Mazda 3 Liftback

Equipped with a black leather upholstery theme as standard, the Mazda 3 Liftback has a well-appointed cabin that exudes top-notch quality, courtesy of the soft-touch leather finish on the dashboard and door panels and gloss black inserts at places. The Ignite Edition further enhances this rich experience with the burgundy theme for the seats and dashboard trim inserts. 

The round-themed three-spoke steering wheel of the Mazda 3 Liftback looks classy. While the instrument console has a modern 7-inch TFT screen, the all-analogue dials displayed on it look too plain and a bit outdated. The asymmetric design of the dashboard, with a uniquely positioned infotainment system at the top with a curved base and offset placement for the climate control panel, adds more character to the cabin of the Mazda 3 Liftback.

The AC vents of the Mazda 3 Liftback are integrated into the rectangular central layer of the dashboard. This premium Mazda hatchback also has a wide lower centre console, which is complete with cup holders, transmission lever, drive mode knob, and electronic parking brake. 

Pros and Cons:

Pro: Unique design of the infotainment screen and climate control panel

Con: Dated layout of dials in the instrument console

Features and Technology

The Mazda 3 Liftback has been ranked as the most feature-rich hatchback Mazda has ever produced to date, with it offering several new-generation features. Both the variants come with a host of comfort and convenience features as standard, the list of which includes an engine start-stop button, tilt and telescopic adjustable multi-functional steering wheel with audio, Bluetooth and cruise control switches, auto-dimming inside rearview mirror, leather upholstery, paddle shifters, dual-zone automatic climate control with rear AC vent, front centre armrest with a 12V power outlet.

Both the variants also come with a sunroof, a 10-way powered driver’s seat, a 7-inch TFT screen for the instrument console, two type-C charging ports, a coloured head-up display, a 10.25-inch touchscreen for the infotainment system, Android Auto and wireless Apple CarPlay. While the High Plus variant gets an 8=speaker audio system, the Ignite Edition has a more premium 12-speaker BOSE audio system. However, it still misses out on some features like ventilated seats and wireless chargers, which are big misses for a car of its price. 

Pros and cons:

Pro: Many of the comfort and convenience features are offered as standard

Con: No ventilated seats and wireless charger

Boot Space and Storage

For a hatchback, the Mazda 3 Liftback has a tremendous boot space of 358 litres, making it one of the largest boot compartments in the hatchback segment. Mazda also offers the convenience of folding down the 60:40 split rear seats, after which the Mazda 3 Liftback delivers an even more capacious 1,026 litres of boot storage.

Even in the cabin, Mazda has given this hatchback several practical storage spaces, including a wide glovebox, door pockets and bottle holders, cup holders in the front centre console and rear centre armrest, and a wide and deep front centre armrest. 

Pros and cons:

Pro: Huge boot space

Con: Door pockets are small

Based on the Mazda 3 sedan, the Mazda 3 Liftback shares a lot of design elements with the former, especially at the front and a portion of the side profile. However, it looks drastically different from the rear due to its hatchback body style, though it follows the “Kodo: Soul of Motion” design theme of the other Mazdas on sale.

Shared with the sedan counterpart, the Mazda 3 Liftback has a low-slung fascia, comprising of a low-slung grille that has a gloss black finish for the grille inserts and the extension strips that stretch towards the sleek headlamps. Featuring all-LED illumination with a signature lighting theme, these sleek-looking headlamps also come with auto on-off and auto levelling functions. 

The side profile of the Mazda 3 Liftback has some similarities with the sedan version, with it sharing the smooth contours over the bonnet and the front doors with electrically adjustable and auto-foldable rearview mirrors mounted on them. However, it does get a whole new personality moving towards the rear. The window waistline here has a more curved design, and so do the rear door panels and the wide C-pillar. The window waistline also has a chrome finish to it.

The 18-inch alloy wheels on the Mazda 3 have a grey finish in the High Plus variant and a blacked-out finish in the Ignite Edition variant. At the back, this hatchback has wide LED combination tail lamps, along with a roof-mounted spoiler, with the overall design of the boot lid having a simple but classy look to it. 

