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Ken Gratton6 Oct 2011
REVIEW

Mazda Mazda3 SP20 SKYACTIV: Launch Review

Hybrids and diesels beware; Mazda's latest 3 is one fuel sipper not afraid of hills

Mazda3 SP20 SKYACTIV


Local Launch
Bellarine Peninsula, Victoria


What we liked
>> Performance without the penalty at the pump
>> Conventional but advanced engineering concept
>> Affordable and competitive on spec


Not so much
>> Steering could be more communicative
>> Ride too firm to be fun for all
>> New technology deserves all-new style
 


OVERVIEW
-- Conventional but clever SP20 a rational alternative
Mazda has introduced to the Aussie market a car that threatens the eco-friendly credibility of hybrids and diesels alike — and it's a conventional petrol-engined car with a conventional auto transmission.


Slotting into a revamped Mazda3 range, the Mazda3 SP20 SKYACTIV piggybacks off the mainstream, volume-selling models while offering buyers something a little bit different. It's a car that boasts many of the fuel-saving features of the smarter diesels and hybrids around, but also delivers native efficiency from the engine, without any concessions affecting driveability.


Anyone off the street could step into the SP20 and drive it without ever twigging that this is a car that can reduce fuel use in most situations by as much as a third. There are just two tell-tales, the trip computer's readout of fuel consumption and the I-Stop system that shuts down the engine when the car is brought to a halt. For the moment the I-Stop system is exclusive to the SP20, which is the sporty eco hero of the range.


Mazda expects the SP20 to account for as much as 15 per cent of the updated Mazda3 range and the importer claims that number is the effective ceiling, given supply constraints for the SKYACTIV-G engine powering the frugal variant.


Both the SP20 and the rest of the revised Mazda3 range are being launched here at a time that Mazda wouldn't have chosen in better circumstances. This time of year, according to the importer, sales are slow and the market only begins to pick up properly in the last couple of months for the year.


As we reported recently, the Mazda3 lost ground to the Holden Commodore in September [2011] sales, mostly as Mazda ran out the superseded model, leaving it with relatively little stock on the ground in anticipation of the new model. That's a good result for Mazda — a successful runout — but comes at the cost of breaking the Commodore's 16-year stranglehold on the title of Australia's most popular car.



PRICE AND EQUIPMENT
-- Unrest in the small-car segment drives lower prices, more equipment
Mazda has reacted to the growing competition in the already crowded small car segment by shaving prices and adding value here and there in the Mazda3 range.


As the entry-level model the Mazda3 Neo starts the ball rolling at $20,330 with manual transmission. Not only is that price $1000 cheaper than before, but the Neo is now claimed by Mazda to represent added value worth $1790. This is basically contingent on the base-grade's new 15-inch alloy wheels and body-colour door handles. Automatic transmission adds $2000 to the purchase price.


Mazda has dropped the six-disc CD changer previously fitted to the Maxx Sport and the manual variant is now priced at $24,490 —$1870 cheaper than before. Based on the lower-spec audio system, Mazda advises the difference in value is $1815 only, with some of that resulting from the new standard features: auto-on/off headlights and rain-sensing wipers. As for the Neo, the price of the automatic transmission option is $2000.


The Mazda3 Diesel is priced at $27,360 and both the price reduction ($1870) and the difference in value ($1815) are the same as for the Maxx Sport — and for the same reasons. There is still no automatic transmission option for the Diesel.


Now priced $1630 lower ($31,490), the SP25 offers $2885 extra value, the importer claims. Extra equipment in this level of trim comprises bi-xenon headlights, sliding centre armrest, smart (keyless) entry with push-button starting. Complete with shift paddles, the SP25's automatic transmission option adds $2180 to the purchase price.


Mazda has brought the price of the flagship MPS below $40,000 ($39,490) and estimates that for the price drop of $2425, the MPS now offers $2175 of extra value.


