Business Car Manager Road Test Verdict
A refreshing new addition to the company car park and one that will is a style statement against the ‘safe’ premium options from German car makers.
the best engine option by a long way is the D2.2 diesel
That said, there must be uncertainty over the model likely to be the best seller in the UK because of Mazda’s egotistical engineering approach to ignoring the industry trend towards smaller turbo-charged petrol offerings.
For Mazda to pitch the mid-power G2.0 against offering from the rival manufacturers’ 1.4, 1.2, and even the 1.0-litre EcoBoost from Ford, is a high risk sales strategy and, from the brief road test of the preproduction models, the best engine option by a long way is the D2.2.
Yet, setting this against the extremely high level of technological options and the stunning looks, one can’t help but want to see more of the Mazda3 on our roads as a welcome breath of fresh air in what is an increasingly lack-lustre design palette being offered to company car drivers right now.
We’ve tested a pre-production model, so we don’t have all the info for The Low Down, but check these links for our reviews of the new Mazda6 which shares some engines and the same design principles as the new Mazda3:
