Red hot and full of zoom-zoom

MY LAST trip in a Mazda was in a friend’s old 323 many, many moons ago when we drove five-up on a weekend pass from Infantry School in Oudtshoorn in the middle of winter.

We were desperate for some home cooking, girlfriends ( any girl’s company), any colour other than fatigue browns – and any transport would have done.

We were surprised when the chugging 323 took us all the way to Joburg and back again without missing a beat. It was powered by a 1300cc carburettor engine, had a 5-speed gearbox, was a terrible mustard colour, had vinyl seats and, for its time, quite a funky dash.

Much has happened since and even more so within the Mazda stable, which has been owned by a number of companies, most recently Ford but now under its own umbrella.

One of its own, the Mazda 3, used to share many of its parts with the Ford Focus, but now has its own identity. And it’s a good-looking sedan identity that greets you – particularly in red, the colour of our test car.

It’s very much a supermodel, with all the curves and lines in the right places. From the side it looks pretty much like a fastback – and had the teens at home commenting on how good it looked.

But it’s a pity Mazda didn’t continue with the good-looking theme on the inside. It’s pretty much 50 shades of black, although the black leather seats seem to be top quality. I don’t have anything against black in a cabin, but it is a little overpowering. Perhaps with the next generation the good looks will spill over into the cabin.

Despite the colour, the Mazda cabin is a comfortable place to be in, whether you’re driving or a passenger. The distance to the pedals and the steering wheel can be set to suit most body shapes and sizes, and there’s enough place at the back for three adults to sit comfortably.

There are sufficient nooks and crannies to put wallets, small change and all those things that seem to need to be stored away when you’re driving.

The boot is big. I know this because I used it to carry stuff for my wife’s eventing company to a function when the double cab and a large trailer weren’t enough – the Mazda boot has a capacity of 408l.

I ferried one of my wife’s young assistants around and she was most impressed by the package – the keyless ignition, blind-spot monitoring system, parking sensors and rain-sensing wipers. Fully loaded it’s a comfortable drive, with its suspension handling the potholes with aplomb, but its naturally aspirated 2-litre engine tends to gasp for air at Joburg altitudes and up long inclines, which means you have to give it a bit of stick.

This led to consumption figures of under 9l to 100km.

Compared with the Mazdas of yore, it is light years ahead.

The company has done well to keep the brand alive with an attractive package, but how it measures up against some stiff competition will be the real test.

FULL PACKAGE: The new Mazda3 is a looker and has all the comforts a motorist needs.