Mazda3 entry price lowered
More equipment and sharper pricing for 2018 Mazda3 sedan and hatchMazda has lowered the entry price of its popular Mazda3 small car, as the hatch and sedan duo make way for a new replacement in 2019.
Mazda will update its popular small car next year with a new model underpinned by the company’s next-generation SKYACTIV architecture and SKYACTIV-X petrol engine.
Until then, the 2018 Mazda3 range offers more equipment than before, with entry pricing pared back to $21,490 drive-away -- down from $20,490 plus on-road costs -- Mazda Australia has announced today.
There is also a new naming structure: Neo Sport, Maxx Sport and Touring, followed by SP25, SP25 GT and SP25 Astina.
The sharpened offering arrives amid declining sales for the Mazda3 small car. Last year, sales dipped nearly 11 per cent thanks to renewed competition from rivals including the Hyundai i30.
The entry Neo Sport variant does away with the predecessor’s basic (read: archaic) monochromatic infotainment display, adopting a 7.0-inch infotainment system with digital radio, reversing camera and six-speaker sound system.
The Mazda3 is yet to adopt Apple CarPlay or Android Auto into its infotainment suite.
Next up the food chain, the Maxx Sport (from $23,490 drive-away) adds automatic wipers and headlights, dual-zone climate-control and an electric parking brake.
At the top of the regular line-up, the Touring gains keyless entry over its predecessor.
SP25 variants go unchanged, adding sporty and comfort touches for a premium.
All variants offer Mazda’s i-ACTIVSENSE safety suite, comprising Smart City Brake Support-Forward (SCBS-F), while Mazda3 Maxx Sport and all grades above it get SCBS-Reverse (SCBS-R), Blind Spot Monitoring (BSM) and Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA).
The Mazda3 range is powered by an unchanged range of petrol engines: a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol on regular variants, and an uprated 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine for SP25, GT and Astina variants.
A choice of six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmissions continues to be available.
2018 Mazda3 pricing (drive-away):
Neo Sport manual — $21,490
Neo Sport auto -- $23,490
Maxx Sport manual — $23,490
Maxx Sport auto -- $25,490
Touring manual — $25,490
Touring auto -- $27,490
SP25 manual — $25,990
SP25 auto -- $27,990
SP25 GT manual — $29,990
SP25 GT auto -- $31,990
SP25 Astina manual — $33,490
SP25 Astina auto -- $35,490
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