VerdictOur Mazda 3 has been at the end in the hands of our photographers, as it is often used as a car camera. It proved to be a task, along with being more practical than we expected.
Mileage: 5,864
Economy: 41.9 mpg
Our Mazda 3 was settled in life in our fleet well. But since I run it, the new family hatchback is getting a test that more punishes courage than most.
You see, I am a photographer, so my car is not just the way I get my job; It's also one of the tools that I use every day to do the job. This Mazda was used when we arrived at our test track, as I jumped into the boot and took the car-to-car shot you see every week in the Auto Express magazine and online.
I have to admit, and I don't think it would be very up to this task when I first went into Mazda 3 in December last year. To start, it's pretty much smaller than the previous fleet of cars, the Volkswagen Touareg. Then there is the boot form, which is also much more enclosed thanks to the curved body Mazda.
However, I have become very comfortable behind my family car. The boot form almost seems like it has been designed for me to slot into; It was beautiful and warm to sit in and support me when I snap away. The smooth ride Mazda also helped, because I was not shaken to bits at the back.
I'll admit this is an excellent use of the niche from booting, but the good news is that when I'm not in it, there's enough room for camera fixtures and even portable pressure washers, which we use to keep the car Keep it clean.
However, booting is not the strongest point in the car; Actually, the size is somewhat disappointing. A VW Golf, for example, makes it better to use
From space. I just made the best of what I have, and have been relieved to find that it works for me despite its limitations.
Where Mazda Excel is the way to drive, it's been a long time since I've had a fun car fleet like this. This is the first manual car I have ever run in a while, and it has reminded me how much fun it is to control the car gears. Yes, big vehicles in traffic, but the joy of the manual is often forgotten. Mazda has excellent gear shifting too, so it doesn't hurt to use.
The car also has a reasonable grip rate, and not many Body rolls in the corner, which I have made most of my commutes. I don't go to the same place every day, so there's always one or two great avenues to explore on the way to or from work – and 3 is an excellent way to enjoy them.
We do not have the most subtle beginnings for our time together, though; In the first week, I took a large rock chip that cracked a lousy windshield. I had to get it replaced, so I ended up in a four-wheel-drive 3 for two weeks while my car remained. I liked this version but felt a lighter two-wheel-drive model was a smarter choice.
Then, when my car returns, it shows a warning message on the dash, but fortunately, this is cleaned up on its own.
First Report: Mazda 3
Cab, Kit, and gearbox make a big impression as hatching Mazda 3 join our fleet.
Mileage: 3,269
Economy: 48.7 mpg
This week I said hello to my new car fleet, Mazda 3 hatchback. This is a pretty significant change from what I've run before – a Volkswagen Touareg – so my automotive life will change significantly.
In some ways, three could not be further away from my old car: it was a family hatch rather than an SUV, it was gasoline rather than diesel, and it was manual rather than automatic. But that's the beauty of running a fleet car for Auto Express: I can try all sorts of models.
My new Mazda 3, which I gathered from the Mazda headquarters in Dartford, Kent, is one of the most exciting new cars sold, too. That's because it has the new SKYACTIV-X petrol engine, which is a brilliant evolution of the internal combustion engine. Most of the time runs using compression such as diesel engines, but can seamlessly switch to normal sparks if needed. The idea is that it should carry the efficiency of diesel motors with smooth and refining gasoline.
It is also a lightweight hybrid-has a system that recovers energy and converts it into electric charge to provide a small boost for efficiency. We will dig deeper into the machine in the report in the future after we have to overcome it. After all, thanks to a small delay in car shipping, I've spent a bit of time behind the wheel so far.
By the time I had shared it with Mazda, I had been most amazed at the interior, which was instantly impressive – it took me no time at all to work out that I liked it.
The ingredients inside look at the top class, and the build quality is incredible as well. I've gotten out of the car with a large Infotainment screen, so the 8.8 inch unit in the Mazda is smaller than I was accustomed to but looks very classy with a black-and-white interface. As a photographer, I am, of course, partially for a monochrome look. I also really liked the edge of the steering wheel – it was just the right thickness and felt great in my hands – and the bolsters are spot on, too.
I'm also a big fan of the latest way Mazda 3 looks outside. Its Slim Light, bright paint, and impressive front Grille mean I can't wait to shoot in 2020.
My new car is in GT Sport Trim, which means it gets a lot of equipment as standard. One option installed is the Soul Red Crystal metallic paint, which costs £790, and I think it looks brilliant because you no doubt agree.
My car is equipped with 18-inch Alloy, LED light bulb, heated leather seat, a heated steering wheel, dual-zone AC, keyless go, adaptive Cruise Control, blind-spot Monitoring, and AEB as standard. This means that although I have come to the Mazda of Touareg much more expensive, I do not leave a desire for any equipment-everything I need is here.
But that doesn't mean I don't have some questions and worries about my new car. I brought a lot of photographic equipment, car wash kits, and family members every day, so I needed a lot of interior space.
Mazda 3 is one of the smaller cars that I run recently, so will the 358-liter boot enough? Even if you fold the chair, there are only 1,019 liters, which is visible on the small side on paper. Part of the long-term test will transcend numbers and find out what is right like, though; Some cars feel lower than the amount they recommend, while others appear larger. I hope Mazda is in the last camp.
I also wondered if Mazda would be able to give the type of fuel economy I was accustomed to, as I mostly run diesel cars. I do a lot of miles off the highway, so I'm interested to see if the intelligent SKYACTIV-X engine can bring operational costs like diesel. Also, I have to calm on speed to make me relax.
Finally, it doesn't have Turbo, so I'm interested to know if it has enough torque. With 178bhp, it's a lot quite strong, but for me, the 224Nm torque figure looks pretty low. After spending a little time behind the wheel, it seems to need to work hard enough to keep the speed up – I have to turn to the fourth to catch up on the highway, for example. I must say that I already liked the Mazda manual gearbox, though.
I can't wait to find out more about 3; I've loved just sitting in the cabin and settling in my new car.
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