Ask any self-respecting motorists about what combination of factors constitutes an "ideal car" and they would, in a lightning-fast jiffy respond that they want these three exceptional elements; outstanding performance, environmentally friendly, and fuel-efficient er, cars.

Then morosely observed as he/she blabbers on about how this particularly latest car model has that compendium of slickest features, futuristic-looking specs, blah-blah, so on, and so forth with their incessant mouthing off until you can't stand looking at them anymore. 

Of course, nowadays, you can gladly pick and choose among the proliferation of somewhat “ideally-branded” cars littering the present car marketplace.

However, back in the early pioneering years of motoring, the concept of what constitutes an "ideal" car was somehow vague in scope and greatly viewed more as a pipe dream, because cars, particularly back in the early 1900's were big lumps of gas-guzzling-polluting entities that relies heavily on the abundant resource from the environment.

As one early critic has pointed out, the automobile, in those days was a pain on the ass (pardon the expression) on the verge of gobbling up the last remaining “public and personal space”, to say the least. (truer words were thus spoken)

Nonetheless, cars, in general, are a potency-a two-edged sword that the world can never do without, thus, it's no brainer to claim that we just need the darn things to go to and fro, period.

So, flipping back to the earlier issue of what makes an ideal car, we have a hunch that this wonderful idea was never fully realized significantly back then because of the limits in technology. It just couldn't be done in those days.

But the truth had somehow gone full circle, as nowadays, bold attempts to manufacture superbly fuel-efficient car engines remain on the top agenda among prestigious automakers around the world.

Mazda, for one, remains one of the most prolific manufacturers of automobile engines.

We only had to look at the Sky Activ line of engines namely the Sky Activ-G, D, and X to figure out that this collection of virtually highly-efficient engines is a marvel of solid engineering ingenuity. 

According to Mazda.com, the Sky Activ line of engines are the “new generation of highly-efficient, direct-injection gasoline engines achieving the world's highest gasoline engine compression ratio of 14.0:1”; which in layman's terms, means that this particular engine sips little fuel much like a wine connoisseur who samples or takes in a few dips from a glass of matured red wine from vintage wine barrels. (we surely love having a round of those drinks hah-hah)

Moreover, as Mazda3 cars, in a sense, were virtually outfitted with the so-called “revolutionary” Sky Activ engines, would this car, in the absolute end game, put then to rest the long and painstaking quest for the ultimate “ideal” car we have previously talked about a while back?

We may finally have an answer. (although still, not that reassuring enough)

According to Headquarter Mazda.com, recent test drives from the Orlando Bay Florida puts the 2022 Mazda3 2.0 sedan with an exceptional fuel rating of EPA-estimated 28 city and 36 highway mpg.

Meanwhile, the 2.5 Select sedan also puts in a conservative EPA-estimated 26 city and 35 highway mpg fuel rating.

Further, both the Preferred and Premium FWD gets an EPA-estimated 26 city and 35 highway mpg fuel rating. 

While both Preferred AWD and Premium AWD trim puts in an EPA-estimated 25 city and 33 highway mpg fuel rating. 

And last but not the least, the 2.5 Turbo Premium Plus that comes with the SKYACTIV-G 2.5 Dynamic Pressure Turbo mill gets an EPA-estimated 23 city and 32 highway mpg fuel rating. 

Equally, both the 2.0 and the 2.5 S trims carry the same SKYACTIV-G 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder power plants at their core except, of course, the 2.5 Turbo Premium which harbors far more than less. 

Looking at the fuel-rating listings above it's quite a crystal that Mazda3 comes away clear with impeccable results. But would it interest you to know that there's a brand of a car out there that delivers a totally-devastatingly-out-of this-world-fuel-efficient-mill?

According to Azom.com, the PAC Car II is the experimental “wonder” car having the unprecedented title of being the first economically-viable -fuel-efficient car in the world.

Moreover, it was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for that main feat alone, a compactly-elite vehicle (powered by just a single hydrogen-fuel cell) capable of traveling 5385 km per liter, a substantial equivalent of traveling around the world with barely just 8 liters of gasoline in tow. (truly amazing!)

But bordering on the experimental model, the PAC Car II has yet to offer practical but mostly large-scale applications in terms of usability so for the meantime, we'd like no better than to settle down with a Mazda3 for a thing or two, unless of course if you're not that disturbed by the rising costs of commodities these days especially of, er, fuel costs?