Category: Small Family 
Price Range: £11,950 to £19,900
Taut, responsive handling, lively engines, nicely built out of well-fitting components, improved refinement from summer 2006.
Slightly overworked styling, not as roomy as it looks, still doesn't look that inspiring or sporty.
More fun to drive than you'd expect, but not quite an object of desire.
This is a car you just get in and drive. The driving position is easy to tailor, with rake and reach adjustment for the steering wheel and a combined seat height/tilt adjuster, plus there's a better all-round view out than you might expect from the rounded rear roof quarters.
Three coalescing mock-aluminium cowls frame the instruments, controls are arranged entirely logically and the centre stack houses a neat set of integrated stereo controls. On the move, both the five- and six-speed gearboxes are light and precise, as is the steering (the 2.0-litre version requires especially little effort at low speeds thanks to its electro-hydraulic power assistance). Braking is powerful without being snatchy, the clutch is positive but well-cushioned. There's nothing difficult about this car at all.
Like the Focus with which it shares much of its underpinnings, the Mazda 3 is a genuinely entertaining drive, with crisp, keen responses, quick steering that offers a believable and reasonably informative feel of the road, lots of grip and a delightful way of settling into a bend and letting you trim your course with mechanical precision. You feel connected to the road, via proper two-way communication. If you enjoy the sensations of driving, you'll enjoy this Mazda 3, though the MPS isn't quite as inspiring as its performance figures would suggest; with a rather detached steering feel, it's a bit too civilised and grown-up for its own good.
Both 1.6- and 2.0-litre versions have a crisp and keen throttle response, plenty of pull from low speeds and a punchy feel right through the rev range. Surprisingly short-legged gearing helps in this respect and the 2.0, now with a six-speed gearbox, can be hustled along very quickly. This is now a quieter cruiser, too, thanks to the improved sound-proofing.
The 1.6 engine can also be had with a four-speed automatic transmission with a Tiptronic-like function called Activematic. Step-off from rest can be abrupt (which goes with the sporty intentions), but shifts are smooth both up and down. The auto saps both performance and economy significantly, though.
The diesels - the popular and acclaimed Ford/PSA 1.6-litre - are both strong, smooth and quiet, with plenty of mid-range pull for overtaking and high-speed cruising, and very pleasant. The 1.4's no budget compromise, however - it's lively and responsive too, and only begins to feel gutless under demanding conditions.
And the MPS? That direct-injection 2.3's pretty good, with a torque (pulling power) output of 280lb ft to supplement its 260 horsepower. This means excellent in-gear pull, flexibility and the chance to stick it in sixth gear and keep on accelerating - this car is certainly quick. 0-60mph comes up in 6.1 seconds, without turbo lag and with very little torque-steer (there's a torque-control system to keep it all under control, and to prevent those front wheels from scrabbling). Problem is, it all happens so quietly and smoothly, with so little feedback, that you could easily forget this is meant to be a sports car...
Latest Readers' Drives About the Mazda Mazda3
wrote on 16 12 2006