THEGAYUK

Tag: Mazda

All the latest breaking news on the automaker Mazda. Browse THEGAYUK’s complete collection of news, articles and commentary on Mazda.

  • CAR REVIEW | Mazda 3 1.5 105ps Sport Nav Diesel

    Think Mazda and you instantly think Wankel engines, RX8, MX5 and porridge.

    CAR REVIEW | Mazda 3 1.5 105ps Sport Nav Diesel

    Mazda has a lot riding on their new Mazda 3 model and after my enjoyment with the MX5 l had high hopes for it too. Like other Japanese manufacturers, they changed the way cars were built in the 70s when reliability on a cold wet morning was more important than looks and parts availability across Europe.

    40 years later does the offering from Mazda still do today what the 323 from the 70s did back then?

    The 3 has grown up with the rest of the class reasonably well. Mazda have always made a good solid mid-sized family car that appeals to everyone but the young. They have never had that “go get ‘em” look. From behind it morphs into an everybody every manufactures hatchback. And this is a shame because the front is very bold and striking. The grill opens wide like a gaping mouth ready to eat all those in front of it. When everyone is making their shapes smooth and round, Mazda come along with a mixture of sharp edges and contoured flicks that blend it together. And then they slap the licence plate right in the middle of it all.

    The overall feel of the Mazda 3 is of one that is well put together. Everything works with a mildly notched smoothness that allows the senses to know where a certain switch is unlike some out there where the fluidity of the switch gear feels too floppy and loose. The standard centre control knob that allows for movement around the heads up infotainment system works well. So well that it is pointless trying to use the touch screen. Its reactions to inputs are either overly sensitive or  not working at all. At one point I thought I was going to push my finger through the screen! On the move it doesn’t allow the touch screen to be used anyway.

    Sadly it doesn’t get any better the further you dig inside. The cabin lacks so much of the expected norm these days like illuminated window buttons and door handles apertures. Scrabbling for window switches and mirror controls literally went out in the dark ages but still, Mazda feel there is no need for this touch of expectancy. And then there is that ruddy awful carbon fibre trim! I disliked the stuff in the 2000s and it is now out of date on a 2016 hatchback. Mazda though seems to love it and fit it to most of their range.

    There are other areas where the Mazda 3 falls flat on its face in the interior and that is around the column stalks. The moulding lines are more clear than on a plastic toy in a Kinder egg. It gives you in one hand and then takes it away in the other. There is great opposition out there in this segment that the Mazda 3 has to take on and it is cost cutting bits like this that kick it to the ground.

    Thankfully the engine and dynamics underneath can more than makeup for this give and take interior. The diesel engine is a wonder of refinement. The smoothness in the 1.5 DOHC 16 valve engine made me question on more than one occasion if I was actually driving a soot wagon. It pulls from the moment you’re on the move too well beyond its maximum in power. Its behaviour more reminiscent of a petrol engine. All this smoothness then came with the added bonus of a possible combined 74.3mpg economy and it got better and better with its well spaced 6-speed manual gearbox. All the actions were light and positive. The seating was beyond ‘just’ right that it made for a driving position that fitted the car to you with no compromises. This made the Mazda 3 feel right.

    The fittings of what held the wheels to the body have such positivity that it feels this is where the pocket-money of the Mazda engineer has been spent. Don’t be fooled into thinking the “Skyactiv” sticker is anything to do with wi-fi, Bluetooth or other such entertainment add-ons. It’s all to do with the construction. It’s a lightish car with a taut body. And this adds extra handling characteristics to aid the driver. Sure it would roll in a corner and you would pull off the power before it would with the traction control system. The back could become mildly wayward if you pushed it hard or did silly things like backing off the power abruptly mid corner but you had to provoke like a stick to a snake for this to happen.

    The Mazda 3 isn’t such a bad car. It has failings in many areas mainly inside but on the bits that make it go it does it so very well indeed. As a car to clock up the miles you could do far worse than this. It will take you from A-Z with a willingness to visit P-Q-R and S just for the fun of it on the way. For a car that will satisfy your desire in terms of making you feel special, it misses the target so badly. And that’s a shame because it has the potential to be so much more than it is allowed to be. Thanks, Mazda.

    Thanks, Mazda.

