2025 Toyota Camry vs 2024 Mazda MAZDA3

The 2024 Mazda MAZDA3, despite its last redesign in 2019, maintained a modern and luxurious appearance. Its swooping lines and scalloped bodywork allowed it to stand confidently alongside luxury vehicles. The front featured squinting LED headlights with stylish round lighting elements, adding to its dramatic and expensive-looking design. Available in both sedan and hatchback body styles, the hatchback was favored for its better looks and more usable storage space. The Turbo Premium Plus trim, priced at $38,210, impressed with its material quality and value, especially when compared to luxury brands. Inside, the Mazda3 was adorned with red leather upholstery, offering a premium feel with leather trimmings on the doors and dashboard, and a black leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob.

The 2025 Toyota Camry showcased a new look, particularly at the front, with a cohesive and business-like design. It echoed the new Prius and Lexus spindle grille, featuring LED headlights and daytime running lights. The profile remained similar, but the rear window surround extended further, emphasizing the coupe-like roof. The Camry offered various trims with different wheel sizes, and sporty touches like front air ducts and rear diffusers on SE and XSE trims. The interior saw a departure from its predecessor, with a new dash layout and a center touchscreen housing that camouflaged the vents. While the quilted Dinamica microfiber in the XLE test car was not favored, the overall interior offered comfort with features like fabric seating on the base LE trim and perforated leather seats on the XSE.

The 2024 Mazda MAZDA3 offered two engine options: a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with 191 horsepower and 186 pound-feet of torque, and a turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with 250 horsepower and 320 pound-feet of torque. The turbo engine, available on the Carbon Turbo and Turbo Premium Plus trims, provided a delightful driving experience. The Mazda3 came with front-wheel drive as standard on lower trims, while all-wheel drive was included on higher trims. A six-speed manual transmission was available on the Hatchback S Premium with FWD. Fuel economy varied depending on the drivetrain and engine, with the turbocharged powertrain offering 23/32/27 mpg for the sedan and 23/31/26 mpg for the hatchback. The Mazda3 excelled on back roads, with tight and precise steering and minimal body roll, making it a joy for enthusiastic drivers.

The 2025 Toyota Camry introduced Toyota’s fifth-generation hybrid system, combining a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with electric motors. FWD models had two motors, producing 225 horsepower, while AWD models had three motors, generating 232 horsepower. The electronic AWD system provided extra traction with minimal impact on fuel economy, estimated at 50 mpg combined for AWD models and 51 mpg for FWD. The Camry offered two suspension tunings, with the XLE focusing on comfort. The hybrid system switched smoothly between gas and electric power, though engine noise was noticeable at higher speeds. The braking feel was normal, and the hybrid system operated in the background, with an EV mode available for low-speed driving.

The 2024 Mazda MAZDA3, while beautiful, was not the most practical vehicle. The hatchback offered 20.1 cubic feet of cargo space, competitive with some rivals but less than the Honda Civic Hatchback. Total cargo space was 47.1 cubic feet. Rear passenger space was limited, with tight legroom and headroom, making it uncomfortable for taller adults. The sedan offered only 13.2 cubic feet of trunk space. The hatchback’s design created a significant blind spot at the C-pillar, and the rearward visibility was poor due to the small rear window and rear lip spoiler.

The 2025 Toyota Camry XLE test car featured a heated steering wheel, power-adjustable front seats, and dual-zone climate control. Heated and ventilated front seats were available on higher trims, and a panoramic moonroof was offered for the first time on a hybrid Camry. While Toyota had not published interior dimensions for the 2025 model, changes were expected to be minimal. The 2024 Camry offered 15.1 cubic feet of trunk space, and the 2025 version was expected to be similar. The Camry provided a comfortable interior with features like dedicated rear-seat air vents and a spacious trunk.

The 2024 Mazda MAZDA3 featured a rotary controller for its infotainment system, a hallmark of Mazda tech. While it required some getting used to, it was considered safer than a touchscreen. The system included an 8.8-inch display on most trims, with a new 10.25-inch screen on top trims. The larger screen offered touchscreen functionality only with Android Auto or Apple CarPlay. Standard features included wireless CarPlay and Android Auto on higher trims, a wireless charging pad, and a Bose stereo system. The Mazda Connect system offered Wi-Fi, remote services, navigation, and roadside assistance.

The 2025 Toyota Camry came standard with an 8-inch infotainment touchscreen running the Toyota Audio Multimedia system, featuring wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. A wireless charging pad and five USB ports were standard, with higher trims offering a 12.3-inch touchscreen and a fully digital driver information display. A 10-inch head-up display and a nine-speaker JBL Premium Audio system were available on XLE and XSE trims. Subscription offerings included 4G Wi-Fi connectivity and Drive Connect, which added an Intelligent Assistant voice-recognition system. While the voice recognition struggled during testing, it responded well to other users.

The 2024 Mazda MAZDA3 received five stars from the NHTSA and was named a 2024 Top Safety Pick+ by the IIHS. It offered a wide array of safety features, including automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-departure warning, and lane-keeping assist. Adaptive Cruise Control with stop-and-go was standard, with Cruising and Traffic Support added on the Turbo Premium Plus trim.

The 2025 Toyota Camry came standard with Toyota Safety Sense 3.0, including blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, adaptive cruise control, lane-tracing assist, lane-departure alert with steering assist, and road-sign assist. The Premium Plus Package added front cross-traffic alert, lane-change assist, parking assist with automatic braking, and a panoramic view monitor. The Camry was too new for crash testing, but strong scores were expected based on its technology and Toyota’s reputation. The 2024 Camry earned a Top Safety Pick award from the IIHS and scored well in NHTSA tests.