BMW X7 vs Mazda 3

What's the difference?

When lined up against its direct rivals, the expensive X7 xDrive40d represents reasonable value for money.

It has a unique and bold look and a sumptuous, visually striking and well-appointed interior that has acres of space for family, friends, or for ferrying frequent flyers to the airport. 

That wallop of performance from the big beefy diesel is the cherry on the top. This is how you do a mid-life update. 

Given how effortlessly it traverses the mainstream and premium small car classes, the Mazda 3 might be the best value small car on the planet.

With racy styling, sports car handling, classy interior presentation and impressive, intelligent efficiency, there’s plenty to sink your teeth into here.

Poor rear vision, a dark back-seat area and smallish boot aside, it doesn’t have any glaring faults.

In a world overrun with SUVs, props to Mazda for evolving the small car so brilliantly to mask a half-decade of existence. Continuous improvements have made the 2024 G25 Evolve SP Vision an essential small car shortlist proposition, regardless of price.

There’s quite a bit that’s interesting about the X7’s design. Especially looking at it front on.

BMW certainly took a bold step when it introduced its toothy grille design for the X7 and the 4 Series range. 

But the Bavarian brand has made some even braver design moves recently by introducing a blocky front-end with split headlights on its new-gen 7 Series flagship sedan. That look has now found its way onto the face of the updated X7.

As with the 7 Series, it won’t be to everyone’s taste. But you can’t deny it has a lot of presence. 

The tail-lights have been tweaked and look good, but the sheer size of the X7 - it’s 5.2 metres long and 1.8 metres tall - means there’s no disguising the fact that it is a big, boxy SUV.

Inside the update ushers in significant design changes. The old dash and cowl is gone in favour of the ‘Curved Display’ that connects the instrument cluster and multimedia. 

New slimline air vents, LED backlit ‘X7’ graphics on the passenger side of the dash, and a new gear shift toggle that replaces the old shifter elevate the cabin and give it a much more modern vibe than the old X7 - one that’s in keeping with the excellent iX electric SUV.

How is it that the current Mazda 3 is already five years old? This hatchback is still stunning, the sort of car you look back at when walking away.

The shape is sleek and almost coupe-like, with a shark-like nose, cab-backward-style long bonnet, upswept shoulder line and a fastback silhouette.

More importantly, it’s the way the light dances across the sculptured sides that draw the eyes in. Bereft of clutter, it makes you wish all mainstream manufacturers had the courage to be so daring.

We’ve said it before – the 'BP'-generation Mazda 3 (Axela in Japan) is the brand’s boldest C-segment hatch since the 1993 'BA' 323 (Astina/Lantis/323F).

But there’s a price to pay for such timeless beauty…

Regardless of the price point, a three-row SUV needs to be super practical and capable of family duties. 

And if you want a BMW X5 but need a lot more space, this is the next logical step.

Let’s start in the front row. As mentioned, the new X7 gains the screen and tech set-up from other new BMW models like the iX and updated 3 Series. The Curved Display combines a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster with digital speedo and a 14.9-inch multimedia screen.

You can customise the cluster layout and move things around on the multimedia screen, too. The latter is a touchscreen but you can also find what you need via the 'iDrive' controller in the console.

I have had some experience with this system in the iX and while it’s not without its flaws, it is a top notch system. There’s a lot to wrap your head around, but the use of app icons helps. And you can swipe through to your chosen screen.

It took far too long to work out how to find the trip computer, something that should be much easier to access, as well as a couple of other functions. And the climate controls are housed in the digital screen. I would always prefer a separate space with buttons for air-con.  

But the graphics and displays - including the excellent head-up display - are excellent. 

Other tech you get with the X7 includes the BMW’s 'Digital Key', which is an app that allows iPhone users to lock and unlock their car remotely, and BMW ID driver profile.

If you buy this car, just allow yourself some time to familiarise yourself with all that tech.

Elsewhere up front there’s a lovely new three-spoke steering wheel, and cute touches like the metal air vent toggles, black and metal touches and the choice of inserts.

The front seats are luxurious and comfortable and offer loads of side and thigh support. They have memory functions, too. There’s no shortage of headroom up front, either.

Storage-wise, the door will fit the largest of bottles, as well as other items thanks to generous door bins, while the central lidded box is also sizeable. 

What about that second row?

The X7 xDrive40d usually comes standard with seven seats, but our test car was fitted with the $1500 captain’s chair option which drops seating capacity down to six people.

If you need the extra seating this is not the option for you, but it is great for families with bigger kids, and it would make for an excellent airport transfer car. 

The seats are unbelievably comfortable and can be adjusted to suit your preference. They also have ISOFIX points and armrests. 

