Mazda 3 Hatchback Review (2024)

Introduction

SUVs may be all the rage nowadays, but there’s still plenty of competition in the mid-size hatchback segment of the leasing market.

So much so that Mazda even offers a saloon version of the car we’ve got here, the Mazda 3 hatchback.

Admittedly, when the latest model was ushered in, it was based on an all-new platform, which many suspected was introduced to enable Mazda to produce an SUV version.

Not long later, behold the Mazda CX-30 crossover.

But the hatchback version has always been capable of holding its own, with funky looks that depart from the average metal box on wheels.

The Japanese car manufacturer doesn’t do things for the sake of it – so despite the surging popularity of SUVs in recent years, the Mazda 3 isn’t just there to make up the numbers. Far from it.

Although in practice, Mazda is competing with the likes of Ford's Focus and Volkswagen's Golf - two long-standing cars that excel in this sector - Mazda wants to aim even higher.

It aspires to compete with the premium brands and, at the very least, offer a level of refinement that's impossible to beat without going to Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

Now, it's given its trim levels a makeover and has added a few upgrades to make the Mazda 3 even more appealing to lease.

So, has it succeeded? We are aiming to find out.

At a Glance

The Mazda 3 is an unusually looking funky car.

Its grille is so wide that it resembles a whale shark. It is pointed slightly at the bottom and connects to headlights at each side to give off a fairly menacing stance.

It appears more amiable from other angles, though, with the side being noticeably smooth, apart from a crease running along the bottom of the doors and above the wheel arches.

Around the back, the bulbousness of the car also makes it seem more family friendly. It has a body shape that, when viewed from the rear, widens out towards the bottom taillights, which taper inwards, and a single exhaust pipe at each side, poking through the rear cladding.

It is an imaginative design, but one that may divide opinion.

Colleagues at the latest Mazda press event thought the looks could have been more balanced in hatchback form.

Some thought the 3 looked a little bottom-heavy without the slightly higher boot of the saloon to even things out. Others thought it was a welcome change from most of its rivals.

Either way, it’s got plenty of personality without going unnecessarily overboard.

Let's hope that's reflected once we get out onto the road.

Key Features

We mainly focus on the hatchback version, available at five trim levels.

The entry-level Prime-Line gets 16-inch silver alloys, premium black cloth upholstery, a larger-than-before 10.25-inch infotainment touchscreen with SatNav, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a DAB radio, six speakers, and a seven-inch digital instrument display. It also features cruise control, electrically adjustable heated door mirrors, an engine start/stop button, a reversing camera and rear parking sensors, plus a head-up display.

The Mazda 3’s Centre-Line grade adds heated front seats, rain-sensing wipers, climate control, two extra speakers, front parking sensors and a wireless phone charger.

Mazda’s Homura trim upgrades to 18-inch alloys, black door mirrors, piano black window styling and rear privacy glass.

The Exclusive-Line gets 18-inch grey alloys, a 12-speaker Bose premium sound system, adaptive LED headlights, a frameless auto-dimming rear-view mirror and paddle shifters behind the steering wheel.

The top-of-the-range Takumi grade possesses black leather upholstery, tilting door mirrors when reversing, a 360-degree surround-view camera, and a heated steering wheel.

The saloon version is only available in the top two trims, Exclusive-Line and Takumi, and the equipment levels are basically the same.

There are two engines to choose from, both of which are naturally aspirated 2.0-litre petrols with mild hybrid technology.

The lower-powered e-SkyActiv G produces 122PS, while the higher-powered e-SkyActiv X generates 186PS.

Both are front-wheel drive only and are available with a six-speed manual or automatic gearbox.

However, if you pick the entry-level Prime-Line trim, you'll have to make do with the lower-powered unit with a manual gearbox. In contrast, the Centre-Line and Homura trims exclude the higher-powered mill with the automatic gearbox.

Performance & Drive

The entry-level 122PS e-SkyActiv G engine gets from 0-62mph in 10.8 seconds.

That is a little slow, but it isn't particularly worth worrying about for a family hatchback mainly designed for school runs and supermarket sweeps.

If you want more capability, the 186PS e-SkyActiv X can do the nought to 62mph dash in a more reasonable 8.1 seconds.

The latter may be preferable if you'll be driving extensively on dual-carriageways and motorways.

While the lower-powered variant will suffice for most and doesn’t struggle to do what it’s designed to, the higher-powered one will be better suited to occasions where you need that extra shove to overtake.

We will look at fuel consumption later, but the e-SkyActiv G includes cylinder deactivation. This means it can disable two of its four cylinders when they're not needed to save fuel, a feature you don't get on the e-SkyActiv X engine.

