Category: Small Family 
Price Range: £11,950 to £19,900
Fun to drive, refined 2.2 diesel, low emissions, good interior.
Some concerns over ride quality, poor steering feel, lack of space in rear.
The Mazda 3 leaps from offbeat alternative to near class best. Deserves serious consideration.
Mazda's 3 has always been a likeable, stylish, well-built, fun-to-drive alternative to the rest of the small hatch pack, but class best? Not even close.
Luckily for Mazda though this hasn't stopped it being a roaring success and with more than 400,000 sold in Europe since 2003 the 3 is now the most important car for the Japanese manufacturer.
Picking up from where the bigger 6 left off, the 3 adopts the sporty RX-8-inspired looks but remains based on a shared Ford Focus platform.
For the new car the structure has been stiffened, while the body shell made more rigid, promising not only a better drive, but better refinement too.
Fuel consumption and emissions have also been priorities. Thanks to near class-leading aerodynamics and fuel-saving measures such as stop-start on the 2.0-litre petrol as well as a 15kg weight saving fuel consumption, on average, drops by 15% while emissions are slashed by 19%.
Two all-new 2.2-litre diesels join the range in 148bhp and 183bhp versions, but the most powerful 3 - a sequel to the fearsome 260bhp MPS arrives later on.
So to recap, the 3 has the looks and the refinement to take on the Ford Focus head on. Has Mazda finally created the recipe for class success?
Pricing is expected to start at £13,000 and stretch to £20,000 for the most powerful diesel.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Mazda Mazda3
wrote on 16 12 2006