► CAR lives with a Mazda 3 hatch
► Complete with Skyactiv-X tech
► Prettiest family hatch on sale?
Try to summarise Mazda – the whole company – in one car, and you could easily end up with the 3. So much of what the brand currently stands for – nearly all of it good – is embodied in this clever, grown-up hatchback that, after the 9,000 miles I’ve put on it, I’m sad is leaving. It’s a gorgeous piece of exterior design and pretty smart inside too, save for the shin-dampening cupholders and easily blinded reversing camera.
Yes, I’ve berated the engine for its limp power delivery but, after some changes in driving style, I’ve seen economy figures close to the official ratings in the final few months. And it seems Mazda has heard my spoilt-brat cries for more poke – the engine has had some tweaks and gets a new name: e-Skyactiv X, to better highlight its mild-hybrid tech. Power is up by 6bhp and torque climbs by 12lb ft, through changes including a higher compression ratio and updated software for the mild-hybrid system. Not earth-shattering, but I’m curious to try one back-to-back with my car before it goes.
The updated model I drive is in the same GT Sport trim as my long-term test car. Out on the road, what I actually note first is how quiet the engine is. I’ve already praised my 3 for its impressive cruising refinement, but the engine’s way quieter in the updated model so there’s less gargling at low revs and harshness higher up. The torque increase is not massively noticeable, but there is definitely a bit of in-gear shove between 2000 and 3000rpm – great for upping your speed on the motorway without shifting down.
There have been some spec tweaks, too. Mazda has removed the CD player (I never used it, but some will be bothered) and introduces a sunroof at no extra cost. Elsewhere, though, I’m not sure I welcome the changes. Mazda’s softened some of the controls, particularly the pedals – the clutch is far lighter, and the brake pedal feels a bit mushier. The steering, too, is a tiny degree lighter in weighting. This is still a fantastic car to drive, but it’s all just slightly… woollier.
Living with a 3 has made it shoot up my family hatchback recommendation rankings. Sod your Golf, it’s too clever for its own good and you won’t get as much for your money. An A-Class might have the glitz but the Mazda proves it’s all unnecessary. A Focus? Yes, that might be sharper still to drive than the 3, with better engines, but can you live with an interior from a Transit? Not when you’ve sat in the Mazda.
It’s just a quietly great car. If you’re not in a hurry, want something with great handling, gorgeous looks and just the right amount of technology and premium-ness, I implore you to at least try a 3 out. You might be surprised how much you like it.
By Jake Groves
Logbook: Mazda 3 GT Sport Skyactiv-X
Price £26,675 (£27,465 as tested)
Performance 1998cc four-cylinder, 178bhp, 8.2sec 0-62mph, 134mph
Efficiency 48.7mpg (official), 39.7mpg (tested), 131g/km CO2
Energy cost 15.1p per mile
Miles this month 1521
Total miles 12,814
Month 9 living with a Mazda 3: the hunt for red exposure
What do you do after moaning about a manky car in a previous report? Wash it. With the weather drying and getting warmer, time to get down and dirty with a big yellow sponge and some microfibre cloths.
A good wash is just what the doctor ordered to bring out the gorgeous Soul Red paintwork. It really shows off the smooth surfaces of the 3. But before washing, it was interesting to note the patterns where the airflow had pushed all that muck around. The edges of the rear doors seemed to be the focal point, and the entire rear end gunks up very quickly – so even with regular wiping down, the rear camera continues to be blinded on a regular basis.
Pre-lockdown, I’d often save time by getting test cars washed by valeters, or use fuel-station pressure washers. Returning to the time-honoured bucket and sponge to clean the winter grime off the Mazda proved to be agreeably therapeutic, if time-consuming. I’ve decided to aim for the best of both worlds by ordering a portable jet washer that I’ll be able to use at home – where it should be both quicker and more effective than the bucket – and out on photo shoots.
