Last Chance: The 2018 Mazda 3 Four-Door Grand Touring

The 2018 Mazda 3 Four-Door Grand Touring.

If you, like us, love the current-gen Mazda 3, this would be a very good time to get one.  Early next year, there will be an all-new 3, a clean sheet of paper.

2018 Mazda 3 Four-Door Grand Touring.

It's hard to imagine making a quantum leap over the current 3, a small sedan so good, so different from the immediate competition of Corolla, Civic, Sentra, Elantra, Forte, Jetta, Focus and Cruze,  based purely on its fun-to-drive quotient, that when we reviewed its mid-cycle refresh two years ago, we referred to it as "polishing a gem".

And that driving fun (largely found in the handling) comes with some strong fuel economy numbers---27 city/36 highway.

2018 Mazda 3 Grand Touring interior.

Our most recent tester, a few weeks ago, was the top-of-the-line Grand Touring.  The base price of $24,195 gets all of this standard:

• 184-horsepower 2.5 liter four-cylinder engine.
• Six-speed automatic transmission with sport mode.
• G-Vectoring control.
• Four-wheel disc brakes.
• Electric power-assisted steering.
• 18-inch alloy wheels.
• Rain-sensing windshield wipers.
• Heated power side mirrors with turn lamps and LED fog lights.
• Moonroof.
• LED combination taillights.
• LED headlights with auto on/off.
• LED daytime running lights.
• Gloss black grille.
• Body-colored rear deck spoiler.
• Roof-mounted shark fin antenna.
• Bright beltline trim.
• Leather-trimmed sport seats.
• Six-way power driver's seat with manual lumbar adjustment.
• Variable heated front seats.
• Dual-zone automatic climate control.
• Power windows and locks.
• Keyless entry.
• Pushbutton start.
• 60/40 split fold-down rear seat.
• Rear seat armrest with cupholders.
• Leather-wrapped steering wheel and gearshift knob.
• Electronic parking brake.
• Color active driving display.
• Seven-inch color touchscreen.
• Multi-function commander control.
• Rearview camera.
• Bose nine-speaker Centerpoint audio system.
• Pandora, aha and Stitcher audio.
• AM/FM/HD Radio with two USB inputs.
• SiriusXM Satellite Radio.
• Text message delivery and reply.
• Bluetooth.
• Cruise control and trip computer.
• Steering wheel-mounted controls.
• Carpeted floormats.
• Anti-theft engine immobilizer.
• Blind spot monitoring.
• Rear cross-traffic alert.
• Tire pressure monitoring.
• Smart city brake support.
• Dynamic stability control.
• Traction control system.
• Hill launch assist.
• ABS with EBD and brake assist.

Let's repeat the price for all that---$24,185.  Our tester had some extra-cost options beyond that:

• Cargo mat ($75)
• Snowflake White Pearl paint ($200)
• Scuff plates ($125)
• Appearance Package I---Front air dam, door mirror caps, rear bumper skirt and side sill extensions ($1,200)
• Premium Equipment Package---Navigation, paddle shifters, adaptive front lighting, smart brake support, radar cruise control, traffic sign recognition, HomeLink, heated steering wheel, high-beam control, lane departure warning and lane keep assist ($1,600)

With $890 delivery, processing and handling fee, the bottom line was $28,385.

Fun, economical cars under 30 grand are not thick on the ground.  We're excited and anxious to see and drive the next-gen Mazda 3 when it arrives in early 2019.  But you could do a lot worse than to buy one of the last of this very good breed while dealers still have them.