2026 Mazda3 Hatchback 2.5 S Premium
MSRP $32,885 including destination and delivery, against MSRP $32,000 for the 2.5 S Carbon Edition one rung below. This is the only Mazda3 of either body built with a manual gearbox: a front-wheel-drive Skyactiv-MT six-speed on the naturally aspirated engine. The trim below it costs less and has i-ACTIV AWD®, so this is a choice rather than an upgrade.
What the 2.5 S Premium Adds Over the 2.5 S Carbon Edition
This is the one rung on the ladder where the step up is a trade rather than an addition. The move from MSRP $32,000 to MSRP $32,885 buys the manual gearbox and the Premium equipment, and it gives up the i-ACTIV AWD® the trim below carries. Both facts are here because you cannot choose sensibly without the second one.
A Skyactiv-MT Six-Speed Manual
The 2.5 S Premium pairs the naturally aspirated engine with a Skyactiv-MT six-speed manual. It is the only manual gearbox in the Mazda3 range and it is not offered on the sedan body at all, so this trim is the only way to buy one.
Front-Wheel Drive, and Why That Matters Here
This trim is front-wheel drive where the 2.5 S Carbon Edition directly below it carries i-ACTIV AWD® as standard. If all-wheel drive matters more to you than the gearbox, the cheaper trim is the one to look at — the ladder does not offer both together anywhere.
Where This Trim Sits
Five trims, two engines, two drivetrains and one manual gearbox. The two rungs below are the only ones a 2.5 S Premium 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 Preferred
2.5 S Carbon Edition
2.5 S Premium
Choose the 2.5 S Premium If…
You want to shift it yourself. This is the only Mazda3 of either body with a manual gearbox, and no amount of money buys one on any other trim — front-wheel drive comes with that decision.
Choose a Trim Below It If…
All-wheel drive matters more than the gearbox. The 2.5 S Carbon Edition one rung down costs MSRP $32,000 against MSRP $32,885 here, carries i-ACTIV AWD® as standard, and uses the same engine and the same cargo area.
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 and on every other Mazda3 Hatchback trim. The gearbox and the drivetrain are what this particular step is about — nothing in this section moves.
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 Premium at Dean McCrary Mazda
The 2.5 S Premium sits second from the top of the five-trim Mazda3 Hatchback ladder at MSRP $32,885, including destination and delivery. The trim directly beneath it, the 2.5 S Carbon Edition, is MSRP $32,000 — and it carries i-ACTIV AWD®, where this trim is front-wheel drive. What that $885 difference in MSRP buys is the Skyactiv-MT six-speed manual. Dean McCrary Mazda stocks the Mazda3 Hatchback lineup on the I-65 Service Road in Mobile.
Is the Step Up Worth It?
Only if you want the manual, and that is the honest answer rather than a modest one. The 2.5 S Premium is the only Mazda3 of either body style built with a gearbox you shift yourself, so the trim is the only route to it — but it is front-wheel drive, and the trim directly below it costs less and comes with i-ACTIV AWD® as standard. The engine is the same naturally aspirated 186-hp SKYACTIV®-G 2.5 on both, the cargo area is the same 20.1 cu ft, and the eight-speaker audio is the same. So the decision here is not how much equipment you want; it is which of two things you would rather have in a car you will keep for years.
Trim mix on the ground changes week to week. Ask our team which 2.5 S Premium cars are in stock and which are in transit, or start with the 2.5 S Premium inventory and the rest of the Mazda3 Hatchback lineup.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is the Mazda3 Hatchback 2.5 S Premium?⌄
MSRP $32,885, including destination and delivery. The trim directly below it, the 2.5 S Carbon Edition, is MSRP $32,000, so the step up is $885 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 Premium add over the 2.5 S Carbon Edition?⌄
The Skyactiv-MT six-speed manual gearbox and the Premium equipment list. It also gives something up: this trim is front-wheel drive where the 2.5 S Carbon Edition carries i-ACTIV AWD® as standard.
Is the 2.5 S Premium quicker than the trims below it?⌄
No. It uses the same 186-hp SKYACTIV®-G 2.5 on regular fuel that the trims beneath it use. The 250-hp turbocharged engine is on the 2.5 Turbo Premium Plus above it.
Is all-wheel drive available on the 2.5 S Premium?⌄
No. The 2.5 S Premium is front-wheel drive, and it is the manual gearbox rather than the drivetrain that puts it above the Carbon Edition on price. The two Mazda3 Hatchback trims with i-ACTIV AWD® are the 2.5 S Carbon Edition and the 2.5 Turbo Premium Plus.
Does the 2.5 S Premium 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.
Where does the 2.5 S Premium sit in the Mazda3 Hatchback lineup?⌄
Fourth of five trims. The ladder runs MSRP $28,075 on the 2.5 S Select Sport, MSRP $29,875 on the 2.5 S Preferred, MSRP $32,000 on the 2.5 S Carbon Edition, MSRP $32,885 here and MSRP $39,325 on the 2.5 Turbo Premium Plus. It prices above the all-wheel-drive Carbon Edition while being front-wheel drive, because what it buys is the gearbox.
Where can I see a 2.5 S Premium 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 Premium 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.
