Mazda 3: The missing link

Zoom-zoom. What is that supposed to mean? I'm not really sure, but the marketing juggernaut seems to have worked. At least for me. Now, I perceive Mazdas as fun, cheeky little cars, with a high-on-life attitude. Also, whenever someone mentions Mazda, I think of the brilliant MX-5, so that helps.

Now there's a brand new Mazda 3, which I've been looking forward to ever since I saw its innocent toothless grin when the car was launched stateside and in Europe. The new design language works brilliantly tied together with that marketing strategy. So 'zoom-zoom' could actually mean 'a silly grin'. With the new giant gaping grille, the Mazda 3 is definitely laughing at a stupid joke; if it were a person, it would be a bit of a simpleton. But it looks good and you end up liking it because simple is cute.

The hatchback looks even better than the saloon (it was designed to be a hatchback, so that's obvious) although the rear is also executed well enough with dynamic tail lights and a tall boot that actually offers access to a generous load area.
Inside, there are further improvements, with a curved, layered dash and nice dual displays at the top. They're angled towards the driver, but the passenger can also clearly see the car and audio information. The steering wheel and driver's seat are adjustable any way you want, the AC works like a blizzard within five minutes and my only gripe with the cabin is the handbrake handle which, out of the corner of my eye, periodically looks like it's engaged since it sits quite high in its down position. Overall, it actually feels quite expensive in there, despite the saloon starting at Dh59,000 and the full house hatchback costing Dh73,500.

That makes the new Mazda 3 seem well priced, except there's more to it as you can only have the new 3 with an obviously underpowered 1.6-litre engine that apparently produces 104bhp.

This really confuses me. Why do Americans and Europeans get potent 2.0 and 2.5-litre engines (turbocharged even, if they want), and we get the outdated 1.6-litre unit? Maybe they were worried about stealing Mazda 6 sales, but how come they're not worried about that in other markets? Anyway, Mazda did confirm that it's not thinking about introducing other engines in the region.

So, say you go for the full-house Mazda 3; it's true you'll get good build quality and good spec - automatic windscreen wipers, electric folding mirrors, keyless entry, better audio system, sunroof, fog lights, rear spoiler and side skirts - but there are many cars out there that will offer more for the same money. The Chevy Epica (hey, at least it has a 142bhp 2.0-litre) or even better, Ford Mondeo with a 2.3-litre for about the same price as the fully-loaded Mazda 3. A Hyundai Sonata is a lot bigger, almost 70 horses more powerful and maybe a grand more expensive. You get my point…

Admittedly, it does have a huge plus point; the chassis is super capable and can handle loads more power (as evident with the Mazda 3 MPS), the suspension is supple and forgiving over ruts, but extremely level in bends, plus the tyres provide masses of grip - you'll have to be trying really, really hard with that engine to make them unstuck.

So it's probably the best handling car in class. But, acceleration& Well, it will get to 100kph, eventually. Although there is a noticeable lack of torque, the lively steering somewhat makes up for it. It's perfectly centred without any play, and feels weighted just the same once you eventually get the car going. All of those factors make it better than the competition, but the top-spec 3 is priced way too high considering the 1.6-litre engine (designed with Ford and shared with the old Focus). That said, the car does make a certain amount of sense in the base Dh59K guise, though.

The gearbox isn't science-fiction: it's a four-speed automatic. My wife's hairdryer has five speeds. Still, at least it lets you hit the rev limiter in semi-auto mode for a bit of hooning; I love that.

It's a cute design with a well-executed, upmarket interior and a practical boot, but because of a lack of a 2.0-litre version, the cheap-as-chips base model will have to do. But only if you really have your heart set on the new 3.

Specs