Rear seat occupants have access to their own climate controls, air vents, USB ports, cupholders and ample door storage.

There is a massive amount of occupant space as well - stretch those legs out and enjoy it!

One of the X7’s selling points is that it is a genuine three-row SUV. That third row is not just for occasional use for very small children, like so many seven-seat SUVs. That row can be used every day. 

Even with my six foot stature, I could easily climb in and out of the third row. That’s made even easier thanks to the mechanical seat functions.

Just hit the lever at the top of the second row seat and the motor moves the seat forward and up to ensure there’s a big enough aperture to get in and out of the rear seats. 

You can also raise and lower the third row electronically via buttons on the boot wall - and they stow flush into the boot floor. Neat!

Once in the third row, there’s air vents, USB ports, bottle holders and storage and quite comfortable seats with more than enough leg and head room.

There’s even a third row section of the sunroof, operated from the second row. Lots of clever touches that people who use the third row will appreciate.

The boot has a few cool features, too, including a split tailgate.

You can even sit on the lower section - it can handle a load of up to 250kg - a perfect place to sit and watch the polo.

You can lower the suspension to aid loading larger items, and the X7 comes with a space-saver spare wheel.

Capacity is 300 litres with all seats in place, and I easily fit a pair of smaller suitcases in with that configuration. It increases to 2120L with the two rear rows folded. 

There is a price to pay for all this quasi-coupe styling flair, and that’s a comparatively snug-feeling interior, though you’d never call it cramped.

Actually, the Mazda 3 is no less spacious than most of its competition in all but one area, with enough room even for 200cm drivers, along with sufficient shoulder width and ceiling height to match.

If you’re really tall, maybe that missing sunroof isn’t such a bad thing, after all.

Sat so low-down on cushy, enveloping front seats that offer plenty of comfort and support, this is the anti-SUV. Maybe Mazda should have called this the MX-3.

Sporty and spot-on, the driving position is a laid-back affair, with an emphasis on better ergonomics, as emphasised by the thoughtful placement of switchgear that’s all within easy reach, ahead of a beautifully flowing and layered dash. Proudly Japanese in flavour, it brings to mind functional minimalism.

Drilling into some of the 3’s finer interior details, the analogue-look digital instrumentation is super-legible, ultra-classy and gorgeously lit at night. As previously mentioned, the dials and surrounding air vents are reminiscent of the later Porsche 944 and 968.

It’s not just all for the sake of aesthetics, either.

Yes, it’s lovely, but the thinned-rim three-spoke steering wheel feels great to grip, with nifty little paddle shifters that are a delight to prod.

Same goes for the physical volume knob and climate-control buttons, sidestepping the need to get distracted and frustrated by virtual sub-menus.

And having a conventional gear lever with old-school Tiptronic-style shifts suits the 3’s athletic vibe.

Plus, forward vision is A-OK, ventilation is faultless, storage is better than you might expect, and the fit and finish is as good if not better than any of this 3’s German premium opponents.

Out back, the split-fold rear backrest is set at a comfortable angle, the cushion is well padded, and you’re provided with USB ports, air vents, and an armrest with two cupholders. More thoughtfulness.

But while knee room is fair, rear headroom isn’t great if you’re tall or wear a beehive, as the falling ceiling line reveals.

Vision out is limited by that rising window line and fat pillars. Getting in and out of the back requires some contortionist moves. And the small windows mean it can be gloomier in the back than a Smiths album.

Finally, at just 295 litres, the 3’s cargo capacity is disappointing. Sure, it eclipses the Corolla hatch’s 217L cubby, but other rivals are far larger back there.

At least the floor is wide and flat and there are 60/40-split backrests for cabin access for longer items.

Note that a space-saver spare wheel lurks underneath. Mazda argues there’s always the closely-related CX-30 if you need (slightly) more space (317L).

Meanwhile, at the other end of the 3…

Mazda has rationalised the MY24 3 range, with fewer grades and no more manuals, sadly.

The pretty little piece of automotive industrial design you see here is the mid-range Evolve SP Vision, which sounds less like a car and more like a posh hairdryer from Vidal Sassoon.

Priced from $36,520 before on-road costs (or about $41K drive-away before you start haggling), this Mazda 3 is a sporty and well-equipped alternative to the likes of the speedy Hyundai i30 N-Line Premium, spacious Kia Cerato GT Turbo, new Subaru Impreza AWD 2.0R and evergreen Toyota Corolla ZR. All cost roughly the same money.

