2026 Mazda3 Hatchback 2.5 S Preferred
MSRP $29,875 including destination and delivery, against MSRP $28,075 for the 2.5 S Select Sport one rung below. What that step buys is comfort equipment — heated front seats and a power driver’s seat. The 186-hp SKYACTIV®-G 2.5, the front-wheel drive and the 20.1 cu ft cargo area are the same on both.
What the Preferred Adds Over the 2.5 S Select Sport
Both trims run the same 186-hp SKYACTIV®-G 2.5 and the same front-wheel drive, and both carry 20.1 cu ft behind the rear seat, so the move from MSRP $28,075 to MSRP $29,875 is comfort equipment and nothing else. Two items, both standard on this trim.
Heated Front Seats
Heated front seats arrive on the 2.5 S Preferred. On the Gulf Coast that is a handful of mornings a year rather than a season — worth knowing before you decide it is what the step is for.
A Power Driver’s Seat
A power-adjustable driver’s seat in place of the manual adjustment below. If two people share the car and neither wants to re-find their position, this is the item the step is really for.
Where This Trim Sits
Five trims, two engines, two drivetrains and one manual gearbox. The rungs nearest this one are the only ones a 2.5 S Preferred shopper is usually still weighing, so they are the only ones compared here — the full ladder, the colour palette and the rest of the specifications are on the Mazda3 Hatchback model page.
2.5 S Select Sport
2.5 S Preferred
Choose the 2.5 S Preferred If…
Heated front seats and a power driver’s seat are worth the step from MSRP $28,075 to MSRP $29,875 to you, and front-wheel drive with the automatic is what you were shopping for anyway.
Choose a Trim Below It If…
Neither seat item would get used. Nothing else changes as you come down the ladder: same 186-hp engine, same front-wheel drive, same eight-speaker audio, same 20.1 cu ft behind the rear seat.
Other Mazda3 Hatchback Trims in Detail
MSRP includes destination and delivery. Excludes tax, title, license, a $895 dealer documentary service fee and a $16.50 tag fee.
What the Step Up Does Not Change
Worth stating plainly, because it is half of the decision: the items below are the same on this trim, on the one beneath it and on the three above it. The step you are looking at changes none of them.
Eight Speakers, Standard
- Mazda Harmonic Acoustics eight-speaker audio from the 2.5 S Select Sport up
- Standard lineup-wide this model year, not a trim upgrade
- A Bose upgrade available on the 2.5 Turbo Premium Plus
Five Seats, 20.1 Cu Ft
- Five passengers, five doors
- 20.1 cu ft behind the rear seat, 47.1 cu ft with it folded
- Materially more cargo space than the sedan body’s 13.2 cu ft trunk
AWD on Two of Five Trims
- i-ACTIV AWD® standard on the 2.5 S Carbon Edition and the 2.5 Turbo Premium Plus
- Every other trim is front-wheel drive
- Unlike the CX-family Mazdas, all-wheel drive here is a trim choice rather than standard equipment
- 3-yr/36,000-mile basic and 5-yr/60,000-mile powertrain warranty
The 2.5 S Preferred at Dean McCrary Mazda
The 2.5 S Preferred is the second rung of the five-trim Mazda3 Hatchback ladder at MSRP $29,875, including destination and delivery. The trim directly beneath it, the 2.5 S Select Sport, is MSRP $28,075, and both run the same 186-hp SKYACTIV®-G 2.5 with front-wheel drive — so that $1,800 difference in MSRP is comfort equipment. Dean McCrary Mazda stocks the Mazda3 Hatchback lineup on the I-65 Service Road in Mobile.
Is the Step Up Worth It?
It comes down to two items, because they are the two this trim adds: heated front seats and a power driver’s seat. Nothing mechanical changes — the same 186-hp engine, the same front-wheel drive and the same 20.1 cu ft behind the rear seat. The bigger decisions on this ladder are further up: the 2.5 S Carbon Edition is where i-ACTIV AWD® becomes standard, the 2.5 S Premium is the only Mazda3 of either body with a manual gearbox, and the 2.5 Turbo Premium Plus is where the 250-hp turbocharged engine arrives. If one of those three is what you actually want, the comfort step here is not the one to spend on.
Trim mix on the ground changes week to week. Ask our team which 2.5 S Preferred cars are in stock and which are in transit, or start with the 2.5 S Preferred inventory and the rest of the Mazda3 Hatchback lineup.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is the Mazda3 Hatchback 2.5 S Preferred?⌄
MSRP $29,875, including destination and delivery. The trim directly below it, the 2.5 S Select Sport, is MSRP $28,075, so the step up is $1,800 on the same MSRP basis. MSRP excludes tax, title, license, the dealer documentary service fee and the tag fee.
What does the 2.5 S Preferred add over the 2.5 S Select Sport?⌄
Two things: heated front seats and a power driver’s seat. The engine, the front-wheel drive, the eight-speaker audio and the 20.1 cu ft cargo area do not change.
Is the 2.5 S Preferred quicker than the trims below it?⌄
No. It uses the same 186-hp SKYACTIV®-G 2.5 on regular fuel that the trim beneath it uses. The only performance step on this ladder is the 250-hp turbocharged engine at the top of it.
Is all-wheel drive available on the 2.5 S Preferred?⌄
No. The 2.5 S Preferred is front-wheel drive. i-ACTIV AWD® is standard on the 2.5 S Carbon Edition and the 2.5 Turbo Premium Plus only, and it is not an option on this trim.
Does the 2.5 S Preferred carry more than the other trims?⌄
No. Cargo is 20.1 cu ft behind the rear seat and 47.1 cu ft folded on every Mazda3 Hatchback trim, and every trim seats five. Cargo is a body-style difference rather than a trim one.
Where does the 2.5 S Preferred sit in the Mazda3 Hatchback lineup?⌄
Second of five trims. The ladder runs MSRP $28,075 on the 2.5 S Select Sport, MSRP $29,875 here, MSRP $32,000 on the 2.5 S Carbon Edition, MSRP $32,885 on the 2.5 S Premium and MSRP $39,325 on the 2.5 Turbo Premium Plus. This is the last rung before the ladder starts changing the drivetrain and the gearbox rather than the equipment list.
Where can I see a 2.5 S Preferred near Mobile, AL?⌄
Dean McCrary Mazda is at 1739 E I-65 Service Rd S in Mobile, on the I-65 Service Road. Ask our team which 2.5 S Preferred cars are on the ground and which are in transit — trim mix moves week to week, and the equipment above is set by trim rather than by an option package.
