COVER Used buyer’s guide: Mazda 3

Richard Dredge

COMPARED with many of its rivals, Mazda is a relative newcomer to car manufacturing. It didn’t produce its first passenger car until 1960, but since then the company has built a reputation for making high-quality cars that are reliable and great to drive, plus they tend to look great, too.

All of this is true of the Mazda 3, and although the small family car segment is hotly contested, the Mazda manages to stand out from its rivals in many ways. Entry-level models feature a rather ordinary cabin, but posher editions feel much more premium. Whatever you buy, you’ll revel in the brilliant driving experience, impressive reliability and low running costs. And while the Mazda 3 was costly when new, prices are much keener on the used market. History

THE Mazda 3 Mk3 arrived in January 2014, with 99bhp 1.5-litre or 119bhp/163bhp 2.0-litre petrol engines (badged Skyactiv-G); diesel fans could buy a 148bhp 2.2-litre Skyactiv-D diesel engine. The Sport Black special edition arrived in April 2016, with red or white paint, a 118bhp 2.0-litre petrol engine, 18-inch alloy wheels, leather and suede interior trim, plus a bodykit.

A 1.5-litre diesel engine joined the range in May 2016, then in October 2017 a revised Mazda 3 went on sale, with styling tweaks, updated suspension, improved refinement, better connectivity and optional adaptive LED headlights. From April 2018 there was another Sport Black limited edition, with blue, red or white paint, 18-inch alloys and extra equipment including a heated steering wheel, navigation and a Bose hi-fi. CO2/tax

119g/km £30 Running costs

55mpg (2.0 Sky-G 120) £83 fill-up Performance

0-62mph/top speed 8.9 seconds/121mph

NEED TO KNOW

THERE was a choice of hatchback or fastback bodies; the former has five doors, while the latter is a four-door saloon. Both came with 2.0-litre petrol or 2.2-litre diesel engines, but the fastback wasn’t offered with the 1.5-litre engines.

BUYER’S GUIDE: Mazda

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Driver assist The earliest Mazda 3s are getting old, but they still have standard hill hold assist, speed limiter and auto emergency braking.

Codes The first Mazda 3 was codenamed BK. The second was the BL and the Mk3 was known as the BM, or BN for facelifted cars (from 2016).

Spare wheel The 3 didn’t come with a spare wheel, but you can buy a space saver. You’ll also need a foam mould to make it fit under the boot floor.

a 3

Problems Reliability is generally excellent. Most problems stem from poor maintenance, but diesel particulate filters can clog up on cars used only for short trips.

www.autoexpress.co.uk/driver-power

THE Mazda 3 Mk3 featured regularly in Driver Power surveys. It made its debut in our 2015 new-car survey, in 39th place out of 200 entries; the following year it climbed to 36th out of 150. In 2017 the Mazda came 31st from 75 entries, and its final new-car appearance was 28th out of 75 in 2018. The Mazda 3 also came 45th out of 100 entries in our 2019 usedcar survey, with its best scores for driving enjoyment.

YOUR VIEW

KAREN Wicker from Brighton, Sussex, owns a 2016 Mazda 3 with a 2.0-litre petrol engine. She comments: “I’d never considered a Mazda, but this was on a used car lot and I liked the look of it. It’s lovely to drive, the cabin feels and looks very high-quality, and reliability has been excellent. Running costs are fair, as is usability, while the equipment levels are very generous too. It’s a wonderful family car. ”

FROM £6,000 Good-to-drive and sharp-looking Mazda offers used buyers a tempting package

Expert’s verdict

Tristan Shale-Hester Deputy consumer editor

WE’RE fans of the Mazda 3, particularly rating its sharp styling, strong handling and good selection of equipment. Some rivals offer a more spacious interior, better ride quality and clearer rear visibility, and the Mazda has a host of appealing rivals such as the Volkswagen Golf, Ford Focus and Kia Ceed. Nevertheless, anyone after a reliable hatchback or saloon would be wise to at least consider this Japanese option as they browse the classifieds.

