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Marton Pettendy29 Jul 2016
REVIEW

Mazda 3 2016 Review

Class-leading safety, more standard kit and upgraded chassis lurks under same-same skin of Mazda's top-seller

Mazda3 hatch and sedan
Australian Launch Review
Mt Cotton, Queensland

With more than five million sold globally, including 468,000 last year, the importance of Mazda's best-seller cannot be understated. The previous-generation Mazda3 was Australia's most popular new vehicle in 2011 and 2012 and now -- two and a half years after the second generation was launched Down Under in February 2014 – comes a thorough midlife makeover designed to keep the Mazda3 fresh alongside accomplished small cars like the Toyota Corolla, Hyundai i30, Ford Focus, Honda Civic, Volkswagen Golf and Peugeot 308.

With stylish good looks, compelling value and a stand-out ride/handling package, it's no wonder the Mazda3 remains one of Australia's favourite new cars.

But while the latest generation has attracted a bigger share of Australia's largest vehicle sales segment – small cars – than ever, the MkIII Mazda3 has so failed to match the sales success of its nemesis, Toyota's Corolla.

In fact, more Australians bought a Hyundai i30 last month for the first time, thanks in part to an aggressive sales campaign that saw the Korean hatchback available from just $19,990 with an automatic transmission.

New Mazda3 Maxx hatch 2


With an all-new i30 and Civic hatch coming next year, as well as redesigned Renault Megane and Holden Astra models within months, this upgraded Mazda3 can't come soon enough for the popular Japanese brand.

Sadly, the significant chassis and equipment upgrades are hidden beneath a barely unchanged body, save for new headlights, a revised grille, LED fog lights from Maxx level and a different rear bumper for hatch models.

The subtle front-end update includes adaptive LED headlights with daytime running lights for the top-spec GT and Astina, while all other models get revised halogen headlights with signature wing extending through the outboard indicators.

The changes are more generous inside, where all models do away with a CD player but score larger front door pockets (finally big enough to hold bottles), USB inputs relocated more conveniently at the front of the centre console and a classier new multifunction steering wheel from the new CX-9.

Despite a $1550 price cut for the latter, GT and Astina models get a simpler large central tacho dial, a higher-resolution full-colour head-up Active Driving Display, the option of Pure White leather instead of Off White and – in a Mazda first -- Traffic Sign Recognition.

From Maxx level up, the steering wheel brings leather trim and shift paddles and a revised colour display with DAB+ digital radio for the MZD-Connect infotainment screen, while an electric parking brake is now standard from Touring level.

That means buyers of the base Mazda3 Neo – which remains unchanged in price – miss out on all these features. The Neo also continues to ride on 16-inch steel wheels, but unlike its most direct rivals it also lacks a reversing camera.

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Instead, a rear-view camera remains a $650 mirror-mounted option because the entry-level Mazda3 lacks the 7.0-inch colour touch-screen seen in all other variants.

The 2016 Neo does, however, gain the most significant safety upgrade for the freshened Mazda3 line-up – the fitment of Smart City Brake Support (SCBS) as standard across the range, making it the only mainstream small car line-up to offer autonomous emergency braking (AEB) in all models.

The best news is the potentially life-saving safety tech comes at no extra cost in the base model, although with the exception of the premium SP25 GT (up $200) and top-shelf SP25 Astina (down $1550), all models are now $500 more expensive than before.

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Of course, Mazda contends that with the addition of standard AEB, which was previously part of an optional safety pack, most models are now about $1000 cheaper than before.

That's without factoring in a range of other new standard features – this time only for Maxx grades and above – including SCBS Reverse, Advanced Blind Spot Monitoring and Rear Cross Traffic Alert, in addition to Forward Obstruction Warning.

Filtering down from last year's upgraded Mazda6 and CX-5, Driver Attention Alert and Lane-Keep Assist System are now standard from SP25 GT level and the SP25 Astina respectively.

Maxx and Touring remain on 16-inch alloys, but there are new (still 18-inch) alloy wheels for the SP25, GT and Astina, a darker gloss finish for the Astina's wheels and electric folding mirrors (automatic on Touring and above) as standard across the range.

Pricing and Features
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While that means the upgraded Astina flagship brings the most improvements for less money, diesel fans will lament the axing of the oil-burning XD Astina.

Although there are no changes to the outputs or consumption of the Mazda3's idle-stop equipped four-cylinder petrol engines, Mazda says both the 114kW/200Nm 2.0-litre (Neo/Maxx/Touring) and 138kW/250Nm 2.5-litre (SP25/GT/Astina) are smoother and more responsive than before.

It has also attempted to address the biggest shortcoming in its popular small car – engine noise – by adding sound deadening in the floor, ceiling and doors, which Mazda says reduces wind and road noise.

Far more convincing is the latest Mazda3's comprehensively revised chassis, which brings new electric steering tune, tweaked front and rear suspension dampers, new front stabiliser bar mount bushings and the addition of dynamic dampers for the rear cross member and trailing link.

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But the biggest change is the first Australian deployment of Mazda's new G-Vectoring Control (GVC) system, which links engine torque to steering angle in an attempt to improve cornering traction, straight-line stability and passenger comfort by increasing weight transfer and therefore grip on the outside front tyre.

We first sampled GVC in an otherwise unchanged US-spec Mazda6 in California last month, when we noticed a small but worthwhile reduction in steering effort and correction both in corners and a straight line.

But the difference was more significant in concert with the Mazda3's steering and suspension updates. In back to back testing with the outgoing model at Queensland's Mt Cotton driver training centre, the GVC-equipped 3 required noticeably less steering input to traverse the same two set courses.

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Around a slalom course on a wet skid pan with the cruise control set at 60km/h, the old model slowed itself to an indicated 56km/h as the front wheels slithered and the ESC intervened, while the new model generated more front-end grip and washed off just 1km/h.

On a dry, twisting road course at 75km/h, the outgoing Mazda3's front tyres squealed in protest around the two tightest turns, while the new one remained unflustered and could have tackled it faster.

The difference isn't enormous and it's debatable whether the technology makes a good driver faster. But there's no doubt GVC reduces effort at the wheel in most conditions without a big impact on feedback.

That should make the Mazda3 a better car to drive for the vast majority of buyers in this segment without detracting from the model's accomplished ride/handling balance.

2016 Mazda3 Neo, Maxx Touring pricing and specifications:
Price: $20,490, $22,890, $25,290 (plus $2000 for auto and ORCs)
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol
Output: 114kW/200Nm
Transmission: Six-speed manual and automatic
Fuel: 5.7L/100km (hatch auto), 5.9L/100km (hatch manual)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP

2016 Mazda3 SP25, GT, Astina pricing and specifications:
Price: $25,690, $29,990, $33,490 (plus $2000 for auto and ORCs)
Engine: 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol
Output: 138kW/250Nm
Transmission: Six-speed manual and automatic
Fuel: 6.0L/100km (sedan auto), 6.5L/100km (manual)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP

Also consider:
>> Hyundai i30 hatch (from $20,990 plus ORCs)
>> Toyota Corolla hatch (from $19,790 plus ORCs)
>> Toyota Corolla sedan (from $20,740 plus ORCs)

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Our team of independent expert car reviewers and journalistsMeet the team
Expert rating
81/100
Engine, Drivetrain & Chassis
16/20
Price, Packaging & Practicality
16/20
Safety & Technology
18/20
Behind The Wheel
16/20
X-Factor
15/20
Pros
  • Standard AEB
  • Chassis improvements
  • Extra standard equipment
Cons
  • No reversing camera at base level
  • No more diesel
  • Price increases
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