The third-generation Mazda3 made its debut in 2013 and in the intervening three years have gained the marque much acclaim and sales success, particularly in Australia where it remains their best-selling model.
But that 3 year marque means that the 3’s exact ingredients that were all well and fine a few years ago needs some updating. However, for this 2016 facelift, Mazda isn’t all too keen on messing with a good thing, which is why you’ll probably not be able to discern much of a difference from the outside.
Pricing changes for the updated Mazda3 involves a $500 price increase for most variants. As before, the base Neo starts at $20,049 while the higher SP25 GT is now $200 cheaper and the top end SP25 Astina has dropped by $1,550. Notably, the XD Astina diesel has been dropped from the Aussie line up.
|
Neo |
6MT |
$20,490 |
|
6AT |
$22,490 |
|
|
Maxx |
6MT |
$22,890 |
|
6AT |
$24,890 |
|
|
Touring |
6MT |
$25,290 |
|
6AT |
$27,290 |
|
|
SP25 |
6MT |
$25,690 |
|
6AT |
$27,690 |
|
|
SP25 GT |
6MT |
$29,990 |
|
6AT |
$31,990 |
|
|
SP25 Astina |
6MT |
$33,490 |
|
6AT |
$35,490 |
Rest assured, though, that Mazda has saved plenty of improvements for the new 3, even if they’ve been quite reserved on the surface. We’ve covered more on the exact exterior changes here and here.
There’s a reshaped front grille that’s deeper and positions the Mazda logo further up, framed in thicker chrome surrounds, leaving room for taller secondary grille below. Next to that are the new fog lamp housings. The side mirrors integrated with turn indicators are now light strips and the rear features a slightly altered fog lamps and reflectors.
A set of 16-inch wheels are what the Neo, Maxx, and Touring variants will wear though only the Neo’s are steel to the alloys on the rest. Above those, for the SP25, GT, and Astina gains 18-inchers with a new 10-spoke design.
Upgraded safety equipment make up the bulk of the 3’s updates numerable updates and are arguably the most important. Now standard on all variants of the 3 is autonomous emergency braking which was previously part of the i-ActiveSense safety package.
For the Maxx variants and above, Smart City Brake Support - Reverse (SCBS-R), Blind Spot Monitoring, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, electric folding mirrors, and LED fog lamps are now standard kit. Also new is Driver Attention Alert and Traffic Sign Recognition on the SP25 GT while the top-spec Astina gains Lane-Keep assist and Adaptive LED headlamps with daytime running lights as standard.
Inside, the new 3 takes the CX-9’s restyled multi-function steering wheel and adds a new optional Pure White leather seat trim for the GT and Astina. It also ditches the CD slot altogether, replacing that are with more conveniently placed USB inputs as well as the manual hand brake, replacing it with an electronic parking brake switch in all except the Neo and Maxx.
The 7.0-inch LCD panel that Mazda uses for their MZD Connect infotainment system is reported to be newer, affording better contrast and viewing angles. An updated head-up display module is present in the higher GT and Astina, providing higher resolution colour output that works to display the Active Driving Display and Traffic Sign Recognition information.
Mazda has also taken the opportunity to tweak the 3’s suspension setup through fettled front and rear dampers, front stabiliser bar bushings and dynamic dampers for the rear suspension.
These changes work in tandem with Mazda’s newly-developed G-Vectoring Control which intelligently monitors many vehicle parameters, continually adjusting engine torque in relation to vehicle speed, cornering forces, surface conditions, and steering angle to improve handling, vehicle stability, in-corner grip and, crucially, passenger comfort by minimising the lateral forces exerted. Mazda has also improved the sound dampening to reduce ambient noise and juddering that would otherwise be able to seep into the cabin.
Now that the Mazda has dropped the sole diesel engine from the 3, the all-petrol range remains powered by either the 2.0-litre SkyActiv-G four-cylinder producing 114kW and 200Nm of torque (Neo, Maxx, Touring) or the more powerful 2.5-litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder SkyActiv-G with 138kW and 250Nm. Both are claimed to be updated for better response and smoother operation.
For more on Mazda vehicles, including pricing and specifications, check out our Showroom.
