Mazda3 2017 Review

Mazda 3 Maxx and SP25 GT
Road Test

Trying to build a small car that delivers on all possible fronts – price, style, comfort, dynamic ability and safety – puts the pressure on both designers and engineers. But, as the mid-2016 update of the Mazda3 proves, the holy grail of building a car that suits just about everyone is getting closer. Here, we look at the Maxx hatch and SP25 GT sedan variants.

Safety first!
Nobody really expected it – even though in reality it could be seen coming a decade or more away – but safety in automobiles has become positively, remorselessly sexy.

As the acronyms flow, and as people become more aware of the efforts of safety bodies such as the Australian New Car Assessment Programme (ANCAP), our roads are becoming safer places to be.

Statistics might fluctuate, but our national road toll is shown by the Australian Bureau of Statistics to be trending downward. Total road deaths in the decade from 2006-15 were down by 24.6 per cent,despite total vehicle registrations growing by 25.4 per cent in the same period.

Of course statistics can be interpreted in many ways and numerous factors are involved – such as the quality and consistency of the national road network – but among the big contributors to the encouraging trend are the steady advances that are being made in car safety.

Here at motoring.com, as long-time proponents of the concept of quickly transferring luxury-class cutting-edge safety technology from the big end of town to the mainstream, we’re gratified to note the rate at which it’s happening.

And the 3..?
Witness the July 2016 update of the top-selling Mazda 3 range. On top of now-common primary safety systems such as stability control, anti-lock brakes and traction control, all Mazda 3s now also get low-speed autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian protection as standard.

And from the second-rung, volume-selling Maxx model upwards, you’ll find blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and an extension of the low-speed AEB system that functions in reverse gear as well.

Above that again, in the SP25 GT, such things as (somewhat erratic and unreliable) traffic sign recognition and driver attention alert come on board while, in the top-spec SP25 Astina. There’s also forward obstruction warning, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist and “smart” radar cruise control – quite a list for a high-volume, affordable small car.

Okay, the full safety suite doesn’t come until you reach the heady heights. But it’s certain a lot of that gear will eventually sneak its way downwards in the Mazda 3 range.

Quiet back there
Other things have been done to the Mazda’s first update since it was launched in 2014. We were keen to note how effectively, for example, the company has been able to address what has become something of a corporate bugbear – in-cabin noise levels.

With this in mind, Mazda has introduced suspension revisions aimed at reducing noise transmitted up from the road, as well as “measures” applied to the body, roof, floor and doors that help calm-down high-speed wind noise.

The update also brings Mazda’s much-touted G-Vectoring Control which brings a dialogue between engine and chassis to steady the car in corners, generating what amounts to a degree of proactive self-steering.

For this review, we spent a week each in a Maxx hatch (at a projected 40 per cent of total Mazda 3 sales, the volume-seller) and in an SP25 GT sedan which is expected to account for 15 per cent of sales.

The SP25 sedan is clearly the more sportily-inclined sibling with its deep-chested 138kW/250Nm 2.5-litre SKYACTIV engine, meaningful 18-inch alloy wheels wrapped up in 215/45 tyres, a discreet boot spoiler and a revised interior with climate-control, keyless entry and an electric parking brake.

In GT form it’s more luxe too with – above the safety items already mentioned – adaptive LED headlights, leather seats (powered ion the driver’s side only), electrochromatic rear-view mirror and nine-speaker 231-watt BOSE audio system.

Shifting from the driver’s seat of the Mazda 3 Maxx hatch into the SP25 GT is clearly a step upwards. There’s a more extensive centre console complete with sliding oddments cover, upgraded trim and a reconfigured dash where the tacho takes pride of place directly ahead of the driver and road speed is indicated not just by a digital readout among the gauges, but also on the head-up display that emerges out of the instrument shrouding as the ignition is switched on.

The interior is beautifully thought out and well finessed, with plenty of soft-touch material and a nicely intuitive placement of controls for the driver, including the iDrive-style centre control knob for sat-nav, audio, phone and other functions. The tablet-style colour screen frees-up space for controls and looks pretty cool too.

But there are a couple of beefs: The back seat is a bit short on legroom for tall passengers and there are no rear-seat air vents.

There are distinct audible similarities between the 2.5-litre SP25 and the Maxx’s 114kW/200Nm 2.0-litre in the guttural start-up engine note. Both have a satisfying rasp that speaks of efficiency and suggests lurking normally-aspirated muscle.

There is a not-unpleasant (and no doubt carefully calculated) omnipresence about both engines, along with a nice, long-stroke torque curve that works in well with the reactive six-speed automatic transmission (which offers paddle shifts on both versions).

Road trip!
Indeed, both the Mazda 3 Maxx and SP25 feel moderately sporty, eagerly-responsive to accelerator inputs and happy to explore, somewhat raucously, the top end of the power band (redline for the 2.5 is a quite-lofty 6500rpm).

Clearly the bigger engine is always going to be more responsive to the accelerator pedal with its extra mid-range punch, but although the power-weight figures (103.9kW per ton for the SP25, 88kW per ton for the Maxx) suggest otherwise it feels more incremental than dramatic. 2.5 litres – even normally aspirated – is quite a lot of engine for a small car, yet the SP25 never feels as if it’s about to overwhelm.

Auto transmission gear ratios are identical for both 2.0-litre and 2.5-litre, which levels the playing field a bit as the bigger engine is not asked to pull a higher cruising gear to assist with economy (we achieved 7.3L/100km in the SP25 and 6.8L/100km in the Maxx hatch, both roughly 1.0L/100km above the official figures).

Typically Mazda, the emissions-reducing and fuel-saving i-stop (idle stop) system is pretty unobtrusive thanks to clever manipulation of the exhaust and power strokes to take most of the shock out of the initial fire-up.

There’s a difference in the way the two cars steer and ride too, but once again most people will find it subtle. Some may feel there’s more Zoom Zoom in the SP25, mainly contributed to by its bigger wheels and tyres which add a bit of extra bite to the electrically-assisted steering (and, no doubt, the G-Vectoring system which ends up being so subtle you’d be pushing to notice it in everyday driving). You would say the Maxx is softly sporty; the SP25 is harder-edged by a couple of degrees.

In closing…
Is the updated Mazda quieter? Well, apart from a difference in cabin noise between sedan and hatchback (the former was generally more hushed) and in the absence of a decibel metre to quantify, it is hard to make any comment other than “probably.”

The Mazda 3, unlike the new CX-9 SUV, doesn’t set any class standards.

Class standards are pretty important here though and with their refined on-road performance, beautifully presented interiors, intuitive controls and generally handy dimensions, the Mazdas 3 continue to impress.

Whether it’s SP25 or Maxx, the Mazda 3 remains a sexily-safe, class act.

2017 Mazda3 Maxx hatch pricing and specifications:
Price: $24,890 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol
Output: 114kW/200Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel: 5.8L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 136g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP

2017 Mazda3 SP25 GT sedan pricing and specifications:
Price: $31,990 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol
Output: 138kW/250Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel: 6.0L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 143g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP

Also consider:
>> Volkswagen Golf (from $22,840 plus ORCs)
>> Ford Focus (from $23,390 plus ORCs)
>> Hyundai i30 (from $21,450 plus ORCs)