The only new variant in the range, the SP20 starts at $27,990, with a luxury pack available for a n all-up cost of $30,990. For the extra outlay, the luxury pack model features bi-xenon headlights, a sliding centre armrest, leather upholstery and a 10-speaker BOSE audio system with subwoofer.



MECHANICAL
-- It's all about the drivetrain
Most variants in the revised Mazda3 range are mechanically unchanged, although the factory has done some work on the suspension, tweaked the body for improved rigidity and reduced noise and vibration plus optimised the electric/hydraulic power steering system.


According to Mazda, the retuning of the MacPherson struts up front and the multi-link IRS provide an improved balance of ride and handling.


It's therefore the SP20 added to the range that is creating headlines. Fitted with the new-generation naturally-aspirated SKYACTIV-G engine the SP20 has notched up a combined-cycle fuel consumption figure of 6.1L/100km — equalling the figure for the Volkswagen Golf powered by the 1.4 TSI engine. And Mazda has achieved this result with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder that will run on 91 RON ULP (not the 95 RON recommended by Volkswagen for the Golf).


If there's a downside to the SP20 at all, it could be even more frugal if Mazda Australia had opted for 95 RON recommended, as Volkswagen has. As it is —running on the lower octane fuel — the SP20 must be tuned accordingly. The compression ratio for the SKYACTIV-G engine has been pulled back from 14:1 to 12:1 for Australia. At the higher compression ratio, the engine would have consumed lower quantities of fuel in the same driving conditions, while providing (marginally) more power and torque.


In spite of that, the SKYACTIV-G engine still equals the Golf's fuel consumption —without the added complexity of forced induction. Furthermore, the Mazda engine is rated by the company as 25 per cent more efficient that the conventional 2.0-litre engine powering other models in the Mazda3 range. Power tops out at 113kW and peak torque is 194Nm — respectively 4.6 and 6.6 per cent better than the figures for the 2.0-litre engine of the Mazda3 Neo and Maxx Sport.


Unusually, for a car that's so fuel efficient, the SP20 features a more-or-less conventional automatic transmission. There's no manual available and we're otherwise accustomed to eco cars featuring a CVT of some kind.


Mazda developed the SP20's six-speed box in-house and on the principle that it would be a cost-effective solution, but highly efficient, mechanically. The company claims that the six-speeder's damper clutch locks up 90 per cent of the time, in contrast with 55 per cent of the time for other automatic transmissions.



PACKAGING
-- Acceptable design let down by minor niggles
Not much has changed inside the Mazda3. The dash has been restyled with new coordinating colours and the well-shaped seats feature new trim patterns. Current Mazda3 owners will feel right at home in the driver’s seat of the new car – as will practically everyone, in fact. It’s an easy car to drive, with straightforward controls that are well located.


We have an ongoing gripe with the way Mazda uses all the available real estate through the wheel to view the major instruments – and the gearshift indicator in the binnacle is a mismatch of font and lighting source (LED for the Drive symbol, backlit for PRN). Subaru's designers are much closer to the mark in this respect.


And as we've reported on previous occasions, the Mazda's handbrake is located closer to the front passenger's thigh, which is fine if the driver enjoys a close relationship with the passenger already; not so good otherwise.


A couple of positives though: the Mazda3 is roomy enough inside and offers luggage space that places it in the upper echelon of the small-car segment.



COMPETITORS
-- Give the hybrids and diesels a miss
Introducing the revised Mazda3 range with the Australian dollar reasonably strong against other currencies, Mazda is in a position to pitch the small car directly against the new Hyundai Elantra and other threatening competitors new to the market, Ford's LW Focus being another example.


Adding extra equipment to the specification in most variants also helps Mazda compete more effectively against established rivals in the segment, models such as the Mitsubishi Lancer and Toyota's Corolla — now well overdue for an upgrade but still posting respectable sales results.