By Jake Groves
Logbook: Mazda 3 Skyactiv-X GT Sport
Price £26,675 (£27,465 as tested)
Performance 1998cc four-cylinder, 178bhp, 8.2sec 0-62mph, 134mph
Efficiency 48.7 mpg (official), 48.8mpg (tested), 131g/km CO2
Energy cost 14.4p per mile
Miles this month 1920
Total miles 11293
Month 8 living with a Mazda 3: requesting back-up
The moment my Mazda rolls off my drive it gets covered in road gunk, like any car in a damp winter. This highlights the less than brilliant placement of the reversing camera. While the likes of VW and Mercedes hide their cameras behind the badge – waiting until you engage reverse, which prompts it to pop out – the Mazda’s is attached to the rear bumper, just above the number plate.
That quickly coats it in filth in winter, even on short drives to the supermarket, and making it near-useless when parking during the cold, wet months. I don’t need a camera to park, but if I’m given one, it would be kind of handy to be able to see out of it, don’t you think?
By Jake Groves
Logbook: Mazda 3 Skyactiv-X GT Sport
Price £26,675 (£27,465 as tested)
Performance 1998cc four-cylinder, 178bhp, 8.2sec 0-62mph, 134mph
Efficiency 48.7mpg (official), 33.4mpg (tested), 131g/km CO2
Energy cost 16.7p per mile
Miles this month 1742
Total miles 9373
Month 7 living with a Mazda 3: the heart’s not in it
The key point of distinction between the Mazda 3 and all the other compact family hatches is its engine. Skyactiv-X tech uses spark-controlled compression ignition, allowing the engine to choose between petrol-like spark ignition or diesel-like compression ignition to get the best economy in any given situation. Good theory, but let’s break its performance down into three key categories.
Power
The lack of torque compared to many rivals conspires with a flat power delivery and long gearing to make getting up to speed for motorways engage the Countdown clock music in my head. Do-do, do-do, doodle-ee-do, 70!
Economy
I’m not seeing any benefits. Some of this might be down to my heavy right foot and my enthusiasm for taking advantage of the sweet chassis. But I’ve been doing a lot of essential motorway miles, running at a constant 3000-3500rpm, which really shouldn’t be too taxing, and yet my average refuses to get even close to the official figure.
That said, when I’m pootling around in local traffic, the 3 is happy to hum along at just over 1000rpm at 30mph in fifth or 40mph in sixth, which surely must be helping rein the consumption in. The mild-hybrid element assists here, giving eager start/stop when required but, given that traffic is less dense than the Before Times, it’s not being utilised all that much.
Refinement
Skyactiv-X involves a repertoire of odd noises. It can sound like a diesel when cold, and at low revs it gargles like mouthwash is going out of fashion. There’s also the odd hiccupping sound as the engine switches between spark and compression.
On a more positive note, I recently tested a plug-in hybrid Audi A3 and realised just how hushed the Mazda is on the move in comparison. Tyre noise in particular is far more muted in the Mazda, and the clean design cuts through the wind like a ninja throwing star. Shame the engine doesn’t have quite the same edge.
By Jake Groves
Logbook: Mazda 3 Skyactiv-X GT Sport
Price £26,675 (£27,465 as tested)
Performance 1998cc four-cylinder, 178bhp, 8.2sec 0-62mph, 134mph
Efficiency 48.7mpg (official), 31.6mpg (tested), 131g/km CO2
Energy cost 13.8p per mile
Miles this month 1467
Total miles 7380
Month 6 living with a Mazda 3: entering the matrix
Mazda says that if your 3 is in Sport Lux spec or higher (which includes my GT Sport) then it has ‘adaptive LED headlights’. That’s one of those buzz phrases that almost every manufacturer currently uses, but they don’t always mean the same thing. It could mean lights that swivel when you turn the steering wheel, or self-dipping full beam. Or matrix LED lights, which reshape the beam to maximise illumination without dazzling other road users.
After a series of long motorway drives in the dead of night, the Mazda soon revealed that its lights do all of the above. It blocks out sets of light to not dazzle, but also slightly shifts the beam left and right in cornering. It’s very Mazda to not shout about its tech, or how good it actually is.
