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Mazda3 edition100 review: Celebrating beauty

For Mazda Philippines, there were two ways of celebrating winning the world’s best-designed car award for 2020: Posting an ordinary photo on its social media recognizing their achievement OR going all out and producing limited edition Mazda3 to make this big news even bigger. And if it wasn’t for the second option, we wouldn’t have this special feature article right here.

That’s right. The Mazda3 won the World Car Design of the Year for 2020 and Bermaz Auto Philippines, the exclusive distributor of Mazda in the Philippines, introduces the Mazda3 edition100 to celebrate this momentous occasion. And mind you, there are only 50 of these in the country. Talk about exclusivity, right?

The edition100 is basically the five-door Mazda3 Sportback Premium with tweaked aesthetics. Think of it as customizing an already beautiful piece of art. With that in mind, this vehicle still carries its KODO design language with more sophistication and follows its aesthetic mantra of going for simplicity.

It comes in three new colorways that further highlight the dynamic features of the award-winning model — the very attractive Snowflake White Pearl, the passionate Soul Red Crystal, and the edgy Jet Black.

What we have here is the Soul Red Crystal with its deep red color that’s generally subdued but still demands to be noticed. It’s important to note that apart from the Soul Red variant which features a gloss black body kit, the two other color variants adopt a striking Soul Red highlight.

Another thing you’ll notice is that it now wears 18-inch Midnight Black alloy wheels with red calipers and left its gunmetal rims back home. The company says the black and red hues evoke the brand’s sporty heritage and indeed, they do look the part.

This affinity for red color continues inside as the seats are wrapped in red leather so feeling that premium vibe doesn’t stop outside.

The interior trims are also wrapped in this soft and padded material that’s very nice to the touch. If the exterior exudes a bold look, the interior screams premium comfort.

The interior still sports an 8.8-inch infotainment display, 12-speaker Bose sound system, dual-zone climate control, and a 10-way power driver adjust. Adding to those, driving features include adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, and a 360-degree camera, among others.

Under the hood, the edition100 still remains powered by the 2-liter Skyactiv-G engine with a six-speed automatic gearbox. We enjoyed a spirited drive in and out of the highway and even went through a mountain’s twisties and the vehicle handled itself gracefully.

In terms of safety, it also comes with the company’s advanced i-Activsense which consists of an array of safety features. It has Lane Departure Warning with Lane Keep Assist, Smart Brake Support, and Driver Attention Alert. With all these safety tech and more, it’s no wonder that the 2020 Mazda3 received the Top Safety Pick+ status from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

And finally, the last refinement done to the edition100 is its relocated front license plate holder. It’s now moved to just above the body kit so the front grille of the car can be viewed in its entirety.

Personally, Mazda is one of the car manufacturers that really focus on what matters. From the exterior, it has that bold design that says a lot but through means of simplicity. The interior is an eye-candy, definitely, but it doesn’t end there; it’s very comfortable and ergonomic as well. Even its 2-liter engine is just the right power for what this vehicle needs.

There is no shortage of entertainment features either. In fact, it has some of the best speakers in vehicles today, and that display with no touch function? Safety is the reason why it has its physical knob for navigation.

These small, but thought-out implementations for me, are what put Mazda in a league of their own when it comes to driving experience. In short, while most manufacturers aim for balance in overall performance, Mazda is one of those who really does things right.