Mazda added a 2.5-liter turbo engine to the 2021 Mazda3 sedan and hatchback. The turbo can deliver as much as 250 hp — 64 hp more than the 2.5-liter nonturbo installed in 2020 models. Here is a collection of Mazda3 turbo reviews from the automotive media.
"The engine is the big news, but it's the transmission that determines the 3's character. A six-speed automatic borrowed from Mazda's bigger crossovers and the 6 sedan, it's smooth and smart but takes its time shifting. In automatic mode, a full-throttle 1-2 upshift feels like it takes as long as it would in an early automated manual, but this is a modern planetary auto. Our acceleration runs were quickest while upshifting on our own just north of 5000 rpm, which keeps the engine in the meat of the power before running out of steam at the top on the tachometer. A dual-clutch transmission — or, dare to dream, a manual — would totally change the car's personality. But you hit the street with the transmission you've got not the one you want, and the relaxed transmission is in sync with the rest of the car's tuning. The 3 2.5 Turbo wants to be an Audi but not an S3. Maybe more like an A7."
— Ezra Dyer, Car and Driver