By Jake Groves
Logbook: Mazda 3 Skyactiv-X GT Sport
Price £26,675 (£27,465 as tested)
Performance 1998cc four-cylinder, 178bhp, 8.2sec 0-62mph, 134mph
Efficiency 48.7mpg (official), 43.4mpg (tested), 131g/km CO2
Energy cost 13.8p per mile
Miles this month 1235
Total miles 5913
Month 5 living with a Mazda 3: spring cleaning
It’s got the look
Don’t think I’ve ever been in a non-hot hatch that gets people staring this much. Rolling into a local forest for some fresh air sees BMX-ers and young families peering in my direction with raised eyebrows. My only criticism is the massive C-pillars trim rear visibility; form trumps function there.
Winter is not coming
During the few chances to get in the car over the tremendously hot summer, I praised the air-con. And with my GT Sport spec having heated seats and steering wheel, winter is practically non-existent. The seats aren’t nuclear-meltdown hot, but the heater acts fast – any more than 22º and it’s a furnace in here in seconds, while the wheel only heats the bits you hold regularly rather than the whole rim.
Timber!
Never thought I’d complain about cupholders being too big, but here I am. I like to caffeinate in plenty of ways, so they’re handy and can be hidden away once the cups are empty (and I’m as jittery as a jackhammer) but they’re shallow, so big coffee cups or tall cans rock from side to side when turning. Need a cloth just in case of spillage.
Give it a stir
I’ve been brought up on small-capacity turbos, so this Skyactiv-X engine still feels underpowered with its linear power and lack of torque. Back-road hoonery requires copious use of the really sweet manual shifter; fourth and fifth are oddly spaced with only a few hundred rpm difference between them. Sixth needs to be longer so revs are lower on the motorway.
Everything and the kitchen sink
Some emergency plumbing meant a chance to get rid of my horrid old plastic cream sink at the local tip. Chucking it in the back of the 3 is probably the hardest I’ve worked the boot so far. Volume is similar to the Golf, Focus and Leon.
Logbook: Mazda 3 GT Sport Skyactiv-X
Price £26,675 (£27,465 as tested)
Performance 1998cc four-cylinder, 178bhp, 8.2sec 0-62mph, 134mph
Efficiency 48.7mpg (official), 39.2mpg (tested), 131g/km CO2
Energy cost 14.3p per mile
Miles this month 963
Total miles 4678
Month 4 living with a Mazda 3: crossover episodes
In theory the CX-30 is a Mazda 3-based crossover. But as you can see from the photo of the pair together, there’s really very little in it in terms of size or style.
Even driving the CX-30 doesn’t really reveal the true differences. Like the 3’s the CX-30’s interior is very elegant and well made. Like the 3’s the CX-30’s petrol engine is on the limp side.
So, what else is there? The extra ride height gives a fractionally better view over other vehicles, but it’s not a big deal. There’s a marginally larger boot. But really, nothing of substance. For another grand, or £10 a month extra on a lease deal, it’s negligible, unless you really prefer the looks of the crossover. I’ll stick with the 3 and book myself a holiday… or get a new streaming subscription.
By Jake Groves
Logbook: Mazda 3 GT Sport Skyactiv-X
Price £26,675 (£27,465 as tested)
Performance 1998cc four-cylinder, 178bhp, 8.2sec 0-62mph, 134mph
Efficiency 48.7mpg (official), 36.4mpg (tested), 131g/km CO2
Energy cost 14.3p per mile
Miles this month 0
Total miles 3715
Month 3 living with a Mazda 3: it’s a mobile nightclub!
If you’re a regular reader, you’ll know I like my music thumping and loud, and I can’t go on about a long-term test car without talking about its sound system at least once. Mazda’s Bose system, standard with GT Sport trim, is up there with the best.
Even before getting into how it sounds, you just have to admire the brushed-aluminium speaker inserts in the doors, enhancing an already good-looking interior. There’s also an amp that fits under the boot floor where the space saver spare wheel goes, but Mazda has confirmed to me that you can still spec a spare even with the Bose system, as the unit bolts on top.
This system uses two of Bose’s branded technologies: Audiopilot is a very basic level of active noise suppression when you’re driving over particularly coarse roads, while Centrepoint completely changes the sound experience to something very like surround sound. My favoured bass-heavy house music comes alive with clarity when the tech is active, but I have to turn it off if I’m listening to podcasts.
I just need some Mercedes-spec ambient lighting, sticky carpets and a burly bloke in a black jacket checking IDs at the door, and it’ll be just like old times back in the nightclubs of my student days.
