Mazda3 2.0 Skyactiv G Exclusive-Line (2024) Review

WE are all guilty of forming preconceptions.

In this case it’s cars. So what is due to arrive is a medium size hatchback with s sub-30K price tag and I know it will look a certain way, smell a certain way and feel a certain way.

And that would have been the case. I’m sure, had it not been sporting a Mazda badge. You see Mazda should belong in a certain category, complete with opposition from Europe, Japan, Korea and now China, yet somehow it doesn’t.

One look at its curvaceous lines and deep lustrous livery elevates it away from the also-rans and into a class above. It is one stylish looking vehicle, wonderfully sleek and sporty with dropped snout and shapely rear end.

Climb inside and the out-of-class experience continues. In a world of glass TV screen fascias the Mazda3 is pleasingly retro with conventional clocks and a driver centric approach. There is a centrally mounted dashboard screen but you can operate this from a chunky knob on the transmission tunnel, which negates all that awkward left arm flailing around to reach a touch screen. There are buttons for the main functions too of which I thoroughly approve.

All the materials look and feel top quality which again hoicks it up a class. There’s lovely stitching and tactile materials galore. Add in a rather tasty Bose sound system and you can’t help feeling good about yourself. You may very well find yourself driving with a cocked little finger and a clipped accent, but just go with it and enjoy the ride.

Speaking of ride, that is plush too, extremely comfortable yet controlled enough to feel sporty. Mazda3 tracks perfectly through the bends and boasts confidence-inspiring levels of grip.

I’m getting lazy in my dotage and prefer automatics yet the Mazda3 manual is so slick I actually enjoy all the cog-swapping that has to be done cross-country. The box is positive and the clutch feather-light so gear changing never becomes a chore.

The Mazda3’s engine is brand new. Mazda continues to plough its own furrow by fitting large capacity, normally aspirated, motors. You wouldn’t expect a smallish hatchback to feature a 2.5 litre motor but it does. There’s a version that churns about 186hp or one of the same capacity but tuned for 140hp. It sounds modest but it’s more than enough.

Back in the 1990s Mazda produced a sports car called the MX-3 which was fitted with a glorious 1.8 litre V6 so smooth it could have been made of honey. This latest 2.5 four cylinder reminds me of that in the levels of refinement.

It is just so smooth, quiet and free from vibration that it is barely noticeable at all. It develops more torque and the power delivery is like cream making it more than happy to rev when accelerating hard. It’s a fine motor which delivers enough performance for real world conditions.

It also features cylinder de-activation and the Mazda M-Hybrid mild-hybrid system. Economy isn’t bad either. Official figures place it around 47mpg, I manage 44 with ease.

For around £27,000 the Mazda3 is so much better than it should be for that level of investment. With looks like that, it’s a car you’ll be proud to call your own and the plush interior and excellent dynamics will leave you feeling you are a class above the rest.

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