a car, it doesn't take a lot of driving to notice that something has gone wrong. If the problem comes out of nowhere, though, it may catch a number of people by surprise. That's the reason behind Mazda's latest recall.

Mazda has issued a recall for approximately 25,000 examples of the 2019 Mazda3 in both hatchback and sedan form. The vehicles were produced between Sept. 25, 2018 and April 19, 2019.

The problem comes from the wheel lug nuts, which are responsible for securing the car's wheels to the car itself. According to the automaker, a manufacturing error caused a gap between the hub bolt head and a flange in the hub bearing assembly, which might lead to an eventual loosening of the lug nuts. If that happens and action isn't immediately taken, the wheel may fall off, which presents a pretty massive safety issue. Mazda says that a rattling noise will occur before the wheel falls off, and drivers will possibly feel some shuddering in the steering wheel.

Mazda discovered the issue in April after receiving a field report of a lug nut loosening. Two days later, Mazda found the root cause that could result in loose lug nuts. The automaker improved the assembly process to eliminate this gap between the parts, but it initiated a recall for vehicles already out of the factory with this issue.

The remedy is about as simple as it can get. Upon receiving recalled vehicles at the dealership, technicians will go about tightening the lug nuts, which will eliminate the gap between the parts and prevent the issue from happening again. No replacement parts are needed. Mazda will notify owners in early August via first-class mail.

The Bottom Line

The Mazda makes a convincing case for a premium hatchback, one that we could imagine someone choosing to drive even if they could afford a more expensive car. Although opting for the manual is pricey, its higher price is justified by a substantial load of additional content. When it came time to vote, we preferred the stylish and luxurious 3 over the staid but functional Golf. But we lament the 3's swerve away from sportiness, and it'd be difficult to make a case for it over the Golf's similarly priced, dramatically quicker, and more enthusiastic-driving GTI sibling.

When the third-generation Mazda3 was unveiled in 2013, we were more than pleased with what it delivered. The Mazda3 was the compact sedan we recommended. In 2014, it won a Big Test comparison against the Honda Civic, Hyundai Elantra, Kia Forte, and Toyota Corolla. But only a couple of years later we saw new generations of the Civic, Elantra, and Chevrolet Cruze, and the Mazda3 lost its crown. It came in fourth place in a follow-up comparison, losing to the three aforementioned sedans.

The 3 hadn't lost its magic, though; it simply slipped behind new and improved competition. With the debut of the fourth generation for the 2019 model year, we decided to pit it against our current favorite and Big Test winner: the 2019 Honda Civic.

Honda really changed the segment with the 10th-generation Civic when it arrived for the 2016 model year. The styling, technology, driving dynamics, and value helped the Civic get to the top, and it also brought a key ingredient that set it apart from its competitors: fun. For 2019, Honda made the Civic sleeker, adding updated headlights across the board and a black grille to the Touring model. Everything stayed the same under the hood, which means the 1.5-liter turbo-four engine still produces 174 hp and 162 lb-ft of torque, and the CVT sends all that power to the front wheels. Our Civic Touring had a price of $28,220.

On the other hand, Mazda decided to try something different with the new 3. The Hiroshima-based brand took its compact a step above and made the design and interior much more premium. "Take the logos off, and you'll think it's a luxury car," associate online editor Stefan Ogbac said. The new exterior is carefully crafted with crisp creases and details, and the updated interior has elegant lines and materials inspired by the most luxurious brands from Japan. Under the hood, Mazda updated the 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine to produce 186 hp and 186 lb-ft of torque. A six-speed automatic transmission sends all the power to the front wheels. All of that added luxury comes with a price: Our Mazda3 Premium package had a price tag of $29,415, or $1,195 more than our Civic Touring.

Mazda and Honda diverge with their interiors, even when we're comparing both brands' top-of-the-line models. The new 3's dash, door panels, and seats are appointed with nice soft-touch leather. Even rear passengers get soft-touch plastics, something Honda doesn't offer. "Another way I can actually buy into Mazda's latest premium push is with the edge of the center console, which has a leatherlike material," senior production editor Zach Gale said. "Sure, it's a little hard, but you can feel the softness with your hand or knee. Not expected at this price point." In terms of interior space, though, the Mazda falls short. The back seat feels tight, lacking both head- and legroom. Tall passengers have just enough space before their heads touch the headliner, and both Gale's and my knees were touching the seat back when the front seat was adjusted to our driving position. The Civic, on the other hand, feels cavernous and provides more than enough room for tall passengers.