Common faults

MAZDA has a strong reputation for reliability and the 3 is no exception. We have seen the odd report of minor glitches with the infotainment system and sat-nav, but generally all is well as long as any necessary recall work has been done.

“Anyone after a reliable hatch or saloon would be wise to consider the Mazda”

INTERIOR Design is very distinctive, but there’s no sacrifice in usability. Dash (above) is nice and easy to read, while the infotainment system (below) is operated by a rotary control

How much?

2018 2017 2016 2015

Model

2.0 Skyactiv-G 120 SE Nav £10,551 £9,437 £8,407 £6,886 Finance per month* £225 £199 £178 £146 2.0 Skyactiv-G 120 Sport Nav £12,045 £10,760 £9,644 £7,843 Finance per month* £228 £219 £204 £166 2.0 Skyactiv-G 165 Sport Nav £12,363 £11,025 £9,903 £8,084 Finance per month* £262 £234 £210 £171 2.2 Skyactiv-D 150 SE-L Nav £10,128 £9,065 £8,137 £6,759 Finance per month* £221 £220 £172 £143 2.2 Skyactiv-D 150 Sport Nav £11,947 £10,707 £9,582 £7,514 Finance per month* £253 £227 £203 £159

*Prices from BuyaCar.co.uk; quotes based on a 10% deposit

WE found just over 500 Mazda 3 Mk3s for sale, with prices starting at £6,000 for an early car with 100,000120,000 miles. Most high-mileage cars are diesels and these account for about one in six of all Mazda 3s for sale. One in 10 is a saloon and a fifth of these are autos.

You’ll be lucky to buy an auto for less than £10,000, but stick with a manual and for that money you can buy a 16-plate, 65,000-mile 2.0-litre SE-L Nav. The most expensive cars cost £18,000 – for an 18-plate, 20,000mile 2.0 Sport Nav; diesels top out at £16,000. Running costs

Average CO2 Annual MPG emissions road tax

Model

1.5 Skyactiv-G 100 13 55mpg 119g/km £30 2.0 Skyactiv-G 120 16-19 55mpg 119g/km £30 2.0 Sky-G 120 auto 16-19 50mpg 129g/km £130 2.0 Skyactiv-G 165 21-22 48mpg 135g/km £155 1.5 Skyactiv-D 105 13-16 74mpg 99g/km Free 2.2 Skyactiv-D 150 21-24 68mpg 107g/km £20 2.2 Sky-D 150 auto 21-24 58mpg 127g/km £130

ALL Mazda 3s registered from 1 April 2017 cost £155 per year to tax

THE maintenance interval for all Mazda 3s, whether they’re fitted with a petrol engine or a diesel, is 12,500 miles or 12 months. Services alternate between minor and major, which are priced at £180-£220 (depending on which engine is fitted) and £276 respectively.

However, a really big service is required every six years, priced at £465; it’s when the spark plugs are changed as well as all of the fluids and filters. The brake fluid needs to be replaced every two years and this is accounted for in the standard service costs, but if it’s done on its own, you can expect to pay £40. All Mazda 3 engines are chain-driven, so there are no cambelts to replace, but the coolant should be renewed every 10 years or 125,000 miles. The cost of this is included within the general maintenance, however.

I n s u r a n c e g r o u p INFOTAINMENT Every model was fitted with a seven-inch touchscreen, but you’ll need to find one of the Nav editions to get sat-nav included

PRACTICALITY Hatchback’s boot is smaller than saloon’s, but much more practical thanks to folding rear seat

Which one?

THE smaller engines have to be worked hard to make progress, but they’re free-revving and enjoyable to use. The 2.2-litre diesel engine offers a fabulous blend of economy and performance, with even early cars Euro 6-compliant, so you won’t be charged to enter any current Clean Air Zones.

