It all adds up to a new 3

IT IS no coincidence that Mazda has placed a key safety feature at the top of the 29 improvements to the updated 3.

Electronic stability control (ESP) is now available on every Mazda3, joining GM Holden and Renault in a major mass-market move to the latest in active safety systems designed to help cars avoid a crash.

But ESP will not be standard on every Mazda3. The company is expecting a take-up rate of only about 25 per cent as an option, even though it's an affordable $1000 upgrade on the Maxx, Maxx Sport and SP23 models and is part of a safety pack that includes four airbags on the base Neo model for $1830.

From the outside it is hard to see how Mazda has changed the 3, but dig a little deeper and the list of revisions is collectively significant.

New safety features include seatbelt warning systems for rear seating positions to go with the two front-seat warnings, a collapsible brake pedal and a redesigned steering-wheel adjustment lever that minimises the risk of lower leg injuries in frontal crashes.

Mazda has responded to customer feedback by cutting noise and vibration. It also claims engine drone and wind and tyre noise have been reduced in the 3.

The base model Neo increases in price by $200 to $20,990 for the manual, but gains anti-skid brakes, seatbelt warning systems, MP3 compatible CD and new trim.

The price of the manual Maxx has increased $500 to $25,000, the Maxx Sport jumps $845 to $26,500, and the SP23 increases by $280 to $29,600.

There is also the addition of sequential valve timing for the 2.0-litre Neo, Maxx and Maxx Sport that helps lift power by 4kW to 108kW on regular unleaded with a 1Nm rise in torque to 182Nm.

The suspension has come in for a fair degree of treatment, new mounting points at the front helping to improve steering speed and eliminate some understeer.

All models now have electronic throttle control, which helps refine the vehicle's acceleration.

Access to cargo is improved on the popular sedan, and the hatch boot space now measures 340 litres.

Electronic throttle control may also help iron out some bugs associated with the retro-fitted cruise control (now standard on all models except the Neo) that dogged some of the first-generation Mazda3s.

New six-speed manual and five-speed automatic sequential transmissions are available on the SP23 model.

The auto comes with the standard Activematic gear lever, and new shift buttons are mounted on the steering wheel.