Mazda3 Maxx Sport 2018 Review

Mazda3 ageing gracefully

I've driven the Mazda3 is some far-flung places, including Mexico, but this is first time in years I've driven one on local turf. So, after a week with the Mazda3 Maxx Sport and around 700km on the clock, it's only reinforced how squarely Mazda hit the nail on the head with this third-generation car back in 2013.

Look up "nail hitting" on urban dictionary and you'll… actually scotch that.

Despite a raft of new small cars that have just arrived on those huge container ships in Australia or are about to – including the new Hyundai i30, Honda Civic and the upcoming Toyota Corolla – the Mazda3 doesn't feel old.

Fair enough, the exterior styling is just starting to look as though it needs a nip and tuck, especially that curvy rump, but the front-end and the interior in particular have a modern look that should age gracefully – as many of its predecessors have.

The cabin still feels fresh, with excellent ergonomics, a modern design and high-quality finishes and materials; plus I really like the sporty-looking instrument cluster.

The 'wings' that branch off this display offer trip information, engine revs, outside temperature and the fuel gauge, all of which are presented rather concisely in digital fashion. You can also flip through a few options; instant fuel consumption and such.

Lump in a sporty leather-wrapped steering wheel with stylish buttons on its two spokes – governing cruise control, audio and telephony – and it's not a bad view to see every time you hop in the car. I really like the fact you can draw a lid over the two cup holders as well, creating an upmarket (and tidy) aesthetic… strangely similar to the Volkswagen Golf.

The 7.0-inch touchscreen operates when stationary and when the car's in motion you use an intuitive rotary controller which looks and feels good, but the menu system takes a bit of getting used to.

The cloth seats aren't too shabby, with an upmarket design and hard-wearing textiles in use. Adjustable head restraints are par for the course and although back seat room isn't class-leading there's enough space for four adults in this Japanese hatchback, no drama.

The boot is average in this class at 308 litres, but the 60:40 split-folding rear seats liberate a bit more room should you need to shove bulky items in there. Unlike the Hyundai i30 however, the spare wheel is a smaller space-saver type and on the long road to Yallingup, I'd feel more confident with a full-sized spare.

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Driving and thriving

On one of my favourite test drives from Perth to Yallingup – a smidge less than 300km one way taking in a spot of city and urban driving but mostly freeway – the Mazda3 hatchback is a great companion.

Comfort levels are very good which on the longer stretches of freeway is always welcome. The seats are rather cushy and the ride quality on standard issue 16-inch alloy wheels (205/60 tyres) is notable given the Mazda3's ability to scythe through a roundabout at full throttle in second gear.

It's also a much quieter car than it used to be, with much less road noise than pre-2017 models, although there's a bit of noise at start up on cold mornings.

This mid-spec 2.0-litre Maxx Sport variant is the most popular model in the Mazda3 range, and given its standard feature list it's not surprising. Pegged at just under $25K, it's fitted with a six-speed auto, blind-spot monitor, rear parking sensors, dual-zone climate control and sat nav as standard – all systems that get fair workouts on most drives.

The Mazda3 was a good car six years ago and it's even better now thanks to several updates, such as G-vectoring control which gets the power down effectively, especially out of corners. Set in sports mode the six-speed automatic transmission is also a savvy performer, keeping the engine on the boil and rarely requiring intervention, holding gears and delivering almost clairvoyant shifts.

There's a bit of weight to the steering which I like, and the Mazda hatchback feels confident mid-corner, with a settled, predictable attitude.

Of course when you're trundling about the transmission is just as shrewd, slotting into top gear eagerly on the freeway and delivering decent mileage as a result. I covered almost 700km on one tank of fuel, the final figure of 5.8L/100km was impressive – matching the manufacturers claim. Shazam! First time that's ever happened…

The 2.0-litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder SKYACTIV petrol engine looks pretty weedy on paper, with just 114kW at 6000rpm and 200Nm at 4000rpm. But hooked up to the slick six-speed auto the middle-weight (1296kg) the car hustles off the line better than the current Corolla.

That said, a new Corolla is coming in August 2018 and it's got way more poke… but hey, a new Mazda3 is tipped to launch in early 2019, which will deliver more power and efficiency thanks to Mazda's ground-breaking SKYACTIV-X explosion-taming technology.

I can't wait to see how the next-gen Mazda engine pulls. Hope it gets turbocharged too, that'd be fun, and while I'm dreaming let's get the Mazda3 MPS back into active service.

The Mazda3 was also up for getting a little dirty, a ride height of 160mm enough ground clearance to comfortably see it scorch along dirt tracks without having to worry about smashing the underbody to smithereens. It also handles well on loose surfaces.

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Call mum. Call mummy. Mother…

Modest dimensions of 4470mm make parking in busy shopping centres a doddle – as does the standard fitment of a reverse camera and rear parking sensors. There's a digital radio tuner in addition to the AM/FM setup, plus Bluetooth streaming plus two USB ports.

Low-speed autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection is also standard along with other expected safety features such six airbags, stability control and anti-lock brakes. A pair of ISOFIX anchorages and three top-tether points are handy for children's seats too.

A couple of the things I didn't like so much on longer drives included the average voice recognition. Okay it's better than none, so if want to call someone on your Bluetooth-connected phone you needn’t touch it. Instead you can try two or three times before the system figures out what you want, barking out each subsequent request with more impatience. Machine learning, where are you!?

The fuel filler is released via a switch inside the car which I'm not a big fan of, and the navigation system is decent but not excellent. I found the warnings that alarm you when you're (allegedly) speeding very annoying.

There's also no rear air vents which my daughter let me know about quick-smart. Instead I attempted to angle the front vents to coax the rise and fall of the airflow, but its trajectory is about as predictable as chaos theory.

Capped-price servicing for the life of the vehicle is a nice aftersales touch and the move from six-month service internals back in 2014 to the current 12-month intervals is always welcome.

The first service is $303, then by the second year that goes up to $331 and sits around those prices thereafter. A three-year / unlimited-kilometre warranty is average these days, with many manufacturers moving to five-year warranties, while the likes of Kia offer a seven-year warranty.

For under $25,000 I was impressed with the Mazda3 Maxx Sport. It was a pleasant, somewhat adventurous week that was made more memorable by the fact the car had no significant issues.

It may have been around since 2013 but the BN-series Mazda3 recipe is still tasty. Time to concede defeat? Not yet… but a strategically planned retreat is being looked at by Mazda as it goes into run-out mode to clear stocks ahead of the new model.

Indeed, if you're thinking of buying a new Mazda3, bear in mind the fourth-generation Mazda3 is expected to arrive in Australia in early 2019, so it could be a great time to haggle for a ripping deal on current models.

How much does the 2018 Mazda3 Maxx Sport cost?
Price: $24,490 (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 (2016)