The new generation Mazda3 is now available to order in Ireland at a starting price of €26,295,
writes Brian Byrne.
Available in both 5-door hatch and saloon formats, first customer deliveries will be in April.
There are two engines at launch, a 122hp 2.0 petrol and 118hp 1.8 diesel. A new technology Spark Controlled Compression Ignition Skyactiv-X petrol engine will be available later which offers substantial improvements in power and fuel/emissions performance.
The 2.0 petrol with mild hybrid functions has cylinder deactivation in low load driving. The 1.8 diesel which replaces both the 1.5 and 2.2 in previous Mazdas uses a catalytic storage system for NOx, which is claimed to last the life of the car and obviates the need for urea top-up Adblue technology.
The new Mazda3 is being offered in four grades in Ireland. Among the standard features are a head-up display on the windscreen, LED headlights, Radar Cruise Control, Blind Spot Monitoring with rear traffic alert, Lane Keep Assist and Apple and Android connectivity.
This is the fourth generation of a model which has sold more than six million copies and owes its style cues to a pair of recent concepts, the Vision Coupe and the RX-Vision. The former previewed elements of the sedan version, the second the hatchback.
I drove the two launch engines last week, both with what seems to be a very smooth 6-speed automatic, and the diesel also with the 6-speed manual gearbox. The latter did give me a chance to get a feel for a sporty character lurking under that 'Kodo Soul of Motion' shape.
More to come.
