Category: Small Family 
Price Range: £11,950 to £19,900
Quick and quiet restart; punchy petrol engine; decent handling.
CO2 and fuel economy figures are good, but not sensational; i-Stop won't work in certain circumstances.
The combination of a stop/start system and 2.0-litre petrol engine is a good start for Mazda's new technology.
The i-Stop system puts comfort at a premium and doesn't work if the air conditioning or heater is on full, as the ventilation system needs more power to ensure it reaches the requested temperature. If stop/start is activated and it detects a rise in cabin temperature above 2 degrees, it will automatically restart the car to reach the required temperature.
There's little road or wind noise in the cabin, while the sculpted bucket-type seats offer good support and comfort.
The Mazda 3 i-Stop is only available in Sport trim, so is kitted out with a raft of equipment including 17" alloy wheels, sports styling kit, climate control, heated front seats and a Bose surround sound audio system with Bluetooth interface.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Mazda Mazda3
wrote on 16 12 2006