New-gen Mazda3 out in April
Mazda Australia has revealed local specification and pricing for its all-important Mazda3 small car, which will arrive in dealerships in April priced from $24,990 plus on-road costs for the base G20 Pure manual.
While pricing and equipment is mirrored across both hatchback and sedan body styles, the former will land first as production constraints push the latter into sometime ‘mid-year’.
Compared to the outgoing version that kicks off at $20,490 for the base Neo Sport grade, Mazda has raised the point of entry for the fourth-generation Mazda3 by a significant $4500, while the cost across the line-up has also moved up.
Naming conventions are also all new for the Mazda3, with the rest of the Skyactiv-g 2.0-litre petrol grades consisting of G20 Evolve, $26,990, and G20 Touring, $26,690.
Variants powered by Mazda’s morepowerful 2.5-litre engine are named G25, with Evolve, $29,490, GT, $33,490, and the range-topping Astina, $36,990, grades available.
A six-speed manual gearbox is standard, while an automatic transmission is available on every grade for an extra $1000. To justify the price hike however, Mazda Australia says the new-generation line-up adds $4000 worth of extra equipment as standard.
Asked if the Mazda3’s new naming structure will be adopted by other models in the brand’s range, Mazda Australia managing director Vinesh Bhindi said ‘we like to be consistent’.
Mazda will also offer the Skyactiv-x engine – the ‘world-first’ powertrain that combines compression ignition with spark ignition – before year’s end, but has yet to confirm specific details.
It is expected the Skyactiv-x Mazda3 variants will sit atop the range when they are released.
Overseas markets will get an allwheel-drive option in the Mazda3, however, Australian-spec cars will remain a front-drive-only proposition.
In base form, the new Mazda3 is powered by a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine producing 114kw of power and 200Nm of torque.
Standard kit in the base Pure variant includes 16-inch alloy wheels, a 7.0inch TFT multi-information display, an 8.8-inch infotainment screen with Mazda Connect, Apple Carplay-android Auto compatibility, eight-speaker audio with DAB+ digital radio, satnav, a reversing camera, USB input, Bluetooth and a heads-up display.
Keyless push-button start, air conditioning, rear parking sensors, LED head and tail-lights, power mirrors and power windows with auto updown, tilt and telescopic steering wheel adjustment and an electronic parking brake with auto hold also feature on the standard equipment list.
Mazda offers a strong suite of standard safety and driver-assistance systems including blind-spot monitoring, driver attention alert, emergency stop signal, forward obstruction warning, auto high beam, hill launch assist, lane departure warning, lane-keep assist, active cruise control, rear cross-traffic alert, radar-based autonomous emergency braking with reverse function, traffic-sign recognition, tyre-pressure monitoring and rain-sensing wipers.
Moving up to the G20 Evolve adds 18-inch alloy wheels, dual-zone climate control, G-vectoring Control Plus, auto-dimming rear-view mirror, paddle shifters for automaticequipped cars and a centre armrest for the rear pew.
The G20 Touring benefits from advanced keyless entry, an auto-dimming driver’s side wing mirror, overhead sunglasses storage box, black leather seat trim, illuminated vanity mirrors and a 10-way power adjustable driver’s seat.
Powered by Mazda’s 139kw-252nm 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine, the G25 Evolve also gets cylinder deactivation as standard, while the G25 GT adds heated front seats, a 12-speaker Bose audio system and a heated steering wheel.
The range-topping G25 Astina gains unique 18-inch alloy wheels in black for the hatch and ‘bright’ for the sedan, a surround-view monitor, adaptive LED headlights, Cruising and Traffic Support, driver monitoring, front cross-traffic alert, front parking sensors and a sunroof.
Mazda made significant changes for the new-generation Mazda3 small car, as it adopted the brand’s Kodo design language, a re-worked chassis for improved handling and noise, vibration and harshness, NVH, and upgraded powertrains.
The Japanese brand expects the hatch to take up about 60 percent of Mazda3 sales, with the G20 Evolve to be the most popular variant.
Mazda3 was the second best-selling passenger car nameplate in 2018 with 31,065 total registrations, topped only by the Toyota Corolla which managed 35,320 sales.
Mazda expects to maintain its market share in 2019 despite the small car segment recording a 9.5 percent decline year-on-year.