3 is magic number for Mazda

Make:

Friday, June 04, 2010

There are cars that often fly below most people’s radar levels and THIS week’s tester is an unjustly oft-overlooked car very good example of same — or so it seems to me anyway.

When asked about the class acts in the small-family-car segment, most people’s list would be topped by contenders which would most likely include those from Ford, Toyota, Opel and Volkswagen at the top of the pile.

In the present financial climate, there are buyers for whom value for money is critical, ensuring big advances being made by such as gains for Hyundai and Kia, with the sister cars the i30 and the Cee’d, while others such as Peugeot, Fiat, Honda, Chevrolet, Skoda, Mitsubishi, Seat and Renault (thanks to the heavily specced Megane) do their best to compete.

Among all these is another car that is frequently neglected. That car is the Mazda3, which, as we shall see, is actually quite a serious contender no matter what aspects of build and driving experience you considerwhichever way you look at it.

Having tried it again recently, my views of this car were once more reinforced — and I’d have to say that in almost every aspect of its being, it proved to be a really pleasing driving companion.

The car tested was the ‘Sport’ version — in four-door format — which is fitted with the truly surprising, 1.6-litre turbodiesel engine, and I have to say that I came away from my time with the car scratching my head as to why people shopping in this market segment don’t cast their nets a little wider, and beyond the commonly accepted class leaders.

Much like its siblings, the Mazda2 and the Mazda6, the Mazda3 is a fine looking car, and much pleasing detail has been put into its appearance.

And, in Sport specifications, there is also a body kit that further adds to the overall attraction of the package.

Mazda says that it has done a lot of work on the interior to make it more attractive — with the introduction of more, soft-touch plastics — but the truth is that this is one area where the Mazda3 does not really match the class leaders. That’s not to say that the interior of the car is not a nice place to be — far from it — but it is just not quite as good as some others.

That said, the driving position is excellent and it is easy to get comfortable, what with a rake-and-reach adjustable steering column and a seat that can be cranked up and down.

Mazda has also made the interior a very spacious place, and there is a surprising amount of room for rear-seat passengers and the boot space is very capacious.

You could have small quibbles with the cluttered steering wheel switchgear, but the corollary is that many competitors don’t even have such things.

On the engine front, the 1.6-litre turbodiesel is a real strong point.

The actual figures look moderate enough — 80 kW/109 bhp, 240 Nm of torque at 1,750 rpm, top speed of 187 kph and an 11 second 0-100 kph time — but the reality is that this is a stonking performer. It is truly punchy, very refined and will return a consumption figure of 4.5 l/100km (62.8 mpg).

Add to that the fact it fits into tax band ‘A’, and, therefore, only costs only some 104 in annual road tax, and the Mazda3 comes more clearly into focus.

On top of the meritorious nature of its performance levels, the Mazda also is a really good car to drive. Okay, so the steering might not provide huge feedback for seat-of-the-pants drivers, but the handling is really good and grip levels are top drawer. Low speed ride is a little on the firm side, but this evens out as speed levels mount.

Overall, though, it is very had to find fault in this area and I would say that the car, at least, matches the standard bearers in its market segment, because it is so enjoyable to drive.

On the safety front, there are stability and traction control systems as standard, while twin front, side and curtain airbags are also part of the deal, as are active front headrests.

And then, you consider what Mazda has made one of its main selling points, and that is the strength and reliability of its products.

While, of course, nothing mechanical can ever be given faultless characteristics, Mazda has shown, down the years, that its products are among the most reliable around.

Their cars have consistently performed well in the JD Power customer satisfaction surveys, and other reliability tests, and this should provide buyers with a painless ownership experience.

This is a car which flies under the radar of many people, but it is definitely one that that should not be overlooked.