Among other small segment rivals for the Mazda3, there are Holden Cruze, Kia Cerato, Subaru Impreza and the Suzuki SX4. If money is less of an object, the prospective Mazda3 buyer might also consider some of the European offerings in the segment, particularly the Volkswagen Golf. On the other hand, if money is tight, buyers might look at the growing line-up of light-segment cars that are nearly large enough to be small — and could compete with the Mazda3 for packaging as well as price. Among these are the Ford Fiesta, Hyundai Accent and Kia Rio.


If considering the SP20 specifically for its lower environmental impact, there's the Honda Insight, Toyota's Prius and Volkswagen's Golf Bluemotion. Only the Prius is markedly more expensive than the Mazda, but the SP20 is arguably a better buy than all three of these rivals, because it's simply the best option with the fewest flaws.



ON THE ROAD
-- Freeway cruising kind to SP20
The SP20 is not a diesel and it's not a hybrid, but it delivers similarly low fuel use.


It's more practical than hybrids and the SKYACTIV-G engine is more refined than many diesels. There's negligible vibration below 1500rpm — and the six-speed automatic will hold higher gears between 1000 and 1500rpm. The transmission kicks down readily from there once the driver demands any sort of acceleration, but the drivetrain management system is clever enough to give the driver just one gear lower  -- without dropping back three gears and revving to high heaven.


The mix of six speeds with an engine offering widely accessible torque makes driving leisurely and stress-free if you wish, or frenetic and fast-paced. Sequential shift mode changes were quite aggressive, which is to be expected given Mazda’s own engineering brief to itself – build a conventional automatic with some of the efficiency traits of a dual-clutch transmission. Left in Drive however, the transmission was smooth enough for anyone, but still felt ‘linear’ as it climbed the steps – more like a DCT than an epicyclic autobox.


SKYACTIV-G doesn't sound especially sporty climbing into the higher rev range but nor is it unpleasant. It revs freely and will readily cross over the 6000rpm threshold on kick-down. Given a boot of throttle it just picks up the pace, without feeling like the car is being 'overfuelled'. And the car is satisfying when hurried along, although the SP20 is naturally a little slow to step off the mark with the automatic.


According to the trip computer the SP20 used just 5.7L/100km on the media drive program from Melbourne Airport to Geelong. That’s a figure akin to a diesel's of the same displacement. Around Victoria's Bellarine Peninsula and along the Great Ocean Road the fuel consumption figure increased to 6.5L/100km – still a decent number.


Low fuel consumption for the drive program was aided by the SP20's I-Stop system, which shut down the engine on a handful of occasions. It's clever in that it 'chooses' when to operate according to the amount of brake pedal pressure applied by the driver. If the pedal pressure is light — indicating the driver's foot is tensed, ready to lift off the pedal — the system will leave the engine turning over.


But should the driver apply more pedal pressure, the I-Stop system reads that as the driver settling down for a long wait at the lights. I-Stop kills the engine at a point where one cylinder is at the precise start of its power stroke, so the engine will restart rapidly with a squirt of petrol, from the direct injection system, and a spark.


In our experience, the SKYACTIV-G engine does restart rapidly, but it's not ultimately as smooth when it does as the hybrids on the market. On occasion, the I-Stop system will restart the engine while the car is at the lights, without the driver lifting the foot. This is usually to keep power available for the air-conditioning system.


We found the SP20 to be composed and quiet during the drive program. There was a little tyre noise from the original equipment Toyos.


Spring and damper rates for the car are shared with the Mazda3 MPS, so ride is generally firm, but there's no jarring over smaller bumps at speed. It gels with Mazda’s advertising mantra of ‘more fun from less fuel’. With suspension such as this the SP20 provided consistent handling and roadholding through some of the curlier corners on the Great Ocean Road.


Mazda’s changes to the electrically-assisted steering in the new 3 come as a mixed blessing. Feedback through the wheel is there, but it seems a little anemic.


But, judged as a whole, the SP20 is a credible alternative to the insipid econoboxes selling for the same sort of money. Going one step further, the SP20 is simply a better alternative to hybrid-drive vehicles for a whole host of reasons — but mainly because it does what the others can do, but it's easier to drive and more enjoyable.


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Written byKen Gratton
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