Ready for a fightback
6 300 Astina has a somewhat outdated drivetrain for the price
sorry to say that it’s a cheesy extra which cheapens the driving experience. The very old-fashioned digital readout projected onto a flimsy flipup plastic screen is as annoying as it is unnecessary; annoying because it can’t be folded away (but frustatingly does when ignition is off), and unnecessary because it’s positioned exactly 10cm above (I measured) an identical digital readout in the actual instrument cluster.
Comfort is a highlight. The Astina gets eight-way power seats, and they’re excellent at tilting, angling and supporting in all the right places. Seating position in relation to the wheel, pedals and controls is also well planned. Good ergonomics in other words.
Space is also good. The sedan’s boot can gobble 408 litres of cargo (100 more than the hatch) and that’s with a space-saver spare under its floor. Rear seats will accommodate most human frames with decent legstretching room, but that sloping roofline might invade head space for taller passengers.
All Mazda3s also get a multi-link rear suspension setup which does wonders for bump soaking. Great ride quality.
It’s interesting, however, that Mazda has laughed off turbo tech for its new SkyActiv petrol engines, opting instead for some unconventional techniques in the hunt for efficiency. A complex exhaust manifold together with fancy hollowed-out pistons and an insanely high (for a naturally-aspirated motor) compression ratio of 14:1 offer up an average fuel consumption of 5.9 litres/100km according to its maker. Our real world figure, at reef altitude, was 8.5. Not bad. Not fantastic.
Power isn’t fantastic either. Mazda quotes 121kW/210Nm, which seems realistic but without a turbo to compensate for oxygen deficiencies this 2-litre gets out of breath quickly. It’s also a little too noisy when exercised beyond a jog, probably as a result of high compression, and it comes across as unrefined at times. An old-school torque-converter style six-speed auto gearbox doesn’t help either and frequent gear kickdowns antagonise the buzzy motor.
At R326 300 the flagship Astina’s not cheap. Standard features include leather, keyless ignition and go, rainsensing wipers, a blind-spot monitoring system, parking sensors and a sweet nine-speaker Bose stereo, which is impressive, but at this price the top Mazda3 is encroaching on some well-established competition such as VW’s Jetta, Opel’s Astra and Toyota’s Corolla. A tall ask. VERDICT Considering its current circumstances, Mazda’s done a fine job relaunching its midsize Mazda3. Packaging, in terms of aesthetics and features, is right on par with market rivals but I fear its drivetrain might be a little outdated compared to ultra-modern gearbox and turbopetrol technology. Lesser priced Original, Active and Dynamic Mazda3 models with fewer creature comforts, manual gearboxes and smaller engines, are probably better propositions.
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