The manual gearbox will also help save fuel - and it's very well-engineered and a delight to use. But the automatic one adds convenience by handling the gear changes for you, even though it feels a little hesitant by comparison.

One thing consistent with most Mazdas is the Japanese manufacturer's philosophy of dialling up the handling, which often comes at the cost of ride comfort.

As a result, while the Mazda 3 isn’t uncomfortable, it’s a firmer driving experience than many of its foes, especially if you're on the more substantial 18-inch alloys.

Going over potholes may produce a thud through the cabin, and it doesn’t do quite as good a job as its competitors at smoothing out imperfections in the road.

However, the firmer ride means the Mazda 3 feels stable and doesn’t spend time wobbling about after going over bumps before returning to a more settled ride.

The stiffer suspension setup usually provides superior handling, and thankfully, this is one of the Mazda 3's strengths.

It changes direction easily, and the tyres grip the road well, helped by precise steering, which weights up well around corners.

Push things too hard, and the Mazda 3 tends to understeer a little, but then again, this is a family car, not a hot hatch, so ultra-agile driving dynamics aren't to be expected.

Although the Japanese vehicle is reasonably entertaining to drive quickly, it feels hushed at speed, with the cabin very well protected from wind and tyre noise.

Running Costs & Emissions

The exact economy figures vary slightly depending on trim, but on our Centre-Line test car, the entry-level e-SkyActiv G engine will manage 51.4mpg, emitting 124g/km of CO2 with the manual, and 46.3mpg, emitting 138g/km of CO2 with the automatic.

The Exclusive-Line’s figures for the higher-powered Mazda 3 e-SkyActiv X measure 52.3mpg and 121g/km of CO2 for the manual and 47.1mpg and 136g/km of carbon dioxide in the automatic.

The latter engine's figures are roughly on par with the Ford Focus's 155PS EcoBoost powertrain, although that's only a 1.0-litre power unit.

With no hybrid options available, the Mazda 3 is generally unsuitable as a company car. Nowadays, you need to look at a plug-in hybrid at minimum to attract decent savings for Benefit In Kind tax.

Mazda performs generally well in reliability league tables these days; however, it still lags behind other Far Eastern motor manufacturers, including South Korea’s Kia brand.

Interior & Technology

Inside the Mazda 3, you're greeted with a nice-looking cabin that feels as premium as possible at this leasing price point.

There are lots of soft, swish surfaces, and although there's not as much chrome décor as we'd have liked, you nevertheless get metallic touches on the steering wheel spokes, along the dashboard, and around the air vents and gear lever.

Every button and switch in the Mazda 3 feel well-damped, with a pleasing press when you push on them.

The Mazda’s cabin features a two-tiered dashboard, with a cut-out in the middle separating the two sections and creating a gap in which the 10.25-inch infotainment screen is housed.

The system is pretty impressive. Its screen is crisply clear and features an intuitive, easy-to-use menu layout. The screen is also responsive to prods, swipes, and touches.

It isn’t responsive at all when the car is moving, though, as the touchscreen functionality automatically disables itself. This is a trait of all Mazdas - but conveniently, there's a very nice rotary dial that you can use instead, along with shortcut buttons.

Thankfully, physical dials are also present for the climate control system - a welcome change from the number of manufacturers who are replacing them with touch-sensitive buttons or, even worse, embedding them into the infotainment system.

All Mazda 3 models get a head-up display as standard so you can view SatNav directions (navigation is also included on all models), plus current speed and speed limits right in front of you.

The top two grades, Exclusive-Line and Takumi, also get a Bose premium sound system, while all models except the entry-level Prime-Line get a wireless phone charger.

The Mazda 3 now has up-to-the-minute USB-C charging ports, too. Yes, this means you’ll need to buy a new phone charging cable if you haven’t already. Or just get an adaptor.

Boot Space & Practicality

The driver's seat and the Mazda's steering wheel have a lot of adjustment, so finding a comfortable driving position is a piece of cake.

Frustratingly, though, adjustable lumbar support is only available on the top-of-the-range Takumi trim and can’t even be added as an optional extra on other models.

Visibility out of the front is hampered by the sharp angle of the windscreen, which means the pillars are more intrusive. Meanwhile, it’s a similar story at the back, made worse by the much thicker rear pillars.

Rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera mitigate the problem, and they are standard across the range. All Mazda 3 models except the entry-level Prime-Line also get front parking sensors.

The rear-view camera is upgraded to a surround-view camera on the top-of-the-range Takumi model.

