Price cut for Mazda3 Diesel

Mazda has reduced the price of its new generation Mazda3 diesel below the all-important $30,000 barrier and has bolstered the car's market appeal from the specification side too.

Public Relations Manager for Mazda, Steve Maciver, explained the pricing and specification strategy to the media yesterday as he introduced the new car.

"The Mazda3 range has certainly been known for providing buyers with excellent value for money," he said, "and with Mazda's early introduction of 2010 duty-reduced pricing, the value equation becomes even more compelling.

"We're very pleased to be able to say that we're going to introduce the Mazda3 Diesel at a sub-$30,000 price point of $29,715."

Maciver went on to say that at that price (not including government or delivery charges), the Mazda3 Diesel is not only $785 cheaper than the previous generation diesel variant, but the new diesel is also claimed to offer $1340 extra value over the earlier car -- totalling a nett gain to the buyer of $2125, based on the importer's sums.

The new engine is a detuned version of the 2.2-litre powerplant recently introduced to the CX-7 SUV and develops 110kW of power and a stump-pulling 360Nm of torque (versus 400Nm in the CX-7). In combined-cycle running, the Mazda3 diesel returns a fuel consumption figure of 5.7L/100km, marking an improvement of 0.3L/100km over its predecessor, despite the smaller displacement of the engine powering the previous model. Complying with the Euro IV emissions standard, the new diesel emits 150g/km -- a drop of 10g/km when compared with the 2.0-litre engine.

Lower compression ratio, improved fuel injectors (10 smaller holes in lieu of six larger holes), ceramic glo-plugs, new pistons and longer, streamlined blades for the variable-geometry turbine have all contributed to efficiency gains for the new engine.

The only concern for Mazda is that the '3' Diesel still doesn't offer an automatic transmission for its diesel models, drive being taken to the front wheels via a six-speed manual transmission.

Standard features on the Mazda3 Diesel include air-conditioning, satellite navigation, cruise control, a maintenance monitor and trip computer, MP3/WMA compatible in-dash six-disc CD player, and Bluetooth phone connectivity.

Visually aligned with the petrol-engined Mazda3 Maxx Sport, the diesel variant gets 16-inch alloy wheels, a sports body kit (rear spoiler, side skirts, front fog lamps) and body coloured door handles and mirrors.

Six airbags, dynamic stability control (with traction control), electronic brake-force distribution and emergency brake assist round out the safety suite, which makes the little oiler "one of the safest small cars on the market" according to Mazda. The diesel scores brakes from the Mazda3 SP25, comprising 300mm diameter ventilated rotors at the front and 280mm solid discs at the rear.

Against a background of diesels accounting for as much as 7.4 per cent of small-car sales, Mazda expects that the diesel Mazda3 will account for about 5 per cent of all Mazda3 sales, that equating to perhaps a hundred units a month in the local market. Typical buyers are likely to be 'tech-savvy' and aged between 30 and 55 years, with a balanced split between male and female.

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