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Mazda
3 Sport
Front
suspension is by MacPherson struts, with coil
springs and an anti-roll bar. Rear suspension
is a Ford-designed "E-link" multi-link
suspension, with four locating links per wheel
and an anti-roll bar, suspended on coil springs
that are mounted inboard of the shock absorbers
to reduce suspension intrusion into the cargo
area. Disc brakes are standard at all four
wheels, with 300 mm (11.8 in) discs front
and 279 mm (11 in) discs rear; ABS and electronic
brake force distribution are available or
standard, depending on the model. Wheel and
tire sizes vary with model, from 15 in (381
mm) on base models to option 17 in (432 mm)
wheels on upper-level models.
When
first introduced U.S. Mazda3 models were available
in only two trim levels, i and s, with the
2.0 L and 2.3 L engines, respectively. Since
then Mazda has introduced a proliferation
of additional models under the Touring and
Grand Touring labels. UK Mazda3s are offered
in S, TS, TS2, and Sport models.
All
Mazda3 and Axela models except the European
diesel model use the inline-4 Mazda MZR
engine, with various displacements and outputs
depending on model and market. Transmissions
are a 5-speed manual transmission and a
4-speed automatic transmission; for the
2006 model year, a 5-speed automatic became
optional on models with the 2.3 L (137 cu.
in.) engine.
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