It looks great, handles even greater. Everyone who loves driving will be enamored by the Mazda3. Six years on, it’s still the definitive compact sedan/hatchback out there, flaws and all (read our 2019 Mazda 3.0 Sportback review and 2024 Mazda3 2.0 HEV Fastback review). If anything, the only thing it lacks is a proper sporty variant. Although you could counter that its sportiness is inherently baked into the four variants you could get straight from the showroom floor, being JDM, a part of you wishes Mazda would offer something along the “tuner” line. After all, if Toyota could do it with Gazoo Racing Sport (GR Sport) and Honda with Road Sailing (RS), why couldn’t Mazda?
This is where Mazda Philippines’ decision to bring AutoExe in makes a whole lot of sense. AutoExe isn’t a part of Mazda per se, but it’s closely related to them. It was founded by an ex-works driver, Yojiro Terada. The development team is also largely composed to ex-Mazda engineers such as Takao Kijima, who was central to the chassis work on the first- and second-generation MX-5 and the third-generation RX-7. Since they still live and breathe by “Jinba-ittai,” they went with a different design philosophy with AutoExe, one that had them develop parts with a holistic approach. As such, each part acts as a building block, enhancing a particular aspect of a car that, when put together, manages to feel whole and complete with everything working together in unison.
The 2025 Mazda3 2.0 Fastback you see here is decked with AutoExe parts, and shows off what new or existing owners could do with their car. The kit is composed of the following:
- Front Grille – P 59,519
- Carbon Mirror Cover – P 24,665
- Hood Damper – P 18,498
- Battery Clamp – P 5,552
- Wheel Nut Set – P 9,908
- Sports Muffler & Muffler Garnish – P 115,684 + P 19,732
- Air Intake Suction Kit – P 11,275
- Front Strut Tower Bar – P 19,027
- Rear Floor Cross Bar – P 14,094 (available, but not installed)
Want just the exterior aesthetic kit? That’s P 94,092. Want the engine bay parts only? P 35,325. Want the parts that add performance? That’s P 179,812. Tack the last set onto the Mazda3’s price tag and you’re looking at P 1,689,812—that’s cheaper than both the Corolla Altis GR Sport and the Honda Civic RS Turbo. How’s that?
Now, we won’t be tackling the aesthetic components in detail, since these are mostly subjective save for two: the Carbon Mirror Cover and the Hood Damper. I’ve got an issue with the Carbon Mirror Cover in that it doesn’t really replace the door mirror shell. Instead, it sticks into place with a couple of double-sided tape. Also, it’s made of two pieces, so if you’re OC, you’ll find that the weaves don’t exactly align. On the other hand, the Hood Damper looks great, and adds something you feel should have come stock in the Mazda3. However, it requires considerable effort to shut close. Again, if you’re a bit concerned about slamming your hood day in and day out just to close it, better avoid this part. With those two out of the way, let’s talk about the performance bits now.
The most obvious difference you’ll see, hear, and feel would be the AutoExe sports muffler. The quad-tip design looks the part, filling in the Mazda3’s shapely rearend nicely. When the engine’s started, the exhaust makes itself known immediately with a deep, refined, bassy note. It’s a bit intrusive during cold starts, but settles nicely into the background once the engine warms up. Some of that bass permeates into the driver’s seat letting you, and presumably, your passengers feel a slight rumble. Remarkably, it’s just limited there; as the steering wheel and interior trim all remain vibration or rumble-free.
As a JASMA (Japan Auto Manufacturers Association) certified exhaust, it meets Japan’s emissions and noise (no more than 98 decibels) requirements. Because of this, it’s not as loud as far as cat back exhausts go. In my limited experience with other JASMA-certified exhausts, I’d say it’s closer to a HKS Legamax (more prominent) as opposed to an STI Sports Muffler (more subdued). Regardless, it does a great job of amplifying the Skyactiv-G’s natural note, bringing it down a couple of octaves without going overboard or drone-y. Meanwhile, at higher revs, the absence of sound absorbing material, registers as a clear, crisp sound.
Next up, there’s the air intake suction kit which is basically a piece of red silicon. AutoExe says it’s supposed to improve accelerator response because it eliminates the stock intake’s flexible joint. Without a back-to-back comparison with a stock Mazda3, the differences are probably minimal; honestly, we couldn’t tell the difference. However, it’s designed to withstand higher temperatures and should last longer than the stock rubber hose—these alone could make it worthwhile.
