Mazda3 shows brave face

'Zoom Zoom' has a new face. Mazda3, the car that accounts for one in three Mazda sales worldwide and more than 40 per cent of the company's Australian volume has leapfrogged its 2 and 6 stablemates to introduce a new look to the Mazda family as well as delivering a number of segment firsts.
 
Debuted in its four-door sedan format at this week's Los Angeles Motor Show, the 3 follows the 6's lead and, rather than a revolution, is an evolution of the current model -- both in terms of architecture and styling. That said, there's little chance of mistaking the new 3 for the old.
 
At the pointy end of the car is an all-new 'face' that while at first seems almost over the top, soon settles to the eye. In the metal it works.
 
Chief designer of the current and new generation of the 3, Kunihiko Kurisu, terms the transformation "strong evolution". He says the more aggressively sporty look and feel of the new 3 is a measure of Mazda's growing confidence.
 
Though in mechanical terms the car has been benchmarked against BMW's 1 Series and Audi's A3, in styling, Kurisu says the car does not owe anything to other models. He offers the car's strong bumper and character lines as proof Mazda is willing to "explore treatments that others can only copy".
 
Kurisu says the new 3 is longer than the current car, with most of the extra length inserted twixt C-pillar and the rear bumper. This not only helps balance the visually longer front overhang of the new 3 but also delivers more rear luggage space.
 
The new car's windscreen is 'faster' and the base of the screen has moved forward around 60mm, says the designer. In cross section the car has been blown out to accommodate higher levels of side impact crash protection, though overall width is unchanged (see below). Kurisu says interior space has not been affected.
 
Flying the face of the exterior, the cockpit of the car is "more revolution than evolution", says Kurisu. Featuring tightly grouped twin binnacle instruments and a flowing, lower one-piece dashpad, the new 3 gets a new eye-level information and compact satnav display unit plus a redesigned, more inclined centre stack. Both caused the engineers problems, Kurisu revealed (in terms of relocating HVAC and other componentry), but it was a battle he won.
 
The designer says the new interior delivers "wow factor" and helps instill a feeling of "confidence in the car's agility."
 
Perceived quality has been improved by the reduction of joins and parting lines, he says. As noted above the dash flows almost in one continuous section across the car and the materials used are of a grade normally seen in large, more luxurious cars and marques. The seats have been redesigned and are larger, and dual-zone climate control and keyless start and entry are claimed to be segment firsts.
 
Built on a revised version of the platform that underpins Volvo's S40/V50 and various Ford models (as well as the current generation Mazda 3), the new sedan version of the 3 is 25mm longer and 5mm taller. Key dimensions such as width (1755mm), wheelbase (2640mm) and front and rear tracks (1530:1515 fr:rr) are unchanged, however.
 
According to Mazda3 Program manager, Yoshiyuki Maeda, the body-in-white has been beefed up, as have the front and rear strut towers and subframes. The geometry of the suspension systems have been carried over from the last car, however, roll bars and mounting points have been beefed up, allowing the suspension engineers more freedom on damper and spring tuning.
 
Two suspension tunes are used for the European and US markets. Australian models will get the Euro-spec suspenders, Maeda promises.
 
Australian feedback that the 3 needed to improve its NVH (especially road noise) was also a key development goal, the program chief told Carsales Network. To this end (in conjunction with new pedestrian safety requirements) there has been a redesign of the firewall and other sections of the body-in-white. Maeda promises the car will deliver better noise attenuation.
 
The changes have also ensured that the car scores better in terms of pedestrian safety. A good pedestrian rating is now a requirement if Mazda3 is to score a promotionally vital EuroNCAP five-star crash test rating. With six airbags and stability control and antilock brakes as standard across the range, plus the other changes, Maeda is confident the testing body will give the car its seal of approval.
 
The Australian and US versions of the car carry over the existing 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine but introduce a revised larger 2.5-litre to the small car range.
 
According to Maeda, the 2.5 uses the same "hardware" as the Mazda6 -- a bored and stroked version of the old 2.3-litre MZR series Mazda four. In the 3 it runs bespoke engine management software. The engine will come Down Under to power the SP sports-oriented 3 models.
 
Both engine variants offer five-speed automatic and six-speed manual transmission options. The trannies, also shared with the 6, feature revised gear ratios and the 3's final drive is also tweaked, says Maeda.
 
The autos especially benefit from the wider spread of ratios. Maeda says step off performance is improved, as well as fuel consumption thanks to the wider effective ratio spread of the Activematic five-speed.
 
Mazda won't quote ADR fuel figures at this stage, but claims they are improved.
 
Not as sharp as the Euro 3, however. While the standard engined Mazda3s will make it Down Under in the second quarter of 2009, Australia will miss out on Mazda's latest, more frugal 2.0-litre engine and with it some key new technologies.
 
Set for debut in Europe in the new 3 hatch model next month. The new generation DISI (direct injection, spark ignition) engine features direct petrol injection and stop-start functionality.
 
According to Maeda-san, the "characteristics" of Australian fuel mean the engine and its claimed 10-20 per cent fuel savings are off-limits to local consumers. Mazda Australia says dollars are the problem -- the new powerplant and the hard and software smarts it requires would add another $1500-2000 to the cost of the 3. Alas too much in such a price sensitive marketplace.
 
Australia will, however, get a diesel version of the 3 -- powered by a version of the 400Nm turbodiesel recently debuted in the Mazda6. While it's likely the oiler will be wound back a touch in the 3 to the benefit of its fuel economy (and perhaps driveability), it's still set to deliver sparking performance.
 
Not quite as sparking as the new 3MPS, but that's another story...
 
Look out for more on the new Mazda3 and a drive impression in the coming days.

To comment on this article click here