Almost every automaker can pinpoint at least one best-selling vehicles it had through a given time period. Even though each category has different references of good numbers, some models manage to maintain such good performances that receive special attention from the company because it starts to rely on them. That’s what happens with 3-Series in BMW, F-150 in Ford, Gol and Golf in Volkswagen… and the 3 in Mazda. This is the reason why the third generation has improved the best of this hatchback more than ever.
Offering a car in several trim levels is a marketing strategy that manages to extend a given product’s scope, therefore enabling it to achieve new customers. Sporty versions, for instance, suit those who’d love the improved performance of true sports cars but need to settle for an urban model. Entry-level versions, in turn, try to increase sales by reducing some of the car’s luxuries in order to achieve cheaper prices. However, this process results hard to perform due to the fact that nobody buys cheap cars for liking them, which implies that nobody likes how cheaper cars look. That’s why most automakers have made increasing efforts on finding other ways of cutting costs, rather than design. Noticing how big these changes have been gets easy when you look some photos of those cars around the 1980s, like Opel Kadett E or Renault 21. Mazda3 represents a nice example of the evolution in this subject when its concept is analyzed. This is a mid-size hatchback (which will have a sedan sibling soon, actually), but takes inspiration from its big brothers CX-5 and Mazda6. In other words, Kodo design language makes a strong appearance once again, in a way that will certainly make most people think the new car is the 6’s hatchback version, instead of a whole separate line.
It’s very interesting to observe how further Mazda goes when seeking the concept of natural sportiness. This car looks as modern as all its current rivals, but it clearly belongs to the group which has functionality right under design. That is, being a five-door didn’t stop it from having such strong coupe rear slant and no third window on the sides, like what’s seen on Alfa Romeo Giulietta and Renault Mégane, but what Opel Astra and Seat León leave only to their three-door siblings. Besides, Mazda3 drops the straight shapes and creases in favor of organic volumes that make it very athletic, not to mention how well they connect the car’s elements: while the rear side crease ends contouring the tail lights, the front one creates a light-and-shadow effect in that section and highlight the very stylish hood, whose shape enables the typical Mazda front grille to become very big and makes the entire car look lower and wider – just like every sports car. Projecting this analysis into the tech specs reveal that some changes were actually made in the dimensions, too. The 3 became 1.8 inch shorter than its outgoing generation, but the internal space was improved due to a 2.4-inch wheelbase increase. One of the automaker’s intentions is to make it the most aerodynamic of its class.
Similar concern with the design was had with the structure, too. Increasing the high-strength steel use made the 3 30% more rigid but also lighter than the old car. Using so many horizontal shapes makes the interior present a slight déjà vu of BMW models, but pairing them to black-and-aluminum and to such gorgeous digital dashboard takes the memories once again to Mazda6. Like its competitors, among the 3’s trims there will be automatic climate control, leather seats, infotainment central and navigation system (the latter using a rotary control), but the extras include the Active Driving Display, which is a head-up system that can project several driving information onto a small foldable screen above the dashboard. Radar-based adaptative cruise control and collision alert complete the novelties list, along with regenerative brakes and active grille shutters, the latter two dedicated to improve the aerodynamics. Both first powertrain sets use the Skyactiv technologies, which makes the 2.0L produce 155 hp and 150 lb-ft and the 2.5L generate 184 hp and 185 lb-ft – consumption rates weren’t released yet, but they’re expected to be better than the outgoing car’s. Both engines will be offered with six-speed transmissions, the manual as standard and the automatic as optional.
Update: Just like what was done with the 6, Mazda already releases the 3’s sedan. This particular variation turns very interesting by itself because it combines inspiration from both the hatchback and the bigger sedan. The Kodo-inspired design flows very smoothly into a short rear section which reminds of the four-door coupes, although being more clear than what’s seen on those. Working with so many organic and fluid shapes enabled the sedan to share the hatchback’s rear doors and even the tail lights, still with excellent visual results. The sedan’s third volume, however, increased the trunk and gave a nice aerodynamics improvement: if the hatch’s drag coefficient was already an impressive 0.275, the sedan achieves a breathtaking 0.255. Entering the car there’s everything which was seen in the slightly-older brother, such as all the cutting-edge electronic systems. Depending on the country, this sedan will repeat the mentioned engines and, also like the hatchback, add an 117-hp 1.5L and a less powerful version of the 2.0L with gasoline, and a 160-hp turbocharged 2.2L with diesel, all of them from the Skyactiv family and paired to a six-speen manual transmission with the option of a six-speed automatic. Besides, there will be a hybrid version, at first only in Japan.