We prefer Mazda's 8.8-inch screen over Honda's 7.0-inch screen, but we'd rather have Honda's touch-controlled infotainment system than Mazda's rotary knob. The Mazda3 has a head-up display and a bigger screen, and the display is located on top of the dashboard, making it easier for the driver to operate the screen without being distracted from the road. Ogbac, our resident infotainment-meister, described Mazda's system as "a step backward" for being a maze of menus. "It takes too many steps to change satellite radio stations—five or more at least," he said. "Using a knob is really distracting, taking your concentration away from the road."

On the other hand, although the Civic's infotainment is slow and looks a bit outdated, it's easier to control. Everything is well organized, and you can get to where you want easier. A volume knob is "new" for 2019, returning after a three-year absence. Both cars have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. "I do wish you could get a larger touchscreen because the 7.0-inch looks tiny next to the Mazda3's 8.8-inch display," Ogbac said. "The upgraded audio system is pretty good, too, second best behind the Mazda's Bose unit."

The previous Mazda3's driving abilities made the vehicle one of our favorites. Mazda's powertrain was well calibrated, and it brought a sense of driving enjoyment other cars in its class didn't have. But for 2019 Mazda did things differently with the 3: It ditched the independent rear suspension for a cost-saving torsion beam, which dramatically changes the way it behaves on the road. "I felt more road imperfections in the Mazda than I did in the Honda," Gale said.

When driving over Portuguese Bend's broken pavement on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, the Mazda3's rear felt like it lost traction whenever we drove over a bump on a corner. "Get ready to feel the rear end skitter and jump around the moment you go over uneven pavement," Ogbac said. Once you drive over smooth pavement, the ride is refined, but the moment there's a bump or imperfection on the road, things go down.

We also weren't in love with the 2.5-liter engine. It has adequate power when you're going straight on flat surfaces, but when you try to merge on the freeway or go uphill, the powertrain struggles. Although the cabin is mostly quiet in normal driving situations, when you step on the gas, you'll hear a good roar from the engine. The updated engine made the compact sedan 0.1 second faster than the last Mazda3 we tested, getting from 0 to 60 mph in 7.3 seconds. One other nitpick with the Mazda3: Its brake pedal was hard to predict, feeling like you needed to press down hard in order to come to a stop. This was also noticeable at the track, where testing director Kim Reynolds had a hard time with the braking during the figure-eight test.

On the other hand, the Civic felt pretty familiar with its punchy 1.5-liter turbo, which doesn't exert itself much to go uphill or merge onto the freeway. Although we've complained about the loud CVT, it works smoothly and generally does a good job. We also prefer it over the Mazda's six-speed, which showed some jerkiness at low driving speeds. Its independent rear suspension tackles most road imperfections before you feel any vibrations in the cabin, and when the bumps are big, the springs and shocks get to work to keep cabin movement to a minimum. The Civic also feels planted in the corners, showing low body roll and also providing a fun driving experience. "Its steering is also really quick and direct, giving the driver a connected feel on the road and letting you know exactly what the front wheels are doing," Ogbac said.

At the track, the Civic showed slightly better numbers than the Mazda, getting from 0 to 60 mph in 7.0 seconds and completing the quarter mile in 15.4 seconds at 90.8 mph (15.7 seconds at 90.3 mph for the Mazda3). Our Honda also had better braking numbers from 60 to 0 mph—115 feet over the Mazda's 117 feet.

For 2019, every Civic comes standard with the Honda Sensing safety technologies suite. Customers get adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, automatic emergency braking, and other additional techs. During our drive, the lane keep assist and adaptive cruise control worked really well on the highway; the Civic kept a good distance between the car in front of us and read the lane marks correctly. "Honda Sensing is the best suite here," Ogbac said. But one thing we missed on the Civic was bling-spot monitoring; the Honda still uses the outdated LaneWatch, which displays a camera view of the car's right side on the infotainment screen when the right turning signal is on. For the driver's side, there are no alerts or any kind of monitoring. Gale, however, still preferred LaneWatch over blind-spot monitoring.

Mazda, on the other hand, falls short on the list of safety technologies, as the 3 doesn't even get automatic emergency braking standard. To get comparable safety tech on the Mazda3, you'll have to opt for the Select package; the Select package includes lane keep assist, lane departure warning, driver attention alert, and Mazda's Smart City Brake Support with pedestrian detection (among others). Although our Mazda3 with the Premium package had these options, we weren't as pleased with the way they worked. Lane keep assist only intervened when the car had gone over the lane on the highway, and the adaptive cruise control left such a long following distance that we kept getting cut off.

