Soon after the breaking up its ties with Ford, Mazda started to rebuild its entire lineup, and the 2009 Mazda 3 was an important range.
The 2009 Mazda 3 was based on the previous model, developed together with Ford. But the changes brought for the model were extensive and important.

The outside look was in the Japanese’s design Zoom-Zoom philosophy. It had the look of a compact sports sedan, and the platform to back-it up. Some of the important improvements over the previous generation were the standard introduction of the ABS on all the range, starting from the base trim level. For the sedan, a remote-control trunk opener was added, to complement the key opening method. The Mazda 3 sedan offered a self-leveling bi-xenon headlight with the Adaptive Front Lighting System. It was the first compact-class sedan to offer such an advanced system.

Inside the vehicle, a new dashboard with higher quality materials was installed. Some of the buttons and controls were rearranged for better ergonomics. A Multi-Information display was installed on top of the center console. It included navigation, audio, and trip computer information.

For the U.S. market, the Mazda 3 Sedan offered two engine choices, while in Europe the car was offered with a wider choice, both diesel and gasoline units. On the North-American continent, the Mazda 3 was fitted as standard with automatic transmission on the top, 2.5-liter engine.