Mazda Reveals 2010 3 Five-Door

Like the five-door more than the sedan? Hatchbacks, touring models, sport wagons or five-door designs, whatever you want

to call them, have become increasingly popular over the years due to the genre's sporty fastback styling and convenient layout. And the five-door Mazda3 has been one of the most popular in the compact segment for the same reasons.

Ahead of Detroit, Mazda will be unveiling the new hatch at the Bologna Motor Show next week, and to pump up the critically important event has released a quintet of racy photos. From the rear it looks much like the current Mazda3 Sport, while its frontal view is identical to the controversial new sedan, with the same menacing grin.

The car shown in Italy will probably feature the European continent's powertrain of choice, a turbodiesel; Mazda's a 2.2-liter unit that offers strong acceleration, great fuel economy and low emissions. North American-bound five-door 3s will get the same 2.0- and 2.5-liter four-cylinder engines, the former with 148-horsepower out of the box, and the latter pushing 167.

Today's five-door forms the basis of the current Mazdaspeed3, which, like the new five-door, is sure to receive yet more power and racier bodywork, making it capable of going up against the  segment big boys, Mitsubishi's Evo X and Subaru's WRX STI. Don't expect to be able to find anything about the top-tier 3 next week in Bologna, though, as the focus will be on the more popular mainstream version.