The Mazda3 shocked compact buyers when it first came to market. Not only did it perform better than most competitors it was up against, but even in base trim it offered an interior quality that rivaled some premium brands. The entry-level 3 continues forward into 2007 more or less unchanged, but for those looking for a little more action on the road and track, a range-topping MAZDASPEED3 is being added for the coming year.

Randy Pobst, of Gainesville, Ga., made it a perfect sweep of the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg weekend, averaging 64.305 mph and winning the SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge Touring car portion of the weekend by 0.938-sec. in his No. 73 Mazdaspeed/Tri-Point Motorsports Mazda 6.