The entry-level SE is well equipped, with 16-inch alloy wheels, air-con, a seven-inch touchscreen, multifunction steering wheel, Bluetooth, and powered windows all round. Opting for SE Nav brings navigation, too.

Moving up to the SE-L brings bi-xenon headlights, dual-zone climate control, privacy glass, automatic headlights and wipers, rear parking sensors, plus cruise control and a speed limiter; once again there’s an SE-L Nav option. The top Sport Nav model has 18-inch alloys, adaptive headlights, a premium Bose hi-fi, digital speedometer and front parking sensors. Alternatives

THE Mazda’s toughest adversary is the Volkswagen Golf, which features a very wide model range with some excellent engines. It also has a superb interior, and is good to drive. The SEAT Leon is closely related to the Golf and while it looks sharper, it’s more affordable. It’s also plentiful, equally practical and just as capable dynamically.

Another pair that are closely related are the Kia Ceed and Hyundai i30, which are reliable, well equipped and excellent value, while the Ford Focus is extremely likeable thanks to its ready availability, brilliant dynamics and impressive value. The Vauxhall Astra is also in plentiful supply and great value – traits it shares with the Peugeot 308, as well as the slightly bigger Skoda Octavia and Honda Civic.

Interior

THERE’S a lot to like about the Mazda 3’s interior, because the dashboard is really well designed, so it’s both interesting to look at and user-friendly, while the quality is excellent. Although the saloon is 12cm longer than the hatch, cabin space is exactly the same because the extra length is all behind the back wheels. Every seat is comfortable and supportive, with lots of legroom in the back.

Boot space in the hatch is also rather good at 364 litres (1,263 litres with the back seats down). The fastback has an even more impressive 419litre boot, but there’s no seat-folding option, which limits overall practicality compared with the hatch.

Partwatch

Dealer price Independent price

Part

Front brake pads (axle set) £86.20 £21.72-£54.44 Front brake discs (pair) £177.70 £87.98-£142.98 Door mirror glass (electric) £35.08 £9.99-£18.98* Front wiper set £24.65 £12.69-£25.56

Prices for a 2017 Mazda 3 2.0 Skyactiv-G 120. Dealer figures from Mazda Redditch (bristolstreet.co.uk). Independent prices from Euro CarParts(eurocarparts.com). *Price from carwingmirrors.co.uk

Recalls

THE third-generation Mazda 3 has been recalled three times so far. The first campaign came in April 2018, because 4,858 cars built between April 2015 and November 2017 could suffer engine failure as a result of a software error. A second recall, in May 2019, was aimed at 19,467 Mazda 3s made from July 2015 to July 2017. The problem was down to a defective relay, which could prevent the windscreen wipers working.

The most recent recall came in January 2020. It affected 7,604 Mazda 3s and CX-30s built between November 2018 and October 2019, which had faulty software for the auto emergency braking that could activate for no reason. To see if any potential purchase is subject to any outstanding recalls, just put the chassis number into mazda.co.uk/owners/recalls.

TECHNOLOGY Rotary dial (right) controls the infotainment, and it’s easy to use on the move, with handy shortcut buttons

Verdict

ALTHOUGH the Mk3 Mazda 3 has been obsolete for a few years, there’s plenty to like about it – and this is a car that we loved when it was new. We ran a 2.0 Skyactiv-G 120 model on our fleet for a year and clocked up almost 32,000 miles in that time. The verdict? A brilliant all-rounder that was frugal, a joy to drive, comfortable and eminently practical. No wonder the Mazda 3 saw off the Hyundai i30 in a twin test, and the Volkswagen Jetta was also beaten by a Mazda 3 fastback in another test.

Every time we reviewed a Mazda 3 we were impressed, whether it was the entry-level 1.5 Skyactiv-G or the hotter 2.2 diesel – and we reckon that you’ll love the Mazda 3 too.

Contacts

Official www.mazda.co.uk Forums www.mazda3forums.co.uk www.mazda3forums.com facebook.com/groups/7487951332 www.mazda3club.com