I drove the new Mazda 3 – it has a really clever engine, drives sweetly and is brimming with big-car kit
HAVE a guess what engine powers this little Mazda3.
Is it a cheery 1-litre three-pot similar to a Volkswagen Polo?
4
4
4
A sweet 1.2-litre turbo à la Vauxhall Corsa?
Or even a 1.5-litre hybrid like a Toyota Yaris?
The answer is none of the above.
It is actually a 2.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol.
That's a B-I-G lump for a little squirt.
Bigger than anything you'll find in a Kia Sportage or Nissan Qashqai, come to think of it.
The reason being, Mazda has always dared to be different.
It doesn't do 'downsizing'. In other words using a smaller capacity engine and fitting a turbo to it.
It prefers 'right-sizing'. Having the correct capacity engine for the job, so it is less stressed and more efficient.
Also, this new engine, combined with 48v mild hybrid tech, produces more torque lower down the rev range than the old 2-litre, improving real-world performance.
The Mazda3 the first in our new generation of cars
Cylinder-deactivation tech shuts down two cylinders under light loads, lowering CO2 and adding a smidge of mpg.
So it's a really clever engine for a vehicle that's aged well, drives sweetly and is brimming with big-car kit from £25k.
Slick six-speed manual or auto? I'd go manual. It's one of the best in the business and an absolute joy to thread down a B-road.
Don't get me wrong, this isn't the fastest ride at the fairground but it corners tidily, with good body control, and feels solid and safe.
If you need 4WD, try a CX-30.
The cabin is another example of Mazda's mission to provide the highest quality for the money.
Head-up display, Apple CarPlay, Amazon Alexa and a reversing camera all come as standard. We like that.
We also like the skinny, leather-wrapped steering wheel, squishy elbow pads, chunky footrest, big cup holders, old-school volume and heating controls, and grab handles galore.
It's almost like they know exactly what people want from a car.
Clarkson once said the Mazda3 is 'probably the most amazing car on sale in Britain'.
A pint of Hawkstone Lager says he'll like the 2025 version even more.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
40 minutes ago
- The Independent
Tributes to former Race Across The World contestant killed in car crash
Sam Gardiner, a 24-year-old former contestant on the BBC's Race Across the World, died in a Car crash on the A34 near Manchester on Monday night. Gardiner was driving a white Volkswagen Golf R estate when it left the road, rolled, and landed on its side; he was the only occupant and was taken to the hospital, where he died from his injuries on Thursday. Gardiner competed in the second series of Race Across the World in 2020 with his mother, Jo, who expressed devastation over his death. His parents, Jo and Andrew, described Sam as "loyal, funny and fiercely protective," adding that he brought "warmth, laughter and a smattering of chaos wherever he went." A spokesperson for Race Across the World expressed deep sadness and extended condolences to Gardiner's family, highlighting the transformative nature of the trip for Sam and his mother.
Auto Car
an hour ago
- Auto Car
Real range anxiety: Driving London to Land's End in 1921
Indeed, many competitors floundered, but there were several impressive performances too, like that by VG Lloyd, who 'astounded everyone with his speed' in his two-cylinder Carden. Notably, Lionel Martin 'romped up the hill' in his new production Aston Martin (he had co-founded the company in 1913 to build hillclimb specials; Aston was a course in Buckinghamshire). Several had to shed passengers to reach the top, while others fouled the hill by hitting the wall at the hairpin. Some even managed to clear it while avoiding a comrade's stricken car. One did it on a flat tyre. From there on to Land's End, there was little to really concern the drivers. Forty-two made it to the finish – and we were surprised to see among them HJG Smith's 10hp Eric-Campbell (a small firm that briefly made cars at the Handley Page aircraft factory in London), as he had broken a tie rod on Porlock so effectively was steering with one wheel. He won a gold medal along with 22 other worthy competitors. We concluded: 'The general consensus of opinion was that a better trial had never been, or one to which more merit was attached to a reward, while, as to sport, no man could wish for better.' Since then, more notoriously difficult sections have been added, most famously Beggars Roost (in 1922) and Blue Hills (in 1936), and the Land's End Trial continues to challenge the best trials drivers and cars. Long may it continue.
Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
Ask the expert: Our car could have caught fire. Can we claim compensation?
Dear Alex, Our small family company bought two Ford Kuga plug-in hybrids (PHEV) in early 2024, because we wanted to be eco-friendly and intended to use the cars mostly in electric-only mode. In March this year we received a recall notice advising us to stop charging our cars due to a potential battery fault which could result in fire. Ford said it doesn't have a fix and doesn't know when it will have one. We now use the cars only in petrol mode, making them far less efficient than an ordinary petrol Kuga. I complained but was only offered a £100 goodwill payment for each car. Do you know when a fix will be released? Should we push for more compensation? – AS Dear AS, I know it's no consolation, but you're not the only one to have been affected by this fault. I've received several letters concerning Ford's recall notice 24S79, which affects Kuga plug-in hybrid (PHEV) models built from 2020 to 2024, a total of 26,328 vehicles in the UK. The recall notice states: 'In the event of a high-voltage battery internal short circuit, you will experience a 'Stop Safely Now' message in the instrument cluster. You may also experience a loss of motive power, increasing the risk of an accident. 'You will continue to have 12-volt accessories, steering and braking control. You may also experience battery thermal venting potentially resulting in a vehicle fire. 'Ford engineers are developing new software to remedy the potential condition. In the meantime please DO NOT PLUG IN YOUR VEHICLES TO CHARGE THE HIGH VOLTAGE BATTERY and use the drive mode 'Auto EV' only. This will prevent the potential issue from occurring while charging or driving.' The letter goes on to say that you'll be booked in at your local dealer as soon as Ford has a fix (although, as you say, there is no indication of when that might be). While credit should be given to Ford for identifying and taking action to remedy this potentially very serious fault, the lack of a potential end date had many owners worried – not only about the fire risk, but about the increased cost of use of their cars in the meantime. As you rightly point out, using a PHEV without charging it can result in much higher fuel consumption than even the equivalent pure petrol model. There is some good news, however. I asked Ford if it could provide an update and it said the fix is ready to be rolled out; as of 20 May, customers should have started to receive notifications to book in their cars, first via the FordPass app, then by post. I also asked whether Ford had a policy regarding compensation for customers' increased fuel use, but it responded only that customers would 'need to contact our Customer Contact Centre who are ready to assist with any further questions'. Ford has already offered you a gesture of goodwill, but I would encourage you to pursue additional compensation. I would strongly suggest working out the cost of the additional fuel you've had to use during that time, based on the mileage travelled, the proportion of those miles that would have been covered under electric power and the fuel economy the car has achieved in that time. While I appreciate the sums aren't easy to do retrospectively, submitting a claim for a specific figure is more likely to yield a result than a nebulous request for an unspecified amount.
