Ever play the "new car waiting game?" You know, it's the challenge of seeing how long you can stall and make do with your current ride until the latest and greatest model rolls off the manufacturer's assembly and into the showroom.
In between is the lure of the outgoing auto - the last one before a major update - with its severely slashed sticker price, all kinds of options tarting up its appearance, and even the promise of fantastic financing over an unbelievable stretch of time that would reduce your payments to next to nothing.
But you still hang on... waiting and believing the new version would trump all the enticements you could ever ask for.
If you've done it, you know it can be a tough line to walk.
Although, if it involved the 2014 Mazda3, it would be completely understandable and worth suffering through the inner turmoil.
Why? All you really need to do to answer that question is look at the exterior of the new "3" with its elongated snout, aggressively raked windshield and the accentuated, reverse sloping rear liftgate window on the five-door hatchback.
This is a makeover to admire since it goes much further than a set of new head and tail lamp lenses, colour choices and alloy wheel designs.
The 2014 version represents a fundamental shift in the Mazda3's overall silhouette that brings it in line with the popular, cleanflowing lines of the CX5. Recall how that change put it light years ahead of the comparatively boxy Tribute SUV it replaced? Well, the new Mazda3 has accomplished the same task in this latest form.
Straight away you'll notice the stylists have dispatched the "grinning" front air intake in favour of the trapezoid that links it directly to the CX5.
The headlamp clusters sweep more gracefully into the front fenders giving it a greater rearward flow which is complimented by a bonnet that gently arcs before reaching the front wheels, then recedes slightly as it meets the windshield.
The overall impression is more Aston Martin elegance than commuter car functionality.
But the designers did not put down their pencils there. They added a rearward sloping character line starting from the front door jam that lifts and slightly flares outward at the rear fender.
Tops marks for all these changes which gives the new Mazda3 a more organic appearance, yet does not stray too far from the model's DNA. It's still a Mazda3, just a little more shapely.
Underpinning the makeover is the Skyactiv - read fuel efficient - 2.0 litre, four cylinder engine which is plunked into all three trim levels. In addition to being lean on gas, the engine slightly increases horsepower over the previous power plant to 155 and torque to 150 pound feet.
If that's not quite enough you can opt for the Skyactiv-GT model with a 2.5 litre engine which produces 184 horsepower and a sure-fire, kick in the pants 185 pound feet of torque.
Base price is $15,995 for the GX. The mid-range GS begins at $17,595, and the GT will cost you $25,855.
