Mazda3 XD Astina 2014 Review - International

Mazda will bolster its third-generation 3, Australia's top-selling car so far this year, with the addition of diesel power from September. Combining an automatic transmission with diesel for the first time in the Japanese brand's global small car, the Mazda 3 XD Astina will have far broader appeal than its manual-only predecessor, which accounted for just one per cent of the previous Mazda 3's sales. The only problem is it will be offered only in top-shelf Astina guise, meaning this slick new oil-burning sports hatch is likely to start from about $40,000.

Sporting diesel small cars have long been popular in Europe and are slowly catching on in Japan and Australia too, but to date the trend has been dominated by European brands.

Mazda hopes to change that with the first diesel version of its latest global small car, the Mazda 3 XD Astina, which hits local showrooms on September 1.

Unlike the old Mazda 3 diesel, which was available as a sedan and hatchback but only with a manual transmission priced under $30,000, the new one will be hatch-only but available with manual and automatic gearboxes.

That will broaden its appeal to a wider range of buyers, but demand will remain relatively small, accounting for less than five per cent of total Mazda 3 sales.

Part of the reason for that is the Mazda 3 XD Astina, the Japanese-market name that will be adopted in Australia this time round, will be much more expensive than the model it replaces.

Given it's specified in line with the top-shelf Astina SP25 (from $36,190), and that Mazda charges an average of about $3000 for diesel versions of equivalent petrol models, expect the oil-burning Astina to cost close to $40,000 in base manual form, and a further $2000 for the automatic.

That will make it the most expensive version of Mazda's top-selling small car, which remains Australia's most popular new car so far this year, and more expensive than entry-level models from luxury brands including Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi and Lexus.

It will also put the new 3 diesel in the same price ballpark as circa-$40K performance cars like the Subaru WRX, Volkswagen Golf GTI, Ford Focus ST, Renault Megane RS and Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart.

In fact, until a new-generation Mazda 3 MPS arrives, the XD Astina will be – by default -- the Japanese brand's de facto hot hatch.

In reality, the new 3 diesel's closest competitors will be the Citroen DS4 2.0 HDI DStyle ($37,990) and DSport ($40,490), Ford's Focus 2.0 TDCi Titanium ($36,490), Peugeot's 308 2.0 HDI Allure ($37,990) and, in the absence of a new Volkswagen Golf GTD, the Golf 110TDI Highline ($34,790).

It may also lure buyers from slightly more expensive prestige diesel hatches like the Audi A3 2.0 TDI and BMW 118d (both $42,500), and the Mercedes-Benz A 200 CDI ($41,900).

However, the XD Astina not only offers more equipment than most of those small diesels.

For starters, there's all the equipment from the Astina SPs, including a large dash-top colour touch-screen with console controller, nine-speaker audio, satellite-navigation, leather trim, power seats, sunroof, twin exhaust outlets and 18-inch alloys with 215/45 Dunlop SP Sport Maxx rubber.

Other standard Astina kit includes a head-up display, dual-zone climate-control, push-button starting, multifunction leather-clad steering wheel (which gearshift paddle in auto models), piano black and fake-carbon interior trim.

Of course, it also carries over all of the new Mazda 3's top safety features, including a reversing camera, lane departure warning, forward obstruction warning, blind-spot monitoring and radar cruise control.

In addition, the XD diesel offers minor touches like a red grille accent, suede inner-seat trim with red stitching (matching the steering wheel and carpet floor mats) and a SKYACTIV-D badge.

We've driven the new Mazda 3 enough to know it's a classy small car that's quieter and more refined than before and offers European-style steering finesse and ride quality, and a stylish interior with pleasing ergonomics, soft-touch interior surfaces and top-notch fit and finish.

But of course the drawcard here is a new-generation SKYACTIV 2.2-litre turbo-diesel four that outputs a heady 129kW of power at 4500rpm and a thumping 420Nm of torque at 2000rpm.

They're the same outputs as seen in the heavier Mazda 6 and heavier-still CX-5 diesels, making the new 3 diesel more powerful than the 110kW model it replaces and more muscular than its chief diesel rivals, including the 135kW/380Nm Volkswagen Golf GTD, which is unlikely to be sold Down Under this time round.

On the 3.3km road circuit at Mazda's Mine proving ground, the manual XD Astina we drove started up with a lumpy diesel idle and providing genuinely startling thrust from as low as 1500rpm.

With 200kg less weight to haul than the Mazda 6, it's the quickest Mazda diesel by far, delivering a hefty wall of seamless, satisfying urge anywhere above 2000rpm, but doing its best work between 2500 and 3500kg.

Mazda's slick oil-burner will spin cleanly well beyond its 5000rpm redline (to a soft rev-limiter somewhere north of 5500rpm, in fact), but torque delivery drops away beyond 4000rpm, after which it makes more noise than performance.

In fact, while it's smooth enough for a diesel, the XD engine is fairly loud across its rev range and there's no mistaking its sound or power delivery for a petrol engine.

This and its narrower rev range prevent it being a bone fide hot hatch, but the diesel Astina is certainly a quick small car that delivers buckets of in-gear acceleration.

Combined with an agile, well-sorted front-drive chassis incorporating sharp steering, sporting suspension, plenty of grip and seamless stability control, there's more than enough performance to make the XD a rewarding drive for any enthusiast on the right road.

It's almost a bonus then that – with the help of a fuel-saving idle-stop function and, in a first for Australia's Mazda 3, Mazda's clever capacitor-based i-ELOOP regenerative braking system – fuel consumption is as low at 5.0L/100km in manual form.

If you're prepared to pay for it, the new Mazda 3 diesel's accomplished chassis, V6-like driveability and hybrid-approaching efficiency make it one of the most multi-talented sports hatches available.

What we liked:
>> Performance
>> Equipment
>> Dynamics

Not so much:
>> Price
>> Noise
>> Not much else