Mazda3 G25 Evolve SP 2023 Review

The 2023 Mazda3 G25 Evolve SP is the cheapest way to score the brand’s popular hatch with the larger 2.5-litre engine.

It’s been subject to a recent small price bump that’s lifted it to $32,110 plus on-road costs as a six-speed manual, with the automatic adding another $1000 to that.

That puts it head-to-head with the likes of the Hyundai i30 N-Line (from $30,220 ), Kia Cerato Sport+ (from $31,440) and the Toyota Corolla SX (from $31,780).

Like all Mazdas it’s covered by a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty and five years of capped-price servicing will cost you $1762, but intervals are 12 months or 10,000km and that distance will disappear quickly if you do plenty of driving.

Despite being towards the lower end of the 3 hierarchy, the 2023 Mazda3 G25 Evolve SP still comes reasonably well equipped. There’s keyless entry and start, dual-zone climate control, a head-up display, powered driver’s seat and auto lights and wipers.

Wheels are 18-inch alloys, the head- and tail-lights are LED and you can identify an SP via its blacked-out exterior trim (wheels, grille and mirrors).

On the downside the seats are cloth (though this could be personal preference), the daytime running lights are halogen and the mirrors are powered but not heated.

A five-star ANCAP rating from its introduction in 2019 gives the 2023 Mazda3 G25 Evolve SP solid safety credentials.

This is especially the case for those inside with the Mazda3 scoring 98 per cent for adult occupant protection and 89 per cent for child occupant protection.

In addition to front and side airbags for the front passengers, curtain airbags front and rear and a driver’s knee airbag, Mazda also includes most key active safety features including autonomous emergency braking (AEB) in forward and reverse, blind spot monitoring, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control, traffic sign recognition and rear cross traffic alert.

The obvious omissions are available in a $1500 Vision technology pack which includes a 360-degree parking monitor and front sensors, cruising and traffic support that operates the accelerator and brake at low speeds (automatic only), driver monitoring and front cross traffic alert.

Nestled in the centre of the 2023 Mazda3 G25 Evolve SP’s dash is an 8.8-inch infotainment display with smartphone mirroring, AM/FM/DAB+ radio, Bluetooth and native satellite navigation, and it plays through an eight-speaker stereo system.

Typically, Mazda’s infotainment is touch-operated when stationary but only controllable via the rotary dial once on the move. Mazda argues this leads to less driver distraction, which suggests that the 3’s non-touch-operated screen should be a good solution.

It’s not quite the case. The trouble with using a rotary dial to operate a modern infotainment interface is the chances of the cursor landing on the desired icon, especially when using smartphone mirroring, are very slim.

The experience improves markedly when using the shortcut buttons surrounding the dial, which allow for one-touch access to the media or sat-nav or phone even when using smartphone mirroring and means you can usually get to where you need to be in short order.

Mazda’s dash is also a clever solution, a mixture of analogue and digital that provides simple and easily-read information but with neat tricks like displaying the current speed limit as a red line. Stray beyond it and the gap between your current speed and the limit will also be marked in red.

The head-up display not only shows the speed, but should a car stray into your blind spot a little icon is shown on the appropriate side, a feature that’s particularly helpful in the 3 for reasons I’ll explain shortly.

None of this is necessarily game-changing tech, but just a few little touches that illustrate a level of thought that isn’t always apparent.

Equipped with the larger of the two engines, the 2023 Mazda3 G25 Evolve SP produces 139kW/252Nm from its 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol compared to 114kW/200Nm from the smaller 2.0-litre. A reasonable bump.

This extra performance comes with little economy penalty, the larger engine actually being a fraction more economical in manual guise at 6.3L/100km compared to 6.4L/100km for the 2.0-litre.

Selecting the automatic as, let’s be honest, most will, reverses the situation, with the 2.5 claiming 6.6L/100km and the 2.0 6.2L/100km.

This is in part due to the 2.5-litre having cylinder deactivation, which allows it to turn off a pair of cylinders under light loads to conserve fuel.

It’s fine being fed a diet of 91 RON regular unleaded, and the 51-litre fuel tank gives a theoretical range of more than 800km if you can match the combined claim. Regardless, you won’t be needing to visit the pump too often.

There are two sides to the 2023 Mazda3 G25 Evolve SP’s personality, and whether you get along with it or not will depend a lot on how you intend to use the car.