The thing is, do Mazda’s upmarket aspirations mean the 3 possesses the ride quality and chic to embarrass at times substantially more expensive hatchbacks with premium pretensions? We’re talking rivals like the BMW 1 Series, Mercedes-Benz A-Class, Peugeot 308 and VW Golf, here.

Stay with us, because we reckon you might be surprised by how far the 3 has come since its humble 323 predecessors.

Anyway, this version comes with most of the good gear, including a full suite of driver-assist safety tech like front and rear Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), blind-spot alert, lane-keep assist and adaptive cruise control, as well as keyless start and walk-away lock, powered driver’s seat with memory, 360-degree camera views, a head-up display, digital radio, sat-nav, auto tilt/folding exterior mirrors, dual-zone climate control, Bluetooth phone/audio connectivity and 18-inch alloys.

Oh, and for 2023, an upgraded version introduces a smartphone charger and wireless for the Apple CarPlay/Android Auto function, along with USB-C port access front and rear.

What’s missing at the Evolve SP Vision’s price point? Some mainstream rivals offer leather and a sunroof, available respectively in the more-expensive GT Vision, from $40,000, and flagship Astina grades, from nearly $42,500.

Still, that’s quite a lot of small car for the money, given the quality of the presentation and design. Speaking of which…

The X7 xDrive40d is powered by a 3.0-litre, in-line six-cylinder turbo-diesel engine, that gets a boost in power - it pumps out 259kW of power and 720Nm of torque - 64kW/100Nm more than the 30d.

It now also comes with 48-volt mild hybrid tech, which uses an electric motor integrated in the eight-speed automatic transmission.

It drives all four wheels via BMW’s 'xDrive' all-wheel drive system and it is fitted with air suspension for a cushy ride. Towing capacity is rated at 3.5 tonnes braked or 750kg unbraked.

If you are keen on off-roading in the X7, it has a 221mm ground clearance, and a fording depth of 500mm, but maybe best to keep it on the tarmac.

When you think about it, shoehorning a big torquey engine in a light and agile small car is a recipe for fun. Ford did just that with the Escort RS2000 in the 1970s… and Mazda’s now an expert at it, too.

The engine in question is the G25, a 2.5-litre four-cylinder naturally aspirated twin-cam petrol engine, delivering 139kW of power at 6000rpm and 252Nm of torque at 4000rpm.

As this Evolve SP Vision hatch tips the scales at 1415kg, it makes for a healthy, and consequently very lively, power-to-weight ratio of over 98kW/tonne.

That’s if you decide to use all the available revs, which the six-speed torque-converter auto makes great use of.

Driving the front wheels, it offers a 'Sport' mode to extend the revs even more, which is keeping in line with this Mazda’s sporty character.

Less so is the company’s decision to ditch the old multi-link independent rear suspension system a few years back for a more prosaic torsion beam arrangement. We’ll get to how that affects ride and handling in a moment.

According to BMW, the official combined cycle fuel figure for the X7 40d is 8.0 litres per 100 kilometres.

Our fuel figure after nearly a week of mixed city, freeway and country driving was 9.0L/100km, which isn’t too far off the mark.

It has an 80 litre fuel tank and an approximate driving range of 1000km.

Mazda claims the G25 averages 6.6L/100km on the combined cycle… for a carbon-dioxide emissions rating of 154g/km. On a 51L tank, that gives a potential distance of over 940km!

Driven good and hard in our hands, we managed 7.5L/100km, which isn’t bad given the speed and conditions it was subjected to.

Plus, the Mazda’s happy on 91 RON 'standard' unleaded petrol.

With a big plush SUV like this, you’d expect a comfortable ride. And for the most part, the X7 delivers that, while offering more than a bit of grunt, as well.

The X7’s height ensures a high driving position, and there’s plenty of glass for decent visibility. 

Propelling a 2.5-tonne SUV could be a struggle for a lesser engine, but the meaty diesel offers ample torque and the mild hybrid set-up helps to reduce initial turbo lag significantly - that means it is responsive from a standing start.

I wouldn't have thought a vehicle of this size and shape was capable of a 5.9-second 0-100km/h time, but here we are.

As a result of all that torque and power, overtaking is a breeze - providing there is enough room on the other side of the road for both cars to fit.

That size and heft have an impact on cornering and dynamics. You simply can’t carve through tight corners in this car, but with that said, it’s more entertaining than you’d think. 

Steering feel is weighted on the heavier side and it’s as sharp as it needs to be in a car like this. It would be weird if the steering was too pointy. 

Ride quality is top notch - as it should be - and while the massive optional 23-inch wheels and low profile tyres mean you’ll notice potholes and the like, it largely soaks up imperfections with ease.

