2020 Mazda 2 vs Mazda 3

What's the difference?

The Mazda2 has been, to my thinking, the best light car in its class. That doesn't mean it's the cheapest - it isn't - but its mix of styling, engineering and safety mean you know where your money has gone. The plucky 2 continues to duke it out with the all-conquering Toyota Yaris, the VW Polo and all manner of Euro and Asian competition.

Things sure have changed in this segment in the last decade or so, with not one single model cracking 10,000 sales (although the Hyundai Accent came close).

Despite its higher cost against the Accent and various contenders, the Mazda2 still came third in its class in 2019, with just under 8200 sales. Just as the year was winding down, Mazda announced a customary, detail-focused rejig of the Mazda2 line-up.

You get exposed to a lot of cutting-edge technology doing this job.

We get to drive new drivetrain technology all the time as manufacturers are racing to get their emissions down – usually it has to do with electrification or hybridization.

What’s especially rare about the new tech sitting under the bonnet of this unassuming Mazda3 is its sole purpose seems to be extending the life of the combustion engine beyond its previously imagined use-by date.

It does so by blending some of the principles of diesel combustion technology with the latest in computer-controlled fuel-injection methods.

It’s a distinctly different approach to the future from the Japanese brand, so what’s ‘SkyActiv-X’ all about? Will you notice a difference? Does it drive well? And, what else is in the box?

We tested a Mazda3 SkyActiv-X for several days at its Australian launch to answer these questions, and more.