The new 3 sedan is just as good as the hatch, but different.
EXPERT RATING
7.6
Mazda persists with a sedan version of it Mazda3 small car. It looks different and represents a small fraction of sales. But do its pros outweigh any cons?
Then along came the most recent fourth-generation 3, the BP. The hatch, I think, is the gorgeous one while the sedan is a more sober. And while still made of lovely proportions, it seems to have been... flattened a bit.
Thorough as we are here at CarsGuide, I spent a week with the new sedan to ponder not only its looks, but whether it's much different to the hatch.
Mazda 3 2019: G25 Evolve
Safety rating
Engine Type
2.5L
Fuel Type
Regular Unleaded Petrol
Fuel Efficiency
6.5L/100km
Seating
5 seats
Price from
$24,420
Does it represent good value for the price? What features does it come with? 7/10
The G25 Evolve starts at $29,490 (before on-road costs) for the manual almost nobody buys, and an extra thousand takes you to $30,490 for the six-speed auto.
Featuring 18-inch alloys.
The Evolve spec isn't skimpy, with 18-inch alloys, dual-zone climate control, an excellent safety package, reversing camera, rear parking sensors, keyless entry and start, auto LED headlights, auto wipers, electric drivers seat, sat nav, leather wheel and shifter, leather seats and a space-saver spare.
Space-saver spare.
Mazda's 'MZD Connect' has a had a big facelift to go with the very nice interior. Displayed on an 8.8-inch screen that looks like it belongs, it has DAB+, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and in-built sat nav. The eight-speaker stereo is quite nice if nothing amazing.
Is there anything interesting about its design? 8/10
The sedan is oddly anonymous in this new Mazda3. It misses out on some of the cool detailing of the hatch, particularly the gloriously designed tail-lights - the circular sections are flatter and flush with the rest of the housing.
The sedan misses out on some of the cool detailing of the hatch, particularly the gloriously designed tail-lights.
It's not ugly, not by a long shot and certainly isn't as polarising as the hatch. You can also see out over your shoulder.
The front ends of the hatch and sedan are fundamentally identical, with the funky grille shape and effects along for the ride.
From the side, both have good presence but the hatch's - I hesitate to use this word - stance is much more convincing. The good news is, the choice between them is more than a boot.
Inside is visually identical to the hatch. The new dash is refreshingly button free (although still a bit colourless) and the new screen looks terrific.
There's something about the consistency of detailing in the current Mazda range - all the fonts match on the switches, the instruments and the head-up.
It sounds ridiculous but that makes a huge difference in making the cabin feel resolved. The seats are terrifically comfortable, too.
The sedan has significantly more boot space than the hatch.
The rear seats seem slightly more roomy than the hatch. There are even air vents for rear seat dwellers, which is rather nice.
The rear seats seem slightly more roomy than the hatch.
What are the key stats for the engine and transmission? 7/10
Mazda's 'SkyActiv' 2.5-litre engine lives on with a few more kilowatts into the bargain, in this case delivering 139kW/252Nm to the front wheels via a six-speed automatic.
Mazda's 'SkyActiv' 2.5-litre engine lives on with a few more kilowatts.
The G20 makes do with 114kW/200Nm and feels a lot slower.
As ever, the SkyActiv engine drives the front wheels through a six-speed SkyActiv transmission.
The SkyActiv engine drives the front wheels through a six-speed SkyActiv transmission.
How much fuel does it consume? 7/10
Despite all the extra hardware south of the rear axle, Mazda reckons you'll sip standard unleaded (there's a bonus) at a rate of 6.5L/100km on the combined cycle, 0.1L/100km less than the hatch.
Our week with the car saw us average 9.8L/100km with mostly suburban driving.
As before, Mazda's has fitted 'i-Stop' stop-start which is quite clever. Most people hate stop-start, but this one covers both bases.
What safety equipment is fitted? What safety rating? 9/10
Mazda's (very welcome) preoccupation with safety continues. The new 3 has seven airbags, ABS, stability and traction controls, forward and reverse AEB, lane keep assist, reverse cross traffic alert, forward collision warning and a blind spot monitor.
Mazda offers a five year/unlimited kilometre warranty.
The company continues with the weird 12 months/10,000km service intervals, so clearly it doesn't seem to bother its customers too much.
The 'Service Select' program lists the price of each service up to the fifth. Total cost over five services is $1581 at an average of $316 per service (you'll pay either $299 or $342, plus extra items listed on the website).
What's it like to drive? 8/10
Mazda tells that the set-up of the sedan is identical to the hatch. Sure there are differences like, say the tyres, but the idea is that the two drive identically. I, uh, I don't think so.
Plenty is the same. The engine and transmission do a good, less frantic job of moving the 3 along than the lower-powered 2.0-litre.
I can't stress enough how much better the 2.5 is. The 2.0 does a good enough job, it's just that you'll find it wanting with a load on about halfway up that steep hill. The 2.5 is much happier in traffic and the difference in fuel consumption is negligible, so the only real extra cost is the up-front spend for the G25.
The steering is just as keen and quick as the hatch's, too. The wheel responds very quickly to inputs and you don't have to do much twirling to get the car into a park.
The steering is just as keen and quick as the hatch's.
It's not too quick a sneeze will send you into orbit, though, which is handy. The clever 'G-Vectoring' system is along, too, rapidly building driver confidence in the car's abilities.
What felt a lot different to me was the ride, something I noticed moments after picking up the sedan. I had a hatch overlapping with the sedan so was able to jump in and out over a couple of days to ensure I wasn't making it all up.
It seemed a little less busy than the hatch which felt a bit more loaded for bear. The sedan felt like it had a little more roll and carried a little more weight. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that, a scaled-down 6 isn't a bad idea at all.
In town and at speed, the 3's past problems with road noise are a distant memory. No doubt strategic use of foam, carpets and other clever bits and pieces are a big part of the improvement, as well as stiffer bits and pieces.
The sedan is a bit easier to get around in as the vision over your shoulder is a bit better, unencumbered as it is by that slab of metal that is the hatch's C-pillar.
In town and at speed, the 3's past problems with road noise are a distant memory.
Verdict
The new 3 sedan is just as good as the hatch, but different. Mazda has gone out of its way to make the two body styles look different enough to cover more than a few bases. This works on a global scale - the Chinese market absolutely loves a sedan but in Australia, the 3 sedan only accounts for around 10 percent of sales.
The new 3 really is something else - it looks feels a heck of a lot more expensive than it is (especially in Soul Red), drives beautifully without being startling and in the case of the sedan, rides very comfortably indeed.
Is the new 3 sedan enough to tempt you away from the 3 hatch? Or any other hatch?
Disclaimer: The pricing information shown in the editorial content (Review Prices) is to be used as a guide only and is based on information provided to Carsguide Autotrader Media Solutions Pty Ltd (Carsguide) both by third party sources and the car manufacturer at the time of publication. The Review Prices were correct at the time of publication. Carsguide does not warrant or represent that the information is accurate, reliable, complete, current or suitable for any particular purpose. You should not use or rely upon this information without conducting an independent assessment and valuation of the vehicle.
