Mazda3 SP25 2009 Review

Mazda3 SP25

What we liked
>>Fresh new styling
>>Vastly improved interior
>>Refined engine note

Not so much
>>Steering still too light
>>Engine still lacks punch
>>Rougher ride on gravel

Overall rating: 4.0/5.0
Engine/Drivetrain/Chassis: 3.0/5.0
Price, Packaging and Practicality: 3.0/5.0
Safety: 3.0/5.0
Behind the wheel: 3.0/5.0
X-factor: 4.0/5.0

About our ratings

Question: How do you improve on a car that is the best selling model in the country when its five years old and only months away from being replaced?

Answer: Very carefully.

Mazda faced a difficult task to improve upon its wildly successful 3 range. Launched locally in 2004, the car has been a major hit in Australia; claiming the title of the highest selling small car in 2008 and beginning 2009 as the best selling car in January. It has also played a major role in the company becoming a serious threat to Ford in the sales charts.

But all good things must come to an end and the new generation Mazda3 is only a few months away. Though we drove the new 3 at its international launch late last year (more here ), this week Mazda extended the opportunity to drive the new SP25 variant of the car at the Australian Automotive Research Centre near Anglesea (Vic).

According to Mazda the two biggest challengers the team working on the project faced were to deliver a car that improved on the first generation 3 while at the same time making it appealing for markets all around the world.

With that in mind they came up with four key principles for the development of the new car. The first was to produce an exhilarating ride. Secondly maintain the driving excitement and high quality ride. Thirdly come up with a more expressive design. And lastly make the car more "environmentally friendly" under its philosophy of 'Sustainable Zoom-Zoom'.

How they achieved that job was by making small changes across every aspect of the car; this is an evolutionary car, not revolutionary.

The out-going model wasn't perfect but it was a hard car to find any significant faults with. If there was one main bugbear it was noise. Not surprisingly that is where much of the focus of the engineers and designers has been.

Mazda claims NVH has been improved by between 6-11 per cent across the range thanks to a raft of changes. The aerodynamics have been refined to reduce wind noise, new tyres have been chosen to cut tyre roar, extra rigidity has been built into the body and vibration dampening material has been optimized. All up the result is a car that is noticeably quieter although there is still wind noise at high speeds.

The extra chassis strengthen has had a positive effect on the handling too. Driving the new SP25 back-to-back against the current model SP23 around the proving ground loop the effect of the changes is immediate. The chassis feels tighter and more solid and changes direction with improved poise.

One of the disappointing aspects of the SP23 was the steering. It was too light and lacked feel during quick driving. The new model is an improvement with more weight and better feel but its still not as good as some of its rivals; most notably the Volkswagen Golf. But it can be forgiven because while it does lack feel it certainly doesn't lack responsiveness. As long as you can readjust your reflexes to cope with the light action the new car goes exactly where you point it.

Another noticeable improvement is under the bonnet. As you can guess by the name change the old 2.3-litre four-cylinder is replaced by a 2.5-litre unit. Power is only up by 7kW but there are 23Nm more torque to play with. Given there is a slight increase in weight (roughly 40kg overall despite the body-in-white weighing less than the old car) the extra grunt isn't significant. But what is significant is the extra refinement in the new motor. The coarse sound of the old car is replaced with a more desirable note; one that is subtle too thanks to the changes to the chassis rigidity and dampening material.

The five-speed Activematic automatic gearbox is carried over from the outgoing model and has only had a minor tweak. The biggest change is in the cabin where new wheel-mounted shift paddles replace the previously hidden buttons behind the wheel. It may seem minor but it does help to make the driving experience more enjoyable.

Brakes have also only received a relatively small makeover and perform the same as the SP23. Despite the additional weight the car pulls up well, but after our US launch experience we'll reserve our final judgment until we get more time in the car under real world conditions.

While the outgoing model still looks good against its peers, the new look takes the car into the future. It follows the same theme as the new Mazda6 with new sharper headlights and heavily stylized wheel arch flares. At the rear the taillights now stick out from the bodywork, not only for looks, but also to improve airflow off the back of the car.

The new style continues to the inside with an all-new cabin look and feel. New materials help to make it a more grown-up and refined experience. Gone are the harsher plastics and cheap looking gloss console insert replaced by soft-touch materials to give it a lift.

A sweeping new dash replaces the old squared off number. The whole thing is now driver focused with the dash angled towards the driver's seat to make operating all the controls simpler. The small satellite navigation screen sits high in the centre of the dashboard and is aimed at the driver. The gearshift has been moved closer while the handbrake has shifted further away; from the right-hand side of the centre console to the left.

The only criticism is the passenger side of the dashboard swoops out too close to your right knee and won't be good for taller occupants.

For the most part the dimensions of the car remain the same as the old car with a 40mm increase in overall length the only change. That means rear seat passenger room remains similar to the old model.

Because of the success of the current model the local launch of the new model has been brought forward. Mazda will run out of stock with the out-going model but has secured supply of the new car from Easter time.

Mazda has confirmed that there will three engine choices for the new car; 108kW 2.0-litre petrol, 122kW 2.5-litre petrol and the 110kW 2.2-litre turbodiesel. The six-speed manual gearbox will be standard on all models with the five-speed Activematic replacing the four-speed auto on the petrol cars.

The old line-up of Neo, Maxx, Maxx Sport and SP25 will return now the run-out of the old car is complete. The Maxx Sport and SP25 will both receive satellite navigation and Bluetooth as standard. The Neo will come with two airbags as standard while Maxx and above will be equipped with six airbags.

Full specifications and pricing will be released closer to the car's launch.

The run around the proving ground roads was a nice opportunity to get a taste of what's to come with the new Mazda3. Check back soon for a full local launch review.