Logbook: Mazda 3 GT Sport Skyactiv-X
Price £26,675 (£27,465 as tested)
Performance 1998cc four-cylinder, 178bhp, 8.2sec 0-62mph, 134mph
Efficiency 48.7mpg (official), 36.4mpg (tested), 131g/km CO2
Energy cost 14.3p per mile
Miles this month 204
Total miles 3715
Month 2 living with a Mazda 3: mixed messages
Uh oh! Vehicle System Malfunction! Not an error message you want to see come up on the dash during a long drive. Odd, though, as the 3 felt fine at the time, drove fine and sounded fine. Not helping matters was the lack of detail – the car didn’t divulge specifically what was wrong, just asked that it meet with ‘an expert repairer’ pronto via the central infotainment screen. Alright then, keep your secrets.
Off to Donald’s Mazda in Peterborough it went. I was expecting the worst but then had the call to tell me the error message had come up… in error. All the car needed was a software update under warranty – and the message was gone. Props for the speedy service from the team at Donald’s; my 3 was taken in, investigated, fixed, cleaned and even sanitised in line with pandemic protocols in under three hours. Easy peasy.
And that brief blip hasn’t detracted from the joy I get whenever I jump in the 3. I’m getting nods of approval from family and friends on the car’s style and the interior quality is just a knockout. Clean layout, great driving position and simple, well weighted controls.
By Jake Groves
Mazda 3 Skyactiv-X GT Sport: logbook
Price £26,675 (£27,465 as tested)
Performance 1998cc four-cylinder, 178bhp, 8.2sec 0-62mph, 134mph
Efficiency 48.7mpg (official), 42.1mpg (tested), 131g/km CO2
Energy cost 14.6p per mile
Miles this month 506
Total miles 3511
Month 1 living with a Mazda 3: hello and welcome
What a stunner, amirite? Park my new Mazda next to a Golf, Focus or… (shudder) a 1-series and the 3 is in another league, design-wise. I did the original launch for the 3 and, at the time, project manager Kota Beppu said it took design inspiration from the 2015 RX-Vision and 2017 Vision Coupe. The clean surfacing, simple details and smooth silhouette all point to concept-car inspiration. Indeed the 3 was crowned World Car Design of the Year 2020.
Climb in and the neat simplicity continues. I’d argue the 3’s cockpit has better-quality materials than a Mercedes A-Class, and some cars in classes above it. There’s a big, thin-rimmed steering wheel, clean instrumentation and a bright and glossy infotainment screen nestled on top of a smooth dashboard, operated only by a click-wheel – no touchy touchy here.
Our 3 is a GT Sport and fully loaded: head-up display, 12-speaker Bose stereo, heated seats and steering wheel, adaptive cruise and more semi-autonomous safety systems than I know what to do with. The only cost option is Mazda’s classic Soul Red Crystal paint for an extra £790. The three-layer colour uses light-absorbing metallics and super-reflective aluminium flakes to bounce light off the 3’s smooth surfacing. Frankly, it’s one of the best colours out there, and accounts for 26.5 per cent of UK sales.
Under the bonnet is Mazda’s Skyactiv-X technology, which uses both spark and compression ignition in the combustion process. Meanwhile a 24-volt mild-hybrid system provides a gentle torque boost at low revs and helps keep the start/stop system seamless. On paper, the X engine emits less CO2 and gives 20 per cent better fuel economy than the 120bhp Skyactiv-G engine. But in tests to date we haven’t been entirely convinced. More time in which to cover some steady miles and get used to the engine’s lack of torque, weird gearing and odd sound may change my mind.
Still, it’s perhaps telling that Mazda has confirmed a turbocharged 2.5-litre Mazda 3 will go on sale in the US. Now, if we could just get that over here…
View Mazda 3 lease deals
By Jake Groves
Mazda 3 Skyactiv-X GT Sport: logbook
Price £26,675 (£27,465 as tested)
Performance 1998cc four-cylinder, 178bhp, 8.2sec 0-62mph, 134mph
Efficiency 48.7mpg (official), 37.3mpg (tested), 131g/km CO2
Energy cost 12.2p per mile
Miles this month 498
Total miles 3005