In its stock form, the Mazda3 already sets the bar high in terms of overall handling. Because of this, any improvements in this front would be marginal at best. Having said that, the front strut tower bar does improve the pointiness. And it does so without affecting the overall ride and balance one bit. Adding the Rear Floor Cross Bar would seal the deal, of course, but it’ll eat into the already limited rear floor space. This is perhaps the reason why it’s not installed in their demonstration unit.
Stripped off the AutoExe addons, the Mazda3 still can’t be matched in its class in terms of fit, finish, and refinement. Everything is just so well-built and intuitive. The steering wheel offers a wide range of adjustment and together with the highly supportive seats, makes for a posture-perfect driving experience. As always, the limited rear room is its single glaring weakness.
At P 1.51-million stock, the Mazda3 2.0 (non-hybrid) loses the front sensors, the 360-degree camera (it makes do with just a rearview camera system), and the full Mazda i-Activsense ADAS. However, it’s still well-loaded for that price point thanks to automatic headlights, rain-sensing wipers, a 10.25-inch infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay, a sunroof, and a 12-speaker Bose sound system. When it comes to safety, it still has a full complement of airbags, ABS with EBD, stability control, and at least, blind spot indicators with rear cross traffic alert with automatic braking. Again, this all reiterates that the Civic RS Turbo and the Corolla Altis GR Sport are way overpriced and underspeced.
We could say that Mazda’s decision to offer AutoExe parts straight from the showroom with a factory warranty is something you’d see in a premium carmaker’s playbook, particularly BMW’s and their BMW M Performance parts. In doing so, Mazda happens to cement themselves as out-of-the-box thinkers. They understand that luxury has gone beyond just offering high-quality finishes and a refined drive, but has now entered the realm of personalization; something that Mazda Philippines has managed to embrace with the Build Your Mazda MX-5 Program and now, with this. Instead of offering a one-size-fits-all sporty variant, would be Mazda3 buyers can pick, choose, and ultimately build a Mazda3 that’s truly their own.
Photos by Anton Eudela
The only 2 things that really makes sense here is the intake suction kit and the front strutbars. The other stuffs are merely cosmetics.
ReplyDeleteAdd the mufflers too. The rest, you could live without.
DeleteBringing in a Hatch is a bad idea for PH Market
ReplyDeleteThankfully you can get it as a sedan then.
DeleteWhy? Sedan sucks and are a lot less versatile? Ano, for the looks lang ba?
DeleteAnon 5/18 10:11 PM asked the question. I just answered that at least you can get the Mazda3 as a sedan too.
DeleteThe hatchback has the better looks. The sedan has more interior space. So it depends on what you want.
Better looks? A prominent car reviewer said that the the hatch looks like a cat about to take a sh*t and by the sales figures most totally agree with him
DeleteDon't forget the sedan's length. Got the sedan in consideration for the occasional rear passengers but I wished I got the hatchback instead. The additional length of the sedan is quite a pain during 3 point turns in tight streets.
DeleteComparing the BMW M Performance to this is batsh*t. M actually has performance benefits while this is merely ricey cosmetics with minimal (if any) performance upgrades. Better order ones from Lazada.
ReplyDeleteThat depends, actually. BMW M Performance parts also offers purely aesthetic ones like carbon fiber finished bumpers, etc. etc. They also offer performance-oriented ones like exhaust, coilovers, and forged wheels. So, in my book, they're similar in approach.
DeleteM Performance does offer some aesthetic parts but mainly offers high performance upgrades. Mazda only offers these as a cash cow as they don't offer significantly upgraded performance.
DeleteIt's a start. For the MX-5 and CX-60, for example, they do offer suspension parts along with braces and exhausts. For the Mazda3, they're not bringing in the suspension parts yet. Perhaps in the near future. They said they're studying to increase the number of Autoexe parts that will be made available here.
DeleteFirst was TRD, it became GR. Now Auto Exe, I know you said it wasn't part of Mazda per se, so what happened to "Mazdaspeed"? The legit in house performance division.
ReplyDeleteMazdaspeed has been turned into Mazda Spirit Racing. BUT, so far, they've only come up with completely tuned cars. No parts or accessories yet:
Deletehttps://www.carguide.ph/2025/01/the-mazda-spirit-racing-mx-5-12r.html
AutoExe works closely with Mazda, but they're independent.