    Likes

    Driving dynamics
    Engine
    Refinement

    Loathes

    Carbon Fibre trim
    Some cheapness in places
    Lack of cabin illuminations

    The Lowdown

    Car – Mazda 3 1.5 105ps Sport Nav Diesel
    Prive – £22,485 (as tested)
    MPG – 74.3mpg (combined)
    Power – 105 bhp
    0-62mph – 11 seconds
    Top Speed – 115 mph
    Co2 – 99 (g/km)

    Find out more at www.mazda.com

  • CAR REVIEW | The New Mazda MX5

    ★★★★ Mazda MX5 | Say Hello to the only car you’ll ever need.

    We had a customer come in recently with a car that had died due to a lack of oil pressure. To put it right would have cost a fair bit of money. She said that she had always wanted a Mazda MX5 and I replied to her “You’re a long time dead, go treat yourself” So she did. Next thing I knew she was pulling into the workshop with a 5-year-old MX5.

    Had I known that Mazda were due to relaunch the next generation MX5 I would have told her to save her money and buy the new one. It’s rather good. And that’s it. This review is over. However, the editor wants more words said about the subject of this test so I am forced to rattle on with some extra words.

    There are two responses you get when you mention an MX5. From those who have never driven any of the four generations of car saying they are just cars for the hairdresser and those who have had one who can enthuse about it until they really bore you so much you actually want to slam your fingers in a door. Here in its fourth incarnation it has become even more of a driver’s car with an appeal for everyone. Even grown-ups with a child are catered for with the passenger’s seat coming with ISO fixings for the baby seat. If you want a sports car, have a baby and are single, Mazda have catered for you. The church, on the other hand, may frown at you but what the hell, you have a removable roof that makes you closer to God.

    Opening the roof is like opening a can of Pepsi and just as quick. It takes literally seconds to fold the snug roof down as it is to put up. So simple in its operation that I do wonder why I see so many MX5’s with their roofs up? It’s almost draft free too. On the model I tested there was an occasional whistle around the door window but this is the price you pay for a car with no roof. That roof can also take one battering from the rain. One bad down pour experienced with the car revealed no weakness in keeping the water out.

    Speaking of wonders I liked the kit you get with it. You couldn’t call it palatial but Mazda has created a car that gets back to the basics of what makes a good sports car.

    The everything at finger-tip reach cockpit comes with hip hugging heated seat, power windows, mirrors and air conditioning. It also comprises a DAB stereo and CD player pumping out the sounds through a Bose speaker system.

    The heads up display for sat nav, stereo and car information is controlled by a single wheel knob with a few buttons placed around it on the transmission tunnel and in its operation it works well, though why it needs another volume control here when there is one on the steering wheel was beyond me. One annoyance I had with this was that there was no mute button on the wheel. A more logical place for it to be.

    On the road is where the MX5 wins you over again and again. With the 1500cc engine and weighing in a little more over the 1989 original, it proved to be sensational. 0-60 comes up in 8.3 seconds and taking it to 7000rpm enables you to get the best from the smooth as silk revving engine. The power mutes itself at the 7500rpm redline where there is no noise and no fuss. A quick change up and it’s pulling away again. Keep the engine above 4000rpm and it’s entertaining all the way until you reach 6th gear and then it cruises along. On the motorway, it was almost always necessary to drop it down 2 gears to get the best overtaking performance. Sixth gear is long legged. And this is where the MX5 again makes you wonder why all cars are not like this. It’s relaxing to drive around town. The exhaust is muffled except for a little rasp that excites the senses and yet when you need the power it’s there just a few gears down.

    What makes the MX5 a hoot to drive was its lazy traction control. Playing with it for fun it wouldn’t get too messy though it did allow for some tail happy sliding that makes you feel alive or will wake you up on the morning commute should the coffee fail you. Nine out of ten times you would have backed off before the car would have sorted you out. Turn it off and your senses are woken to full adrenaline shots coming at you from every gland around your body. Everything talks to you demanding inputs here there and everywhere. And then when you have to be normal again, the car behaves like a shopping shuttle. Its suspension is a tad too soft in places. Hard acceleration forces the light beams to illuminate the sky when the back bites in. That said, make it too hard and the car looses its everyday attraction. Not once during my testing did I wish for another car. The ride around town being compliant and there was no back breaking jolts experienced over speed bumps or small pot holes. If you have to have just one car in your fleet then make it the MX5.

    Taking a look at the rest of the MX5 range I would say you are doing an injustice to yourself if you opt for the 2000cc engine. Apart from being a second quicker to 60mph, the rest of the performance figures aren’t really anything to write home about. You do get a little more grunt in power but I doubt it’ll give you the same joyous feeling the 1500 gives. It also won’t rev to beyond 7000rpm. And for its greater power you pay dearly at the fuel pumps too.

