We can’t tell you what the new 2014 Mazda3 is like to drive yet, but maybe it doesn’t matter. The seven-page press release didn’t mention the powertrain until the bottom of page four, following a thorough explanation of the car’s innovative new display screens, its Aha Radio integration, its ability to read Twitter and Facebook posts and to send replies using the Shout function. What was made perfectly clear was that Mazda is celebrating the 10th anniversary of Mazda3 production with a world’s-first vehicle-launch/live-concert-simulcast over Microsoft’s Xbox entertainment console network featuring the band Metric.

The next Mazda3, like the recently revamped 6, is a complete departure from the outgoing model, with virtually no lingering Ford DNA whatsoever. Following the anthropometric trend of gradually increasing size, the wheelbase stretches 2.4 inches to 106.3 and the width broadens by 1.6 inches, yielding 2.3 inches of front and 0.4 inch of rear shoulder room. The roofline drops by 0.6 inch for better aerodynamics, and while there’s no loss of headroom, lowering the rear seat pinches legroom by 0.4 inch -- bad news, given that we recently judged the last Mazda3 to have the most cramped rear seat in a five-car comparison. Offering potential relief are re-sculpted front seatbacks that result in more knee room.

Speaking of aerodynamics, manufacturers often accuse each other of throwing around drag coefficient figures the way ladies who lunch discuss their weight and dress sizes. That having been said, Mazda is claiming some astonishing best-in-class figures: 0.275 and 0.255 for the hatchback and sedan respectively. Those are best-case figures for models equipped with Mazda’s new i-ELOOP suite of fuel-saving extras like active grille shutters that route air around the car except when the radiator absolutely needs it to cool the Skyactiv engines, of which two are now offered.

The base 2.0-liter pretty much carries over from the uplevel i trim levels, retuned for a bit more torque (155 hp, 150 lb-ft). That engine’s direct injection and other efficiency optimizations are brought to bear on the uplevel 2.5-liter engine this year, which churns out 184 hp and 185 lb-ft -- that’s 10 percent more peak output (midrange torque is up to 15 percent better), and the engine weighs 10 percent less than the old MZR 2.5-liter. Another cool efficiency trick i-ELOOP brings: capacitors that store energy regenerated by the alternator during braking, another claimed world-first. Either engine comes with a choice of manual or automatic six-speed transmissions.

Sorry, there I go putting car-y stuff ahead of the app-y stuff the target audience is far more concerned about. Like the new head-up “Active Driving Display” that folds up from the instrument panel brow to present vehicle speed, nav directions, and other vital info up in the driver’s field of view (surely a class exclusive, available in the optional Tech Package). Other information is clustered in groups, organized to help the driver better balance the tasks of driving and managing the firehose of peripheral information that blasts away at us all incessantly through our various devices. The car can read you your SMS text messages, Twitter and Facebook updates, and it allows you use voice commands to reply or to conduct internet searches for locations and directions.

A suite of new safety-related “apps” utilizing cameras, millimeter-wave radar, and laser sensors is offered under the i-ACTIVESENSE moniker (maybe the hyphen and shout-case are to keep them out of trouble with Apple?), a pricey option package. Features include high-beam control, blind-spot monitoring, lane-departure warning, forward-obstruction warning, Smart City Brake Support (enhanced or automated braking, when a collision is anticipated at speeds under 19 mph), and radar cruise control. And of course, if all that fails, the new 30-percent stiffer and lighter (thanks to increased use of high-strength steels) safety cage provides incrementally improved protection.

We, of course, DO care more about the car-y stuff, and we fully expect to be wowed by this next-gen Mazda3, considering its predecessor’s comparo-winning history (it finished second of five in June 2013 as the oldest car in the competition). We’re promised greater grip, more responsive braking, and quicker steering (14.0:1 versus 16.2:1), all of which sounds promising. One line-item in the press release prompts cause for concern, however: The adoption of a column-mounted electric steering-assist motor. We’ve generally found that setup to spoil steering feel worse than rack-mounted or second-pinion systems, but maybe Mazda has cracked the code. If they have, this could be a #gamechanger. If not, all this Xbox/concert launch nonsense will look like an attempt to game the press -- and we ain’t playin.’

The new Mazda3 will go on sale in America starting in September and will be offered initially with two engine choices: a 2.0-liter four cylinder with 155 hp or a 2.5-liter four pot with 184 hp.

But depending on demand for the Mazda6 diesel which goes on sale later this year, Mazda will consider adding a 2.2-liter Skyactiv diesel engine as an option to the Mazda3 lineup. The news comes from Jim O’Sullivan, CEO of Mazda North American Operations, who also confirmed that the Japanese automaker does not plan on bringing the Mazda3 hybrid to America.