An unexpected feature in this particular trim. . .

By Gary S. Vasilash

“(a) Rule required.—Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in consultation with the Administrator and the Federal Communications Commission, shall issue a rule—

(1) requiring devices that can receive signals and play content transmitted by AM broadcast stations be installed as standard equipment in passenger motor vehicles—

(A) manufactured in the United States for sale in the United States, imported into the United States, or shipped in interstate commerce; and

(B) manufactured after the effective date of the rule;

(2) requiring access to AM broadcast stations through the devices required under paragraph (1) in a manner that is easily accessible to drivers. . . .”

That is language from S.315 – AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act of 2025. The Senate bill, which has  bipartisan support, is still making its molasses-like way through Congress. Some OEMs for reasons ranging from electric vehicles producing electromagnetic interference with AM band reception to car makers figuring that there are few people who listen to AM on radios, so why not reduce costs?

It is probably not a good thing for fans of manual transmissions that there isn’t something like the National Association of Broadcasters lobbying of behalf of the continuation of manuals because they are decreasing.

There are about seven 2026 MY vehicles with stickers under $50,000 that have one.

The 2026 Mazda Mazda 2.5 S Premium is counted among that number.

What’s interesting is that there are six trims in the Mazda3 lineup and this particular model is the only one offering a six-speed manual transmission. (It is also notable that the Mazda3 is the only non-crossover in the Mazda lineup.)

It once was that an argument made on behalf of manuals was that better gas mileage could be achieved. (Funny thing is: that argument was made when gas was really quite cheap, and I don’t mean just in context of the current huge run-up at the pump.)

But in the case of the Mazda3 in question, which is a front-drive car, it is stickered at 25/34/29 city/highway/combined miles per gallon and a Mazda3 with an automatic transmission and the same 186-hp  engine is stickered at 26/34/29 mpg.

Yes, the automatic does a bit better when it comes to squeezing out the mileage.

(“But it is not as much fun to drive!” say the stick enthusiasts. True. But generally driving is if not bumper-to-bumper than traffic signal-to-traffic signal, so the rare moments of fun give way to tedium.)

Not surprisingly, because this is the sportier variant there are things like 18-inch black-finish aluminum alloy wheels and piano black side garnishes.

The front and rear lights are LED and the headlights have an auto-leveling function.

The vehicle is equipped with an “Active Driving Display,” which is generally called a “head up display.” No matter what you call it, it keeps the drivers eyes looking forward, where they should be looking.

The leather driver’s seat is 8-way power adjustable and heated.

And on the subject of seating, the vehicle offers 91.2 cubic feet of passenger volume, biased, of course, to the front passengers, though people can sit in the back.

There is an 8.8-inch color infotainment screen. It uses the large knob for controlling what’s on that screen called the “Multifunction Command Controller” (which is really a bit much for a knob). And on the subject of physical interfaces, the HVAC control is performed via dials, not embedded in the screen.

There is an abundance of safety tech standard including lane departure warning and lane-keep assist, radar cruise control with stop-and-go functionality, rear cross traffic alert, and more.

And there is a Bose 12-speaker premium audio system with aluminum speaker grilles, which add a nice touch to the already nice interior color and materials execution.

While there is a complementary three-month trial for SiriusXM, presumably there are some people who would prefer you listen to AM.