Mazda 3 Liftback

The cabin of the Mazda 3 hatch sees fewer changes when compared to the exterior. The CX-9 borrowed steering wheel looks and is nice to hold as well. The instrument cluster too looks new partly because of the graphics and fonts which have been changed. The surprise package is the colour display for the Head-up display that looks just brilliant. The leather upholstery too has been given an overall and the new electronic parking brake liberates space in the centre console. This space is now being used by twin cup holders and there is also a special slot to put your mobile phones. A 7-inch MZD touchscreen infotainment system takes care of the music requirements and it is compatible with USB, AUX as well as Bluetooth inputs. Mazda sadly still doesn’t think highly of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Both these OS supports have been given a miss in the 3.

Both the front as well rear seats are comfortable enough. The front seats are powered whereas the rear seats in our opinion could be slightly upright. Boot space of 364 litres is strictly okay. Everything in the cabin feels high quality though the plastics towards the lower part of the dashboard could have been done a tad better.

The Mazda 3 hatchback follows the Kodo design, something the entire brand follows. The grille, as a result, has now become bigger and is flanked by reshaped headlights. The headlamps are LED projectors and they now have LED DRLs as well as LED fog lights to help light up the dark roads. Mazda has also added reprofiled bumpers, a bigger air dam as well and the Mazda logo too has been slightly shifted to the lower part than before. The colour palette is Meteor Grey, Artic White, Aluminium Metallic and Blue Reflex. Towards the rear, apart from the reshaped reflectors and fog lamps, there isn’t much to distinguish it from the older car. The Mazda 3 hatch still runs 215/45 R18 tyres and the spare unit is a size 16. Dimension-wise, the Mazda 3 hatch still measures 4,470 mm x 1,795 mm x 1,465 mm for the length, width and height respectively. The wheelbase stands at 2,700 mm and the kerb weight is 1,344kg

Mazda cars are always fun to drive. But that hasn’t happened at the expense of the ride quality. The MacPherson struts at the front and the multi-link at the rear have been tuned perfectly. The Mazda absorbs all but the biggest of potholes and even though it maintains its composure. For the model year 2018, Mazda have added G-Vectoring for the entire 3 range.

What it does is ensure the engine supplies the right amount of torque based on inputs from the steering. It takes care of the lateral yaw and ensures that the car feels connected to drive. The steering while being electrically assisted is quite direct and gives one a confident feel while driving.

Mazda continues to use the excellent 2.0-litre 4-cylinder naturally aspirated petrol motor that puts out 162PS of power and 210Nm of torque. A 6-speed automatic gearbox along with a manual mode is offered. Mazda has increased the compression of the engine to eke out more driveability. This, in turn, has improved the fuel efficiency too by a notch. Under light load, the engine is a very charming performer and doesn’t seem to be fazed even when the driver is redlining it. The torque convertor along with the paddle shifters do a good job of changing gears without being an intrusion. The engine is well insulated and doesn’t become the constant drone in the cabin that is usually the case with higher capacity motors.

In terms of efficiency, driving through the switchbacks as well as your crowded roads, the Mazda 3 hatch was a pleasant surprise. We thought the fuel efficiency could be somewhere around 11-12kmpl. However, on refilling, we realised that the Mazda has a trick or two up its sleeves. The efficiency came out to be 14.3 kmpl. The top speed that the Mazda 3 achieved was a cool 180kmph.

It still baffles me as to why Mazda doesn’t offer a diesel powerplant for the 3. The engine, we have heard has good mid-range torque and excellent driveability. Not to mention, its fuel efficiency is around 18 kmpl.

With the facelift, Mazda has also got a huge list of safety equipment as standard in the Mazda 3. For the hatchback, in its High trim, there are six airbags, Hill Start Assist, Dynamic Stability Control, Electronic Brake Force Distribution, Anti Lock Braking, Emergency Stop Signal, Emergency Brake System, Traction Control, ISOFIX child seat mounts, seat belts with pre-tensioners for the front passengers and 3-point seat belts with ELR. Not only this but the hatchback also gets a radar-assisted tech as part of the safety update. These include Smart City Brake Support, Blind Spot Monitoring,  Lane Departure Warning and Rear Cross Traffic Alert.

The GNCAP rating for the 3 hatchback is a full five stars.

Mazda 3 has been priced at RM 107,000, ex-showroom. At this price, it’s a steal and if backseat comfort isn’t your priority, then the Mazda 3 hatch makes sense. If you need more boot space, there is always the sedan which is available at the same price and gets similar equipment levels too.