Mazda 3 Sedan

Overview

The Mazda 3 Sedan has always been an impressive car right since the launch. The car could match up to the driving dynamics and design excellence that the company is traditionally known for. The car was first launched way back in 2003 and has been a talk of the town ever since. However, it is the third generation model (currently sold) that made a distinctive name for itself in the Philippines. This present generation was introduced in 2014.

The 2018 version of the Mazda 3 Sedan is built in with an exceptionally wide range of newbies and goodies both inside and out. Also, if we look at the physical appearance, the 2018 model of the sedan has been refreshed to get new bumper design at both the ends. In fact, most of the automobile magazines voted the Mazda 3 to be an exceptional car for its design and best-in-class handling.

Interior & Features

The interior setting is where the Mazda 3 Sedan excels. The designing of the dashboard has been kept to the minimal and classical. The centre console looks very enticing along with a head-up speedo dial. The display screen looks like a pop-up unit and sits on the top of the dashboard.

The cabin wears an all-black theme with contrasting red stitching on the seats. The car is not very spacious on the inside but is definitely more compared to the previous generation model. The seats are 6-way manually adjustable. The base model gets fabric upholstery while the top models have the seats wrapped in fine leather covers.

The steering wheel and gear knob are leather-wrapped as standard. The controls on the steering include audio buttons and Bluetooth. Automatic climate control is given as a standard fitment in all the trims. However, the base variant gets single-zone unit while top trims have dual-zone automatic climate control.

Exterior

The Mazda 3 Sedan is built on the “Soul-of-Motion” design language as it seems to be more in line with the kind of design the company wanted to focus on. The car looks extremely pleasing from all the ends. The front section has the sleek swept back headlamps that seamlessly flow into the big grille, which has black horizontal slats. The fog lamps have chrome lining inserts on them.

If you look at the car from the side, you will notice that it has an attractive coupe-like design. The silhouette shows that it has a long hood and a short rear boot and along with the shallow rear roofline, it looks pleasing. At the rear, the things start looking luxurious. The split tail lights seem to flow into the boot lid with absolute precision.

The suspension duties of the car are handled by MacPherson Struts in the front and Multi-link Beam at the rear. The brake callipers are painted in red to add to the sportiness of the design.

Ride & Handling

Both the engines feel extremely nimble. However, the bigger 2.0-litre engine, as expected, has a higher grunt. The accelerator feels very torquey and hence the response from the throttle is just amazing.

It won’t be wrong to say that this Mazda 3 Sedan has, probably, the best handling prowess in its segment. The 150 PS engine feels like 180 PS because of how responsive it is. If the driver is committed to being fast, the car can play the perfect support.

That said, at no point in time will the driver feel discomfort as the suspension is extremely absorbent and can soak up a good amount of bumps with its travel. Again, the large 18-inch wheels tend to have a brilliant grip on the road. However, the smaller 16-inch wheels for the base variant do not offer enough feel due to its size.

Engine & Fuel Consumption

The Mazda 3 Sedan can be bought in either a 1.5-litre or a bigger 2.0-litre SKYACTIV motor. The smaller engine is given in the base variant only and can churn out a maximum power of 110 PS at 6,000 RPM along with a peak torque of 144 Nm at 3,500 RPM.

The bigger 2.0-litre SKYACTIV motor can put a huge power of 153 PS at the same 6,000 RPM along with a peak torque of 200 Nm at 4,000 RPM. The power is delivered down to the wheels via a standard 6-speed SKYACTIV automatic transmission along with the inclusion of a sports mode. This is the same gearbox that does the duties in the hatchback form as well.

Braking & Safety

The braking duties are donned by ventilated discs on the front and solid units at the rear. ABS and Electronic Brakeforce Distribution are given as standard in all the variants. Other standard features include DSC (Dynamic Stability Control), rear parking sensors with camera and guidelines and engine immobiliser.

The top end trim has a total of six airbags (front, side and curtain). However, the base model only gets two airbags, that is, for the driver and front passenger. Some other features include child lock protection along with ISOFIX, blind spot detection (top end model only), and seat belt warning lamp.

Verdict

The Mazda 3 Sedan appears to be a clear winner all-round. There aren’t many things that you would want to be different than what is already offered in the package. The exterior design is just amazing and is no less than a head-turner.

Inside the cabin, things appear to be soothing and pleasant. Some buyers may complain that the rear row lacks spacious legroom. Though the cabin is not very spacious, it is much better than what it was earlier. And cometh the next generation, the company may look to resolve that issue as well.

It has all the ingredients to make it a rank best-seller. However, if you have driven the 2.0-litre variant, the smaller engine model may not feel that much nimble on the high roads. Some of its competitors, like the Hyundai Elantra and Honda Civic, may seem to be better on the outside, the Mazda 3 has the makings of a winner, any day.