Mazda 3 sedan 2016 review: long term

The latest long-term test vehicle in the CarsGuide garage can lay claim to the title of Australia's favourite car.

Take fleet sales out of the equation and the Mazda3 is the No.1 seller in the country.

After a couple of weeks reacquainting ourselves, it's not hard to work out its showroom appeal.

For a start it's one of the most stylish mainstream cars on the market. The hatchback is the preferred option for many buyers but our Mazda is a sedan.

Normally small sedans can look a little awkward in profile — the boot looks tacked on — but the designers have done a good job of creating a cohesive look.

Inside it's the same story. Some rivals have touchscreens but the Mazda uses a rotary dial to navigate through the various screen menus — it's a similar setup to that pioneered by Audi and BMW and it works well.

The Mazda is still the class leader for driving enjoyment.

What doesn't work so well is the Bluetooth phone and audio connection. At times it doesn't hook up to your phone automatically and at others it misbehaves.

At one stage while we were listening to Pandora, the screen went black and we got the Mazda logo sitting forlornly in the middle of the screen (the automotive equivalent of Windows' spinning wheel of death). The menu finally returned but we had to hook the phone up again before normal service resumed.

Apart from that, there is very little to complain about. The Mazda is still the class leader for driving enjoyment, despite rivals closing the gap as it ages.

The combination of well sorted suspension and good steering feel generate confidence on a twisting road, while the ride is firm but not uncomfortable around town.

The engine was ahead of its time when launched and is still at the pointy end of the field for fuel consumption. We didn't see anything near the claimed average figure but most of our kilometres so far have been in heavy traffic.

Overall, it's been an untroubled and entertaining first month in the little Mazda, Bluetooth glitches aside.

Part 2: 20/05/2016

When it works, technology is wonderful. Our Mazda3 went "back to the shop" this month for a software update to stop the multimedia system from dropping out.

Since then, it has worked faultlessly but it highlights a growing challenge for modern car companies. After spending decades perfecting engineering and manufacturing processes to ensure their vehicles are mechanically reliable, they now find themselves exposed to the vagaries of the connected age and it's a steep learning curve.

Mazda says part of the problem is updates to third-party apps and operating systems, which have to flow through to the vehicle. On your iPhone, it's a simple virtual trip to the iStore app and all is rosy. On your car, it's usually a trip to the dealer.

Automotive researcher JD Power says a glitch with audio, communication, entertainment or navigation is the No. 1 complaint with car owners, accounting for one in five reported problems.

It's still the pick of the small cars.

Elsewhere, there's little to fault our Mazda3 as we enter our second month of "ownership". We're averaging roughly 10.0L/100km in heavy peak hour traffic, which sounds a mile away from the claimed 5.8L average. It's pretty good for our commute, where we are lucky to crack 30km/h.

The stop-start feature on the 3, which switches off the engine when stopped at lights, is one of the more seamless around. Unlike others, though, it doesn't tell you how many idling minutes or millilitres of fuel you've saved or conserved.

Which brings us to another weakness. The centre screen and instrument panel graphics are looking dated, with some readouts looking more like your old digital alarm clock than the hi-tech cockpits on some rivals.

Mazda also hasn't joined the Apple CarPlay-Android Auto club, which means you can't hook up your smartphone and have all your favourite apps appear on the centre screen.

They are small gripes, though, and it's still the pick of the small cars, based on its upmarket interior design — our two-tone cream and black leather interior looks better than some prestige brands — and its class-leading dynamics.

Mazda3 Touring sedan (with Safety Pack) specifications

Price from: $28,290
Fuel consumption: 5.7/100km
Safety: 5-star ANCAP
Seats: 5
Warranty: 3 years/100,000km
Service Interval: 12 months/10,000km
Engine: 1.998L 4-cyl unleaded, 114kW/200Nm
Transmission: 6-spd manual, FWD
Spare: Space Saver
Turning circle: 10.6m diameter

Click here to see more 2016 Mazda3 pricing and spec info.