Having spent quite a bit of time recently driving different sizes of SUVs, the Mazda3 was a breath of fresh air – even if it was an old skool saloon car (or Fastback as Mazda call it). Saloons are becoming a bit of a rarity in the UK and you can kind of understand why. One segment of the car buying public can’t get enough SUVs and another half is losing interested in having a small boot and no rear window wiper, even if the designs can look more sleek.
First impressions of the Mazda3 are that the design doesn’t seem to work quite as well as the hatchback model. This might be due to familiarity but I’m just not sure the same effort has gone into the design, even if it’s pretty much a scaled down Mazda6. Other than the derriere the 3 is a good looking mid-size family car and managed to stay away from some of the blandness of its European rivals.
Inside the Mazda3 has a familiar feel and from the cars across the range. The cabin is well laid out with nice feeling materials and switch gear that feels like it will stand the test of time. It’s not a tech fest and not the most stylish in the market but everything was easy to find and easy to operate.
Style aside, there’s one very small reason why people will be interested in this latest iteration of the Mazda3 – the engine. Mazda have now given buyers the chance to spec their 1.5 SKYACTIVE –D 105PS unit which was first seen in the Mazda2.
This new engine gives two clear benefits to the Mazda3: impressive fuel economy and a reduction in weight.
The claimed average fuel economy of 74.3 seems pretty far fetched but we did a fairly mixed amount of driving and it really did sip fuel. Annoyingly, even though we did fill it up while we had the car, I was jumping in and out of others vehicles so never actually recorded what we got.
With the caveat that I’ve never driven the Mazda3 with the old 2.2 diesel unit, with this smaller unit the car feels very light (1415kg) and nimble. Couple this with Mazda’s great manual gearbox and 270Nm of torque and you’ve got a non sporty family car that’s actually good fun.
We were lucky enough to get an almost entirely clear run across the A760 to Largs and I really enjoyed playing with the Mazda. It was, as usual, a family trip so I wasn’t trying to push too hard in the corners to test grip or find the limit of the brakes. Doing this in a non hot hatch version does seem a bit pointless anyway.
What I did find was that despite a bit of body roll, the Mazda3 can still give some driving thrills without spending big, sacrificing fuel economy or practicality.
Despite having not tested every diesel hatch or saloon in the sector I think the Mazda3 has done enough to earn a recommendation. I’d still plump for the hatchback version but you’re not going to lose either way.
The only problem I do have with the non SUV Mazdas is the lack of performance models. The old Mazda3 and Mazda6 MPS models were really interesting alternatives to Focus STs, Golf GTIs and BMW 530is. They might not have kept the accountants happy but they did give the brand some credentials with younger buyers who want a hot hatch. Without these models I think Mazda might struggle to pull in many buyers who are under 40….
CAR: Mazda3 Fastback 1.5 SKYACTIV-D 105PS Sport Nav
PRICE: £21,945 (£22,485 as tested)
ENGINE: 1499cc SKYACTIV-D, four-cylinder, in-line, DOHC, 16-valves
POWER: 105PS
TORQUE: 270 Nm
PERFORMANCE: Top speed 115 mph 0-62mph 11 secs
ECONOMY: 74.3 mpg combined
CO2 EMISSIONS: 99 g/km
TT Rating:
