Bucket Seat: 2019 Mazda 3

With the Los Angeles Auto Show kicking off today, there are some much anticipated car unveils that most are looking forward to, one of which is the new Mazda 3. The completely redesigned Mazda 3 will be brought to global markets in early 2019 with South Africa getting the model in the second half of the year. The new design is nothing short of striking with a mixture of daring, following their Kodo design language quest, the 3 in both sedan and hatch guise sport a very sleek and edgy front end, similar to that of the CX5. Mazda say that the new 3 embodies the essence of Japanses aesthetics while the overall design presents a simple form, with subtle undulations bringing the styling to life. 

From the front end the revised grille is large and prominent, with the Mazda badge front and center, the lights extend out from the chamfer of the grille and extend like wings to form the side. It's all very edgy and cool and it's this sort of theme that flows through out the car but on the hatch, the rear smooths out perfectly, very similar to the concept that was shown earlier this year. I got to admit, it is quite an attractive feature of the car, of which we hardly see similar to that on the roads today. Mazda say the design of the hatchback is dynamic and the sedan if aiming at being elegant. 

The interior remains minimalistic but retains that classy and elegant look and feel. Everything is leveled relatively close to the height of the driver and almost gives a sports car, low center of gravity feel to it. From the pictures of the sedan's interior, looks like Mazda will be offering some lighter colours for the interior, which blend well with the black. 

Engine wise, the Mazda 3 will feature the latest powertrain lineup which compromises of the Skyactiv-X, Skyactiv-G and Skyactiv-D, each of which provides smooth, responsive throttle control in any driving situation. Having sampled this on both the CX5 and CX3, I still have some skepticism about it, mainly on the fuel economy side. The Mazda 3 is a big model for the manufacturer and one that they ear mark as a key seller globally. Mazda's representative Director, President and CEO Akira Marumoto had this to say at the unveiling today, "The all-new Mazda3 we unveil today begins a new era for Mazda. The next generation of Mazda cars will enhance the value of the car-ownership experience. Through these products, we will further raise Mazda's brand value and work towards our goal of building ever strong bonds with customers all over the world"  

Bucket Seat: Mazda CX3 2.0L

I'm starting to take a liking to the now ever popular "SAV" - Suburban Activity Vehicles, while they're aren't as big as SUV's they're not small either, so it offers the occupants a great spacious interior and of recent most of the models that are being released look damn good too! Take for example today's reviewed car, the new Mazda CX3, based on the Mazda 3 platform, the car is higher, just a bit wider and looks fantastic. It looks sort of like a big, raised hatch back but with Mazda's Kodo design language, the edges, lines and angles on the car just give it that cutting edge look which is distinctive of the brand. Driving the car over the next 7 days proved to be quite fun as you will find out and seeing what Mazda has to offer in terms of optional extras for a car like this was pretty impressive. 

STYLE

Mazda's design philosophy and language "kodo" means a car isn't simply a mass of metal but they believe its more like a living creature. Hence the design team creates a design that is so much more than just aesthetically pleasing to look at but actually creates a bond with car and driver. I know it's a lot to take in but from someone who has been passionate about car design their entire life, I get that. While I still think that Mazda need to let more creativity flow down from their concept to production cars, what they're doing at the moment is great. The CX3 doesn't differ too much from it's bigger brother the CX5 which I reviewed a little earlier this year, while the CX5 did have better design lines and angles, the CX3 still looks damn impressive. The car looks bigger than it actually is, so if driving big cars daunts you, don't be too intimidated by it. On the inside, it's practically a Mazda 3, all the creature comforts of a sedan, but in a more spacious environment. 

PERFORMANCE

The 2.0L engine that I had in the CX3 was surprisingly lacking at times, especially on open road driving., even being on the coast I felt that at times I struggled to get power out of it. With me fighting to get some speed, this did impact the fuel economy a lot which saw me having to visit the petrol station after doing just 483km. I suppose it's not entirely bad given the size of the engine but just in terms of response from the car, I was expecting more. The 4 cylinder Skyactiv-G engine derives 115kW and 204Nm of torque which is adequate for city driving. 

COMFORT/ TECH

With it's bigger frame, the CX3 is much more spacious than regular hatch backs, there is plenty of space in the cabin for 4 adults. The luggage space is also quite decent with you being able to get as many bags as passengers in there, which also meant there was enough space for a set of golf clubs. Tech wise, I was pleasantly surprised to see the CX3 had just as much toys as the CX5, with a quality Bose sound system, sat-nav, easy to use infotainment system, bluetooth telephone/ audio, USB and Aux inputs. The car also came up with a heads up display giving you critical info when driving. The car also comes with collision detection, which also brakes for you if you unaware of oncoming danger. 

VERDICT

While I did complain about the lack of power at times, I've been known to have a heavy foot so others might not have the same issue as me. The car is built really well, looks pretty awesome and really appeals to everyone out there even though the styling might favour the youth. The automatic gearbox could do with some work but if you shift into manual mode and use the paddle shifts, it does give you a different experience, even in sports mode. With the pricing of the CX3 being very competitive to the market, Mazda have something special here which sales figures are already proving to be true. 

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine	2.0 litre Pterol 4 cylinder
Gear Box	8 speed automatic with paddle shift
Power	115kW
Torque	205Nm
Top Speed	180km/h
Economy	6.1  L/100km
Price	R284,400*

Pictures by Kapture