Test Drive: 2014 Mazda3 Sport GT

By Kevin Harrison

I was actually going make this a comparison review. My plan was to pit the new Mazda3 against the new Toyota Corolla – both completely redesigned, both with panache and presence within the segment and both promising to be better than the model they replace.

I also wanted to go this route because you, the reader, have indicated that you rather enjoy my comparison reviews.

So I must apologize in advance for not going that route. Don’t worry, my review of the Corolla is coming down the line, but I wanted to give the Mazda3 its own review because it deserves it. Plain and simple.

When I review cars I go in with the attitude of hating the car straight off the bat. I do this because, despite all the hoopla from advertising, awards and other car reviews, I want to form an honest opinion of the car. Therefore it’s up to the car to prove its worth to me over the week or so that I have it. That’s why I start them at an F.

Usually it takes at least a few days before I become acquainted enough with the car to start seeing the pros and even the cons. But not with the Mazda3.

Within about 20 minutes of the first drive I was sold.

Firstly, the exterior looks are probably the best out right now, and this is coming from a self proclaimed European car fan. The long hood with the elongated wheel base gives the 3 lots of style and presence and gives the illusion that it’s bigger than it is. The Kodo design philosophy seems to be translating quite well across the line. Along with the long hood, I particularly like the tail light design matched with the slopping roofline. My only gripe is that Mazda needs to do something new with their wheel designs. The design on the top trim levels of all most Mazda models look fairly similar, even if it is a nice design in the first place.

Inside you’ll find a well laid out, attractive, functional, high quality cabin. At first I was a bit unsure with the display screen which looks like a tablet tacked on with glue, but you get used to that quickly and realize just how clean it makes the overall layout look. It looks a lot less cluttered than the model before it. And thank goodness Mazda ditched the old orange-red colour scheme. The white gauges are much more classy and easy to read. I’m even more thankful that Mazda also ditched the beeping noise it used to make each time you adjusted the volume. And speaking of the volume, Mazda cleverly put the knob down in between the seats which, again, helps to relieve clutter. There you’ll also find the central knob which controls the display screen a-la-BMW-iDrive. There’s also some buttons which gains you easy access to the radio and nav. GT models get a head up display with your showing your speed so your eyes don’t need to strain too far off the road. They do it in a bit of an unconventional way where the a small clear display will pop up from behind the steering wheel. Pretty cool.

Under the hood Mazda has fitted two engine options for all new 3’s. In the base and GS trim lines is a 2.0 litre 4 cylinder engine which I’m sure is quite decent, but believe me, you want to ante up to the 2.5 litre. It’s the same unit found on the Mazda6, which I quite liked, only this time it’s fitted to a smaller, lighter and more nimble car. That means tons of fun. It produces 184 horsepower. It also incorporates Mazda’s SkyActiv technology, which, in laymen’s terms, means increased fuel efficiency without the help of diesel or electrification. That’s right, the old fashioned way. The end result is a decently powerful and refined engine which returns good fuel efficiency.

In regular drive mode, the engine response is slightly tamed by the automatic transmission and the throttle but if you put your foot down, the 3 will immediately pick up on the fact that you’d like to get going right now. There isn’t much of an exhaust note but the sound of the engine is decent – not throaty, but the only way I can describe it is ‘sporty’. I know, I know. As an auto scribe I shouldn’t be using such a convoluted word, but that’s honestly the closest I can describe it.

So driving in regular mode is all fine and good and it’s pretty good at delivering a satisfying experience, but then there’s a small button above the gearshift marked as ‘sport’. Push it and the car noticeably gets better. Way better. No longer will you feel confined by a car whose main priority is fuel efficiency. You will now get more throttle input and gear shifts that are delayed until what seems like the last possible moment to really get the oomph out of the engine. As good as the automatic is at switching gears in this mode, you’ll still want to do it yourself by using either the gearshift or the paddle shifters. Shifts are relatively quick and crisp.

Then there’s the handling which, I must say, is among the best I’ve driven so far from a front wheel drive car this year. It feels planted with minimal body roll or under steer with noble feedback to the driver. The steering is sharp but not touchy. This gives you great confidence driving around town and despite the big 18 inch wheels (I still can’t believe you can get 18’s in this segment) and low profile tires, road noise is minimal on the highway.

Fuel consumption is officially rated at 7.5 L/100 kms city and 5.4 L/100 kms highway. My real world results were 8.1 L/100 kms in mostly city driving which is pretty good considering I wasn’t exactly gentle with the throttle most of the time and also had it is sport mode more often than not.

Faults? Uh… I suppose there could be a bit more leg room in the back seats. And depending on your preferred driving position the head up display can be a bit hard to read. What else… umm….oh! The GT trim is only available with an automatic. But then again, Mazda is planning on bringing out a manual version later on, so…. Uuuuhhh. As you can see I’m struggling to find much wrong with this car. And this is why I feel it should get it’s own review.

You know that saying egotistical men love to use, “I know what women want”? Well Mazda seems to have done something rather similar. Instead of ‘zoom zoom’ their slogan should be ‘we know what auto enthusiasts want’. Because really, what automotive journalists and auto aficionados alike really want is a fast, good handling, practical car that’s good on gas and isn’t too expensive or complicated. We want to be able to just get in and drive. We don’t want cars driving us and while we may find advancements in technology such as hybrids, electrics and even autonomous cars interesting, ultimately we’re quite traditional in what we want. So Mazda has given us the performance matched with fuel efficiency and they didn’t do it by adding more moving parts, they just evolved the gas combustion engine. I rather like that. And I rather like the Mazda3. I’ve driven a lot of different press cars and there’s only been three that I could actually see myself owning (they were two BMW’s and a Volvo). Now I can add a fourth to my list: the Mazda3.