Why Mazda decided not to put a space
between the name Mazda and the number 3, I have no idea, other
than they did this with its big brother, the Mazda6 a couple
of years ago, and being part of the Zoom-Zoom Mazda family,
they followed suit with Mazda3.
This model has just been released in this
country, and whilst it may not have taken the country by storm
(yet), on my 800 km with this car, on a trip from Pattaya to
the new Amari Emerald Cove Resort on Koh Chang and return, it
certainly aroused plenty of interest.
Mazda3
Visually, I found the Mazda3 quite
attractive. The nose is reminiscent of the SLR Mercedes, with
the front guards hinting at the ever-so-sexy Mazda RX 8. The
high rear hip-line and C pillar shape is again very purposeful
and very RX 8. With short overhangs front and rear, it gives
the impression of a wheel at each corner, implying extreme
stability.
But
before I move into the test itself, I’ll get all the things
I did not like in this car out of the way early. First off, I
did not like the red-amber instrument lighting at all, and the
icons and numbers in the read-out panel were too small. I do
not like to have to put on reading glasses to check the fan
speed rating, for example. I also thought that some of the
lids on the storage areas in the central console were very
‘plasticky’ to coin a phrase. ‘Tacky’ might even be a
better adjective. There was also a shiny strip of plastic
across the dash that could give very annoying flashes of
reflection of objects outside the vehicle.
That’s about it in the dislike
department!
What
did I love about this car? The seats to begin with. Fabulously
comfortable, and the test car was kitted out in all leather.
The driver’s chair looked good, smelled good and had good
lateral support, and was adjustable fore and aft and up and
down as well. I did one run of 350 kays without stopping and
alighted as fresh as when I got in. Yes, that good!
Interiorwise the Mazda3 has lots of
cubbyholes, bins, places to hold bottles and the like, plus a
cavernous glove box. Both rear vision mirrors have vanity
mirrors. The external rear view mirrors are electric and have
the fold away function for when you leave the car parked in
cramped parking lots. The audio system was good, and with the
engine being very quiet there was no real need to continually
adjust the volume control, but if you needed to there is a
simple up and down control on the steering wheel.
I must mention the controls for the air
conditioning. Simple rotary dials that are so much simpler
(and faster) than jabbing your finger repeatedly at
incremental plus and minus controls. Thank you Mazda for
making it simple again.
The sedan version has a huge boot, with a
60/40 split fold down rear seat for the odd occasion when you
want to carry telephone poles! It easily took the luggage for
a family of three people, plus baby (who seemed to need more
changes of clothing than the rest of us put together) and
carry cot.
The second feature I really enjoyed while
driving this vehicle was the sure-footedness. This was a car
that was so good on the sweeping corners between Klaeng and
Trat, that we were doddling through at speeds greater than 120
clicks (in some cases twice the ‘recommended’ speed on the
road signs) and my family just sat there happily chatting,
totally unaware of the speeds we were doing. (We also gave a
chap in a Subaru WRX Sti a bit of a wake-up call when we went
around the outside, without even trying!)
The car sits flat, corners flat, and shows
no handling vices at all. There is some road feel that comes
through with the firm suspension, but I did not find it
intrusive at all. The steering was spot on, and sensitive
enough, yet light enough at parking speeds with the electric
power steering. Impressive!
The performance from the 2 litre engine was
more than adequate for a family sedan, and never at any stage
was I left out in the passing lane praying that I could get
around and back in before the oncoming vehicles looked
threatening. There was always enough in reserve. The Mazda3 is
no Chevrolet Corvette, but then it was never intended to be
so.
The engine is mated to a tricky gearbox
which gives you the option of being fully automatic, or a
clutchless sequential manual. The auto is a four speed, which
is different from most manufacturers these days, many offering
up to seven speeds. I never missed the additional ratios at
any time, as the engine has a broad enough torque curve to be
able to accept the spread very easily. (To explain that a
little better, when the normally aspirated 911 Porsches had 5
speed gearboxes, the Turbo versions had only four speeds. The
torque produced by the turbo was such that it did not need the
extra ratio.) The Mazda3 auto shifting was very smooth, with
no annoying thumps and the kick-down on demand quick and
responsive, dropping down two gears if needed.
Yes I did try the sequential manual mode,
and it did what it was supposed to, but for my money was
totally superfluous. If I wanted to pass something in a hurry,
I could certainly drop it down a cog or two, with a quick
flick of the wrist back and forth on the stubby gear lever.
But I could also do the same in the auto mode, and quicker,
with the accelerator kick-down. After an initial play, I left
the transmission in automatic and enjoyed not having to play
gears, and looking to see what gear am I in now? The large
central speedometer does show numerically what ratio you are
in at any time.
Brakes were excellent, as they should be
from four wheel discs (and ventilated at the front). The 17
inch five spoke alloys on the test car also assist road
manners, as well as looking extra good too.
To sum up, a good looking car, well screwed
together, with exemplary road manners. A real “driver’s”
car! If you enjoy the art of driving, then you owe it to
yourself to have a look at Mazda3. At a smidgin over 1 million
it is not bargain basement, but I believe it is value for
money. It is only slightly more expensive than the 2 litre
Honda Civic, the new 2 litre Lancer or the top of the line
Toyota Corolla Altis 1.8. And there the comparisons end. Give
me the Mazda3.
Of all the motor cars I have personally
owned (and I gave up counting at 100), three stood out as
being cars that offered immediate pleasure and lasting
satisfaction every time I got behind the wheel. One was a
Porsche 911, and the other two were from Mazda. The first was
an RX 7 ‘buzz-saw’ that never missed a beat for the three
years I owned it and the second was an MX5 which still ranks
as one of the world’s greatest ‘fun’ cars. I am quite
sure that the Mazda3 could make that three from Mazda. Would I
buy one? I would certainly consider it. This car is that good.
The test car was supplied by Holiday Car Rental, Pattaya
Second Road, (telephone 038 426 203) and will be the first
Mazda3 available in the rental car business in Thailand. I
would like to thank Holiday Car Rental, as they made it much
easier for me to get my hands on this vehicle to test it
properly, rather than wait for my name to come up in Mazda’s
PR computer. As regular readers will know, I do not believe in
writing up road tests on vehicles driven round the block from
the local dealership! I do receive plenty of offers for these
‘mini’ drives. I decline every one of them.
In
most western countries the sight of a pair of discrete
white ribbons from the grille to the tops of the front
doors is enough to have passing over-40 females grasping
for a Kleenex. Traditional folk will go the full black
limo route complete with chauffeur and crazy invoice.