By 
Pros: Sporty yet elegant styling that will age gracefully, minimal front and rear overhang, impressive stance (especially with headlights on), 17-inch alloy wheels on GT models.
Cons: stock antenna is huge, 17-inch wheel styling is mediocre.
When ordering our long-term 2008.5 Mazda 3 s GT model, we were sure to specify it with almost every option available, with the sole exception of the factory navigation (we chose a Garmin Nuvi 760 instead).
On the top-end 2008.5 Mazda 3 s GT models, the car is equipped with more aggressive styling cues such as a body-colored split grille, a sportier bumper design, clear LED taillights and wrapped all-season tires. around 17-inch alloy wheels. With a combination of sharp edges and flowing body lines typically found on entry-level luxury cars, the Mazda3 is a real head turn and is often mistaken for a car that costs $ 30,000 or more.
On the subject of appearance, the design of the 17-inch alloy wheels left us a bit confused. Mazda revamped the wheels with a new design, but the newer snowflake style of the 17-inch wheels seems out of place in a car with such clear sporting intentions. Despite the snowflakes, the Mazda 3 2008.5 has a very commanding stance and it shows very strongly in the photos.
Something that has plagued Mazda 3 design since 2004 is Mazda’s choice to use a long antenna at the rear center of the car to give it a more European look. While we agree that the antenna placement looks sporty and very European, it is also too large. In fact, the standard antenna is over a few inches tall and sticks out of the Mazda 3 like Elroy Jetson’s hat.
Our first mod for our Mazda 3 was to swap the antenna for a shark fin.
Other notable exterior features include power rotating (folding) mirrors, auto-on / off headlights that turn on automatically at dusk, fog lights, rain-sensing windshield wipers, and adjustable HID headlights that can be adjusted to one of four levels (the zero is when the lights point to their highest point and level three points the lowest lights towards the ground which is ideal for fog)
Overall, the 2008.5 Mazda 3 is very well built with striking exterior design features and significant luxury-oriented options that not only make driving safer but much more convenient. Whether lighting your way in thick fog or automatically detecting and keeping rain off the windshield at different speeds, the Mazda 3 makes driving easier and more user-friendly.