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.
If you were familiar with the last model range you will know the old 3 had not only a firm ride, but wasn't the best at isolating occupants from a poorly surfaced road.
The new car brings with it significant improvements. On roads that replicate a bumpy British B-road the Mazda demonstrates greater suppleness in the way it deals with big bumps, ridges and poor road surfacing. In most cases there's a significant decrease in road noise too, but we did find one coarsely surfaced piece of Tarmac that gave cause for concern.
Thanks to the slippery lines, increased suspension rigidity and a stiffer body the Mazda 3 has also been engineered to be quieter, claiming a 6-11% reduction in noise.
When we drove the car we had no cause to argue with those claims and we felt it easily matched the hushed environment of the new Golf Mk6.
The Mazda 3 comes with a decent list of standard equipment. Entry 'S' models come with air conditioning, remote locking, six airbags, ESP and the all-important MP3 connection.
Upgrade to the TS and you add 15" alloys, climate control, a leather-wrapped multi-function steering wheel and electric folding mirrors.
Spend more for the TS2 and wheels are upsized to 16" versions, auto lamps and wipers, a heated screen, six-CD player, cruise control and Bluetooth handsfree.
Finally, the Sport model brings the biggest 17" wheels, Bose sound system and keyless go.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Mazda Mazda3
wrote on 16 12 2006