There are seven colour choices available in Mazda 3 Liftback - Soul Red Crystal, Machine Grey, Snowflake White, Deep Crystal Blue, Platinum Quartz, Jet Black, and Polymetal Grey. 

Pros and cons:

Pro: Aerodynamic and curvaceous design

Cons: No front fog lamps

The Mazda 3 Liftback has a claimed fuel efficiency of 15.8 kmpl, which is pretty decent for a hatchback with this large-sized engine. Being a naturally-aspirated petrol engine which is not as throttle sensitive as modern-day turbocharged engines, the 2.0-litre petrol engine of the Mazda 3 Liftback delivers a decent economy of 12-13 kmpl in city conditions and 15-16 kmpl in highway driving conditions.  

Pros and cons:

Pro: Impressive fuel efficiency on highways

Con: City efficiency could have been better

Sharing its platform with the Mazda 3 sedan, the Mazda 3 Liftback also gets Macpherson struts at the front and a torsion beam at the rear, with the hatchback getting front-wheel drive configuration as standard. The overall ride and handling balance of the Mazda 3 Liftback is on the sportier side, with the 18-inch alloy wheels – grey-coloured in High Plus and black-coloured in Ignite Edition – further contributing to the agility of the hatchback. 

Pros and Cons:

Pro: Fine ride and handling balance at higher speeds

Con: Low-speed ride quality could have been plusher

The Mazda 3 Liftback is offered with a 2.0-litre naturally-aspirated petrol engine as standard in both of its variants. Also standard in both the variants of the hatchback is a 6-speed automatic transmission that also features a manual shift mode.

Shared with the Mazda 3 sedan, this engine churns out a maximum power output of 162 bhp and a maximum torque output of 213 Nm in the Mazda 3 Liftback. This engine channels the power produced to the front wheels of the car, while scoring high points in refinement levels and reliability. However, the engine could be livelier at the high RPMs. 

Pros and cons:

Pro: Good refinement and performance at lower RPMs

Con: Performance at higher RPMs could have been better

Both the variants of the Mazda 3 Liftback are generously equipped with modern safety features and sophisticated and advanced driving assistance aids. The standard safety features in both the variants of the Mazda 3 Liftback are seven airbags, ABS with EBD and brake assist, front and reverse parking sensors, reverse camera, dynamic stability control, traction control, emergency stop signal, hill launch assist, auto hold function, auto door lock, walk away lock and ISOFIX mounts for child seats.

Many driving assistance functions are also available as standard in both the variants of the Mazda 3 Liftback, including adaptive front lighting system, high beam control, blind spot monitoring, front and rear cross-traffic alerts, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, driver attention alert, front and rear smart brake support, adaptive cruise control and cruising and traffic support. The Ignite Edition variant also gets driver monitoring and 360-degree parking camera support. 

Pros and cons:

Pro: Standard basic and ADAS features

Con: Nothing much actually

Competitor Comparison

At its price, the Mazda 3 Liftback is a unique proposition, positioned between mass-market compact hatchbacks like the Honda City Hatchback and Toyota Yaris and full-fledged premium luxury hatchbacks like Mini 5-Door and Volkswagen Golf GTI. The direct rivals of the Mazda 3 Hatchback are Suzuki Swift Sport and DS 5, along with Nissan Leaf and Renault Zoe in the all-electric space as well. 

Conclusion and Final Verdict

The Mazda 3 Liftback might be one of the most expensive hatchbacks one can buy in Malaysia, but for the money, it has got a lot to offer. With the size and dimensions of a crossover, it has a significant road presence for a hatchback, with the swanky and classy design language further adding to its presence.

With one of the largest-sized engines under its hood, the Mazda 3 Liftback also ranks as one of the most powerful hatchbacks, if not the most powerful. The quality levels inside-out are incredibly good, which makes the occupants feel like they are seated in a much more premium and larger car.