The final decision in this comparison wasn't difficult. Although the new 3 has great styling and a premium interior, the changes made to its suspension and powertrain and its lack of standard safety technologies kept it from earning top honors. The new Mazda3 is still fun to drive, but it doesn't have the same character it used to. If you're cross-shopping between these two cars, you should also know that the Mazda has worse fuel economy numbers.

The Civic, on the other hand, continues to deliver on everything it promises. It can be sporty when you want it to be fun and quiet when you need a peaceful ride. Its value, standard equipment, and interior space are superior to Mazda's, and it simply continues to be the best car in its class.

SkyActiv-X is a brand new, spark controlled compression ignition (SPCCI) engine that has been under development at Mazda since 2015. The firm proudly insists that it’s the first true compression ignition petrol powered engine ready for production. It’s a petrol engine that uses intense pressure to combust the fuel-air mixture, like you would find in a diesel engine. Spark plugs remain in place as a control factor, but in the simplest terms, the aim is petrol performance and responsiveness with diesel fuel economy.

The engine makes its debut here in the latest Mazda 3 - a car we’ve already heaped plenty of praise on for its style, upmarket quality, strong levels of refinement and, more than anything else, for the way it drives. It’s a brilliant family hatchback to find yourself behind the wheel of, but the car’s launch engines lacked a little sparkle. That’s a gap Mazda hopes the new engine can bridge when it lands in the UK this October.

It’s also technology that Mazda’s dealers may have a hard time explaining to customers. Ultimately, how the SkyActiv-X engine feels to drive in the Mazda 3 is what will sell it, and while this car gains some much needed performance over the 122bhp SkyActiv-G with 187bhp and 224Nm of torque, it’s still a very different proposition to the turbocharged options that have become the norm in this segment.


Start the car cold and it idles quietly like a petrol - nothing unusual here. But get on the move and the quirks and character of this brand new engine begin to become apparent.

The engine uses a supercharger to ram as much air into the fuel-air mixture as possible to achieve that lean burn, but Mazda’s engineers have focussed on trying to create a naturally aspirated feel to the way the engine responds and delivers its power. By and large, this is exactly how it feels.
What does that mean for fuel economy? In the manual car we threw caution to the wind to try and unpick the secrets of the new engine, only averaging 28mpg but making full use of the derestricted autobahn on our test route. A more realistic drive in an automatic SkyActiv-X equipped 3 threw up 40mpg on the trip computer, so stick with the excellent six-speed manual gearbox and 40+ without really trying is probably what you’re looking at.

Does that really move the game on from the turbocharged opposition? Not really, based on our first, somewhat unscientific taste of the technology. It seems as if the SkyActiv-X car won’t be hugely more economical to run than the cheaper SkyActiv-G either. But, importantly, it is a much better performer, and almost certainly the car to budget for. The more powerful engine loses a little refinement, but finally the Mazda 3’s excellent chassis and steering have a whiff of performance to exploit.

Mazda has rightfully earned a lot of praise over the last few years. People have commended the company for its new design language, interior fit and finish, and performance, and yet, the Japanese automaker hasn't treaded into familiar waters with a new Mazdaspeed model. While Mazda is capable of building an engine capable of such power demands for the Mazda3, the automaker has no plans to do so, according to Hiroyuki Matsumoto, Mazda's head of global development and product planning, in an interview with Cars Guide.

The news is disheartening for Mazdaspeed enthusiasts who are eager for the company to take aim at the VW Golf GTI, Honda Civic Type R, and others in the hot-hatch segment. Instead, customers will have to rely on the aftermarket scene for more power and performance. It was twelve years ago when Mazda released the Mazdaspeed3, but it didn't stick around for long, bowing out after the 2013 model year when a new Mazda3 generation debuted.

The publication notes Mazda peeps from the UK to Australia have stated a desire to see its employer resurrect a proper hot-hatch offering. But the company has no plans to produce it. This could be a ploy to keep rabid keyboard speculators at bay, but Mazda is a significantly smaller company when stacked against VW and Honda. Investing in a niche performance vehicle as the company pours money into new engine technologies such as its SkyActiv-X engine while also developing hybrids and electric vehicles makes little financial sense.

Would we love to see Mazda resurrect the Mazdaspeed nameplate for a new model? Of course, who wouldn't? But the company has been adamant about having no plans to do so. However, that doesn't mean the company can't change its mind down the road. Hatchbacks don't get the love they used to due to the growing popularity of crossovers. Maybe a Mazdaspeed CX-3 would be more appropriate.