That level of refinement extends to the hushed ride, too. The cabin is a quiet and serene place to spend time - but not quite to the same degree as a 7 Series. 

Parking in tight spots is a challenge, and manoeuvring in narrow streets could take a while, too. But you could tell that just by looking at the X7.

Ask yourself. What do you want from a new small car?

Since the first Familia of the early 1960s, Mazda’s been at it constantly, through the 1300 and 323 eras and into the modern age of the 3.

The Hiroshima brand knows its stuff. Space, practicality, comfort, ease, reliability and affordability. But a small car has to offer more, specifically in the way it makes the owner feel.

That’s why, while the Focuses, Lancers, Astras and Pulsars are gone, the 3’s still here. And it isn’t just the lush visuals inside and out that are, well, sensory-rich.

As older Alfa Romeo owners know, there’s something special about an engine that sounds alive, and the moment you push the 3’s starter, it purrs into life. That’s the first clue.

Slot the refreshingly old-school lever into Drive, and the G25 leaps into action, and, if you need it to, will keep pulling forward strongly, engine buzzing, like it’s on a mission.

That describes the torquey urge of this big 2.5L four, paired perfectly with the sensibly-geared auto.

We miss Mazda’s magnificent manual immensely, but the 3’s instant response reflects its favourable circa-100kW/tonne power-to-weight ratio.

And, as we’ve harped on in the past, the twin-cam unit’s extra oomph beyond 4000rpm delivers muscular high-speed responses akin to a good turbo – or a great old-school Alfa. You can keep your laggy dual-clutch transmissions, Europe.

Now, sweet, smooth and speedy performance is one thing, but having the chassis tuned with precise and fluid steering for tactile handling, and confident roadholding, backed by nuanced driver-assist and traction controls, are another.

There is a consistent and unifying control to the 3’s linear and forgiving dynamics, reminiscent of past masters like the Focus (and today’s brilliant Peugeot 308) that makes it a joy to drive enthusiastically through fast corners, with the knowledge that it won’t suddenly snap-oversteer and bite an unalert driver back.

For a Mazda, the ride is quiet enough, but there is still some droning transmitted through the cabin, via the Bridgestone Turanza (215/45) tyres, on coarse-chip bitumen surfaces.

And while suspension comfort is pretty impressive for the most part, larger bumps reveal the torsion beam’s limitations, as the car can occasionally thud over them in a way that we remember the multi-link rear end wouldn’t.

Anyway, what we’re saying is that, overall, the 3 Evolve SP Vision is an immersive and interactive driving experience that is right up there with the best of them.

Brawny performance, exquisite agility and a refinement that, collectively, have eluded every small Mazda in living memory until this generation’s 2019 debut. This 3’s right on the money. Still.

Tested way back when this generation was new in early 2019, the Mazda 3 scored a maximum five-star ANCAP crash-test rating.

On the driver-assist front you’ll find front and rear AEB (with a working range of 40km/h to 200km/h) with pedestrian and cycle detection available between 10-80km/h, while the 'Forward Collision Warning' operates from 40-200km/h.

Blind-spot monitoring, lane departure warning, lane-keep assist, 'Forward Obstruction Warning', rear and front 'Cross-Traffic Alert', 'Secondary Collision', auto high beams, breakaway pedals, adaptive cruise control (with full stop/go functionality and cruising/traffic support), parking sensors front/rear, 360-degree round-view monitor, reverse camera, traffic sign recognition, driver monitor and tyre-pressure monitors are also included.

The lane-keep support systems work between 55-200km/h.

Seven airbags – front, side, curtain and a driver’s knee bag – are fitted, along with anti-lock brakes with 'Electronic Brake-force Distribution', 'Emergency Brake Assist', stability control, traction control, hill-start assist are also fitted, seat-belt pretensioners, and two rear-seat ISOFIX points as well as three top tethers for child seat straps.

After copping a bit of flack from motoring media and buyers, BMW finally increased its warranty terms last year from three years to an industry standard five-year, unlimited kilometre warranty on its vehicles, including the X7.

Rather than a set servicing schedule, BMW offers condition-based servicing which is when the vehicle’s computer alerts the owner that it requires a service. 

BMW doesn’t offer capped-price servicing, but does have a pre-paid 'Service Inclusive Package' with terms ranging from three years/40,000km to five years/80,000km and beyond. 

A five-year basic package for the X7 costs $2800, which is not too bad considering the positioning of this model.

Mazda offers a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, with five-years roadside assistance… and that’s nothing special nowadays.

Service intervals are at 12 months or every 15,000km.

A fixed-price service scheme is available, averaging out to $434 annually over the first five years. Mazda shows pricing right up to 16 years and 240,000km on its website.