Our Fleet Test Drive Review: Mazda 3 - 11th Report
Date:
04 March 2010
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Author: Hugh Hunston
Pallets
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Category: | Lower medium | P11D price: | £18,260 | Key rival: | Ford Focus | |
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After eight months in our custody the Mazda 3 still gains second glances with its sculpted good looks.However, its form does have some negatives. For example, the thick rear three-quarter pillars restrict over-the-shoulder vision at junctions, where extra care is required, and the hefty aft overhang highlights the lack of standard parking sensors.Solidly built and minus rattles despite Oxfordshire's increasing pothole-littered roads, the 3's fuel economy has been dented by one snowy, sludgy week spent commuting into and out of Reading. Over that period it tumbled to 40mpg, but a return to more varied running has maintained the 45mpg average, a reasonable 7mpg shy of the official combined official figures. The computer, though, insists on registering an indulgently optimistic 50.5mpg.
On a recent trip to Wales the 2.2-litre diesel/six-speed combination eked out a couple of mpg better than the return journey along the same route despite extensive use of cruise control. Perhaps the return journey involved a sustained uphill gradient on the M4?That kind of motorway slog usually highlights any shortcomings in driving ergonomics but supportive sports-style seats and a good driving position relative to pedals and steering wheel do not inflict discomfort and twinges.
Mazda 3 2.2d 150PS Sport 5-door manual | Mileage | 8109 | Claimed combined consumption | 52.3mpg | Our average consumption | 45.0mpg | P11D price | £18,260 | Model price range | £13,500 -£21,500 | CO2 (tax) | 144g/km/19% | BIK 20/40% per month | £58/£116 | Service interval | 12,500mls | Insurance | group 10E | Warranty | 3yrs/60,000mls | Boot space (min/max) | 300/1360 litres | Engine size/power | 2184cc/150PS | Top speed/0-62mph | 127mph/9.2secs | Why we’re running it | Can it step up to its class mark like the 6? | Positive | Stops as well as it goes | Negative | Badly placed handbrake |
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