Exclusive-Line trims also get adaptive LED headlights, which, by magic we won’t bore you with, allow you to always leave your main beams on without blinding oncoming motorists.

In the front, there is plenty of space considering it’s a mid-size hatchback, with a wholesome amount of legroom and headroom on offer.

Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the rear, which has limited headroom due to the sloping roofline. It could be slightly more generous when it comes to legroom, too.

What’s more, the rear doors are on the small side, so they are unlikely to suit those with reduced mobility.

Regarding boot space, you get just 334 litres, expanding to 1,026 litres if you fold the rear seats down (although you lose 4 litres from both figures in models fitted with the Bose sound system).

That is slightly less than you get in the Ford Focus and Volkswagen Golf, although we found the Mazda 3’s space to be more usable thanks to its very squared-off shape.

The Japanese car's rear seats fold down flat in a 60:40 configuration, which is typical of this class.

While hatchbacks are known for their superior practicality over saloons, the saloon version of the Mazda 3 has a much larger boot, measuring 450 litres, expanding to 1,138 litres with the rear seats folded down.

Of course, being a saloon, the boot opening is much shallower, though, so more space only translates into increased practicality if you intend to load in many smaller items.

Inside the cabin, you'll find plenty of additional storage space, including a generously sized cubby underneath the centre console, a charitably sized glovebox, and a tray in front of the gear lever.

Safety

Safety boffins at Euro NCAP extensively tested the Mazda 3 in 2019, where it achieved a top five-star rating. However, the testing criteria have become even more stringent since then.

Nevertheless, the Mazda notched up a mightily remarkable 98% for adult occupants, 87% for kids and 73% for safety assists.

Those assists include radar-guided cruise control, high beam control, a reversing camera, rear parking sensors, high beam control, hill launch assist and blind spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, as standard, on all models.

The entire Mazda 3 range also gets a drive attention alert, dynamic stability control, lane-keep assist system, lane-departure warning, tyre pressure monitoring, and traffic sign recognition.

The Centre-Line trim and above add front parking sensors, while the top-of-the-range Takumi grade gets a 360-degree surround view camera.

Options

Mazda offers a wide array of optional extras for most of its cars, and the Mazda 3 is no exception.

The default colour is 'arctic white,' but if you're willing to spend a little more cash, bright red, grey, dark grey, snowflake white, ceramic white, quartz, zircon sand, dark blue, and jet black are the alternative hues.

In terms of additional accessories, the list is almost endless.

Numerous exterior styling elements, such as skirts, spoilers, and even exhaust pipe extensions, are available, and you can swap out your alloys for a range of other designs and sizes if you wish.

Even Mazda-branded tyre valve caps are available, along with spare wheel nuts, coloured key fob covers, pedals, puddle lights, illuminated door sills and tow bars.

Cycle racks, roof boxes, and even a unique coat hanger fixed to the back of the front seats are among the items offered.

You can also add a wireless phone charger to the entry-level Prime-Line trim. This is the only model that doesn't include it as standard.

Rival Cars

The Mazda 3 is in a very competitive market segment, with no shortage of competitors snapping at its heels.

The Kia Ceed, Skoda Scala and Skoda Octavia will likely be considered alongside it, although the comfortable Volkswagen Golf and superb all-rounder Ford Focus provide even stiffer competition.

The Toyota Corolla is also worthy of consideration, as is the good-looking and relatively new Vauxhall Astra.

Stepping up to the premium brands, the Mercedes-Benz A-Class and the Audi A3 will satisfy any lingering badge snobbery, but will come with an inevitable price hike.

Verdict & Next Steps

Overall, the Mazda 3 puts up a good fight within the competitive car leasing marketplace.

It has got funky looks, is well-equipped even at entry level, and the nice interior makes it pleasing to drive.

The Mazda’s handling is only so-so, though, and rivals such as the Ford Focus are much more engaging to drive. The space in the back is also beaten by many of its opponents.

Nevertheless, the engines are quiet and well refined, plus they’re reasonably economical, too.

The Mazda 3 isn't the best in its class – it remains an outlier, but that's harsh, as it's actually pretty good and somewhat underrated.

Where to next?

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**Score based on Select’s unique meta score analysis, taking into account the UK’s top leading independent car website reviews of the Mazda 3 Hatchback.

**Correct as of 10/05/2024. Based on 9 months initial payment, 5,000 miles annually, over a 48 month lease. Initial payment equivalent to 9 monthly payments, or £2,260.53 (Plus admin fee) Ts and Cs apply. Credit is subject to status.