Mazda 3 2019 review: G25 GT hatch

Where do I start? What a terrific thing this car is to look at, inside and out. Everywhere your eye falls there's something lovely to see, like the dark alloys, the finely judged shape of the grille, the polarising C-pillar. It's aggressive without being a jerk about it and looks its best in the spectacular Soul Red paint, which should be made compulsory by legislation. The taillights on the hatch are a particular favourite of mine; they just look the business from a distance and up close.

The G25 is looks good inside and out.

The interior is an evolution of the previous car and guided by the recent Mazda philosophy of reducing button clutter, which improves things immensely (as it did in the updated 6). The materials are yet another step up over the old car's and the seats are excellent, easily as good as those in its Korean rival, the i30 and those in the up-spec Corollas.

The wheels feature dark alloys.

Whereas those other two cars have neat interiors, the Mazda's is actually a design that's worthy of appreciation. I'm a big fan of that, especially in cars that are going to find so many homes.

The front seats are really great, very comfortable and would make me very happy on long trips. I'd have plenty of places to put my things, too, with a big centre-console bin, a sensible place to put my phone, four cupholders and four bottle holders.

The front seats are very comfortable and would great on long trips.

The bad news is that the boot - always something of an issue in the 3 hatch - is down 13 litres to 295 litres, and well down on the sedan's 444 litres. It's a small drop and, truth be told, you probably won't notice it that much, but it's worth noting. The loading aperture is high and relatively narrow, too, so if you're in the baby phase, pram fit is something you'll need to check.

The boot is 295 litres.

Taller folks have trouble in the back seat - m'colleague Richard Berry was squashed in tight behind his driving position. I was okay behind mine (I'm easily 10cm shorter) but its on the lower end it's okay. Kids will be fine, but this might not be a long-term proposition if you have lanky teenagers.

The back seat can be tight for taller people.

The G25 GT name means its a 2.5-litre powered 3 in second-from-the-top-of-the-range specification. A six-speed manual version will set you back $33,490 while this six-speed auto version will cost just another thousand, knocking it up to $34,490. Soul Red Crystal is another $495 (as are Machine Grey and the new Polymetal Grey).

The GT has a 12-speaker stereo, 18-inch alloys, dual-zone climate control, reversing camera, keyless entry and start (with a new key!), a comprehensive safety package, head-up display, part-digital dash, active cruise control, electric driver's seat, sat nav, auto LED headlights with auto high beam, leather trim, auto wipers, power windows and mirrors, and a space-saver spare.

The LED headlights are automatic with auto high beam.

The stylish new 8.8-inch widescreen media display is no longer a touchscreen. Mazda reckons they're distracting, so while BMW is making its screens touch-capable, Mazda has gone the other way; restricting control to the rotary dial. The new MZD software is much nicer than the old setup and optimised to the controller. It's also got Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and DAB, which is fantastic. 

Mazda's SkyActiv 2.5-litre engine soldiers on in the new generation, in this case delivering 139kW and 252Nm to the front wheels via a six-speed automatic. The G20 makes do with 114kW and 200Nm and feels a lot slower.

Mazda's SkyActiv 2.5-litre engine soldiers on in the new generation.

It's no fireball, but only the late lamented MPS3 was every really quick, and that came with a great deal of waywardness.

Mazda says you'll burn through 6.6L/100km on the combined cycle. With a week of enthusiastic driving (you probably already know why), it squeaked in under 10L/100km at 9.9L/100km.

As before, Mazda's clever i-Stop stop-start is fitted to cut fuel use. You control whether it kicks in or not by applying a little extra brake pressure if the light is flashing at you. 

As an added bonus, the 3 runs on standard unleaded.

I used to be very hard on the 3 because it was hard on the driver. It was noisy and handled oddly and the rear was all over the shop. But over the years, the car has gotten better and better, with the last big change coming with the addition of the very clever G-Vectoring Control (GVC).

For keen drivers, the GVC settles the front end of the car through turns by reducing torque loads ever so slightly, to pitch the car forward and put a bit of extra weight on the front tyres. It's something race drivers do to settle the car in a corner, but they have to use their right foot. The 3 does it all itself.

The result is terrific steering and, with its fast gearing, it means you don't have to turn the wheel much at all to get a result.

You don't have to turn the wheel much at all to get a result.

For not-so-keen drivers, it means you don't have to correct the steering in tricky corners , so you'll feel more confident and comfortable. It's an exceptionally clever system and is very, very Mazda. 

Anyway.

The new car is even quieter than before, which is terrific. Mazda has done a lot of detail work to reduce noise as well as to improve the overall experience. The tyres are more compliant, and there's lots of foam packed into the shell to damp down the mechanical noises necessarily produced by the movement of the car.

But I think the coolest thing about the 3 is that it feels and drives like a much more expensive car. While it costs a bit more than most of its rivals, you can see and feel where the extra cash has gone.

The only real problem I have with it is that I'd love to see what a hot 3 is like, but it seems like I won't get my wish. It's almost tragic.

The third-generation 3 developed a reputation for being loaded with safety gear and the fourth continues the trend. It has six airbags, ABS, stability and traction controls, forward and reverse AEB, lane-keep assist, reverse cross traffic alert, forward collision warning and a blind spot monitor (crucial with that fat C-pillar).

The kids are looked after by three top-tether anchors and two ISOFIX points

The new 3 scored a five-star ANCAP safety rating in May 2019.

Mazda offers a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, which is most pleasing. Since the start of April, you also get five years of roadside assist, which is even more than pleasing, as you used to have to pay for it.

Mazda offers a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty.

The company continues with the weird 12 months/10,000km service intervals, so clearly it doesn't seem to bother its customers too much. The Service Select program lists the price of each service up to the fifth. Total cost over five services is $1581 at an average of $316 per service (you'll pay either $299 or $342, plus extra items listed on the website).