In line with Mazda’s driver-focused ethos, the 3 isn’t a car you drive with your brain in neutral and one finger on the wheel with a minimum of effort.

Consequently, the 3 requires a bit of work to drive, even in a day-to-day scenario. This is a relative statement, of course, and anyone from the age of unassisted steering will rightly scoff.

However, there is a bit of weight to the Mazda3’s steering, the brakes are firm underfoot and the ride, while generally comfortable, isn’t afraid to feed road surface imperfections to your backside.

In a similar vein, the engine, while relatively large for a naturally-aspirated unit, still needs some revs to give its best. As an example, it makes its maximum torque of 252Nm at 4000rpm, whereas the 1.6-litre turbocharged engine in the Hyundai i30 N-Line produces a similar 265Nm, but from just 1500rpm.

This means the Mazda3 doesn’t have the same effortless performance, and in the case of our manual test car, you need to either use the lever more often or hold gears a bit longer, though with an auto it will sort things out in response to your accelerator input on its own.

The flipside to this, and where we get into the 3’s dual personality, is the 2.5-litre encourages you to rev it, accelerating with greater verve the further the needle gets around the tachometer.

Even driven in this manner, fuel consumption is unlikely to move too far north of 10L/100km, partly because despite the 6500rpm redline the limiter calls time at 6200rpm so it doesn’t rev that high.

The six-speed manual is also great, light in both its clutch and lever actuation, but clearly most people will choose the automatic.

No problems there, as Mazda’s automatic is quite slick in its shifts and obviously much easier to use in heavy traffic.

It is illuminating how much having to constantly change gears makes you focus on the task at hand, however, manuals being few and far between these days.

Should you venture beyond the city limits you’ll find a hatchback of rare dynamic talent.

All the qualities that require a little extra effort in daily use coalesce into a car that’s tremendously enjoyable to drive with pace and enthusiasm.

The brakes and steering now offer reassuring weight, communicating the Mazda’s capabilities, and the handling is superb for a vehicle in this class, with decent grip but plenty of adjustability, too, should the enthusiastic driver wish to really dig in.

It’s a more enjoyable steer than many so-called performance cars.

The inside of the 2023 Mazda3 G25 Evolve SP somewhat mirrors the driving experience in being a tale of two halves.

Often upper-spec variants of otherwise humble cars struggle inside due to plenty of evidence of cheaper materials taking the sheen off.

It’s the opposite situation in the Mazda3. The Evolve is one of the lowest rungs on the ladder but the cabin could successfully carry off a higher price tag.

Most surfaces are covered in plush leather with contrast stitching, there’s a soft-touch dash, and all the buttons and dials click in a satisfying manner. For around $35K, it would be difficult to expect much more.

On the downside, it’s a dark environment, with plenty of black and dark grey that seems to swallow up the light.

The Mazda3’s design also doesn’t help. General consensus is that it’s a good-looking car, but its shape causes problems in the form of massive rear-three-quarter blind spots for the driver, a cramped entry into the rear and very small windows once you’re in.

Boot space also takes a hit. There’s enough room (295L) for plenty of shopping or a few bags, but it’s one of the smaller spaces in the segment, the Volkswagen Golf offering 374L, the Hyundai i30 395L and the Kia Cerato a whopping 428L.

In fact, the Mazda3’s boot is smaller than a number of cars in the class below, such as the Kia Rio (300L) and Volkswagen Polo (351L).

Looked at in purely objective terms, it’s difficult to make a case for the 2023 Mazda3 G25 Evolve SP.

The traditional use case for a hatchback is as a daily runabout, and while the Mazda3 is good value and looks great inside and out, there are rivals that are easier to drive, more comfortable and much more practical.

Style over substance, then? Not quite.

If you don’t need masses of space, want a hatch that isn’t just a box on wheels and fancy yourself a keen driver then the Mazda3 could be the car for you.

It’s a genuinely enjoyable car to drive and a willing partner if you like a punt, and this holds true whether equipped with a manual or an auto.

Mazda has taken a slightly unusual approach in the creation of its small hatch but it’s not one without merit.

2023 Mazda3 G25 Evolve SP at a glance:
Price: $32,110 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol
Output: 139kW/252Nm
Transmission: Six-speed manual
Fuel: 6.3L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 150g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2019)