    I wouldn’t call them problems but things I didn’t like about the much-acclaimed MX5 was the use of carbon fibre type trim on the doors. I do dislike this material and it was out of place on this model. I also don’t like the bonnet badge. Its overstated nature is overbearing for the beautifully sculpted front.

    Likes

    Ease of roof

    Ride

    Smiles per mile

    Loathes

    Carbon fibre trim

    Lane assist

    Bonnet badge

    The Lowdown

    Car – Mazda MX5 1.5i Sport Nav

    Price – £23,105

    MPG – 47.1mpg (combined)

    Power – 131bhp at 7000rpm

    0-62mph – 8.3 seconds

    Top Speed – 127mph

    Co2 – 139 (g/km)

  • CAR REVIEW | Mazda CX 3

    Mazda are one of the latest manufacturers to produce a competitor for Nissan’s popular Juke crossover.  ★★★★

    Called the CX-3, it promises a more upmarket feel inside and out when compared to the little Nissan or the Renault Captur. Beneath the distinctive styling is the platform of the Mazda2 supermini albeit without that car’s smaller engines.

    While the CX-3 may be roughly the same length as the Mazda2, a more upright seating position gives noticeably more room front and rear along with a bigger boot. Even so, you wouldn’t want to cram three adults in the back for too long especially if they’re tall. Think of it as good for its size but bear in mind a similarly priced Skoda Yeti would give even more space inside.

    The Skoda wouldn’t have quite the same level of style as the Mazda though. While the Yeti doesn’t look bad, the CX-3 is a handsome little thing (even in refrigerator white) that avoids looking like its trying too hard to be different like some competitors. Those looks are carried through to the cabin which proved to be a very pleasant environment to be in. There’s a good selection of high quality plastics and leather effect materials but a few too many hard and scratchy surfaces considering the £17,000 plus price tag.

    The infotainment system is worth a mention though. The screen is touch sensitive but there’s also a rotary controller between the front seats similar to BMW’s iDrive system. It takes a little getting used to at first but proves much more accurate than prodding at a screen over bumpy roads. Menus are attractive and the sat-nav worked very well too; it all seemed a cut above systems from many rival manufacturers including premium brands.

    While an unusually large 2.0 litre petrol engine is available with two power outputs, I selected a 1.5 litre diesel to test. This 105hp unit will likely be the volume seller of the range thanks to its combination of punchy performance and the promise of over 70mpg in front wheel drive guise. Four wheel drive is available but you really need to ask whether the economy and emissions penalty is worth it. Unless you live out in the country or down the end of a farm track, I’d argue it isn’t.

    You might think 105hp isn’t a great deal of grunt but then the CX-3 doesn’t weigh a vast amount; this means 0-62mph takes just 10.1 seconds. It never feels fast but then it never wants for more power either. There’s plenty of grunt from low in the rev-range which makes for easy-going progress on motorways too. As with all cars these days, you won’t be matching the official fuel consumption figures but I still managed 50mpg over around 300 miles on a mixture of roads. I don’t hang about either.

    Unfortunately, handling proved to be a bit of a mixed bag. There’s a fair amount of body roll but it always feels keen and willing to entertain around corners. Over long undulations at speed it feels quite soft and wallowy which lulls you into thinking this will be a comfortable car. Unfortunately over more pronounced bumps and rough surfaces, it tends to fidget and bounce more than you’d expect. A Renault Captur would be more comfortable for sure although I still preferred the Mazda’s sense of fun. It could be better though.

    The Mazda CX-3 is a very likeable little car. I was impressed by the combination of real-world economy and performance on offer; it really was a surprise when compared to rivals. I also felt it looked great inside and out even though the colour did it no favours at all. Unfortunately it is expensive compared to rivals and doesn’t quite have the fit and finish inside to justify the price. I also felt the suspension setup seemed a little unfinished. The MX-5 shows Mazda can clearly make a car that handles, a little of that magic wouldn’t go amiss here. Even so, it’s still my favourite baby crossover.

    Pros

    Handling

    Styling

    Economy

    Cons

    Expensive compared to rivals

    Interior feels cheap in places

    Pricey

    The Lowdown

    Car – Mazda CX-3 1.5 2WD SE-L Nav Diesel

    Price – £20,995 (£21,535 as tested)

    Power – 105hp

    0-62mph – 10.1 seconds

    Top Speed – 110mph

    Co2 – 105g/km