2017 Mazda 3 vs Subaru Impreza

What's the difference?

The 3 is a car that will satisfy growing families, couples or a sole driver who likes a bit of space or a bit of metal around them. While the Neo is a bargain basement starter, competition around that price point comes thick and fast from Japanese and Korean rivals, with Euros not far behind in the form of VW and Skoda. Like I said, it's a tough market.

The pick of the bunch is the Maxx, with all of the good safety gear and an options list so short it's not worth bothering with. The rest of the range features largely cosmetic bits and pieces that are perfectly fine but not fundamental to the experience.

I drove the new Impreza in January and came away hugely... um... impressed. It's so much better than the old one inside and out. Even the transmission passes muster and I can't stand CVT autos. The Impreza remains individualistic (although the sedan isn't very pretty) and characterful but without the dodgy interiors and creaking undercarriage.

Is it enough to tempt you out of its rivals? Possibly - what's really changed is that now it is actually a contender rather than 'one for the fans'. Quiet, composed, good value and with a comfortable new interior, it certainly won me over. If only it were a bit quicker...

The 3's third iteration is sleek and fluid, as befits Mazda's successful 'Kodo' design language. In both sedan and hatch, it looks low, sleek and classy. Whether rolling on 16 or 18-inch rims, the car has a good road presence and there isn't a bad angle on it.

The hatch is arguably less-balanced, in profile at least, its shorter exterior dimensions obvious in photos. The choice is between which you prefer for style and/or boot size.

The cabin is equally nice to look at - Mazda interiors continue to impress. Materials feel good and even the cloth trim is nicely textured to make you feel like you haven't cheaped out when going lower in the range.

The only real complaint is that on some models, it's very dark as the plastics are all dark grey or black with little to break up the expanses of... well... black and grey. The interior photos tell the story, although some models feature flashes of colour to lift the mood.

We're often asked "Where is the Mazda3 built?" and we can tell you it's at Mazda's Hiroshima plant in southern Japan.

In terms of design, the sedan is arguably not as successful as the hatch. All is well up front but once you reach the back, the proportions get a bit odd - the boot seems too high and the chassis appears raked like a Red Bull F1 car (trick of the eye - it isn't), but it's still a reasonably clean design.

The old Impreza had bits everywhere and, to put it politely, was very unappealing to look at. If you've got a few hundred bucks and are worried about the looks, chuck on the 18s or spend some money on STi accessories.

The rear end is better suited to Japanese plates and the lights look a bit squiffy, but after the old one, anything that's better will do. Then again, Subaru's target market isn't led by style, so it's not a deal-breaker.

The cabin's biggest appeal is the jump in quality. There wasn't a lot wrong with the old Impreza's interior, it was just clothed in low-rent plastic panels and was a bit blah. While the trim is cloth, it's distinguished by some vaguely racy texturing to make the seats look more shapely, a bit Audi-like, which is a nice effect.

The materials are a big step up and the construction a bit more thoughtful, although the steering wheel still has way too many buttons and switches.

The 3 has grown over the years, with the sedan measuring 4.6m long, 1.8m wide and 1.45m high.

With the boot of the sedan lopped off and replaced with a hatchback, the 3 is 110mm shorter, which translates to a much smaller cargo area. The hatch can carry a still-reasonable 308 litres of stuff when full, while the boot swallows another 100 litres exactly. The hatch stands slightly higher at 1.47m high but is the same width as the sedan.

There's little choose in the cabin as it is basically, riding as it does on the same length wheelbase (2700mm), meaning virtually identical interior dimensions. There is plenty of room for four adults, offering good rear legroom for even those over 183cm (six feet) - I've had a 3 with four adults in it, with no (real) complaints or issues from the back seat passengers.

If you want a cup holder, the 3 has two up front and two in the rear, with bottle holders in each door as backups. Some models feature seat back pockets where you can store the kids' gadgets while in transit.

It's an easy car to park in either hatch or sedan, which is lucky because park assist is limited to front and rear parking sensors and no auto-parking as on some rivals.

Ground clearance when unladen is 160mm, so lumps and bumps won't turn into scrapes. Kerb weights range from 1258kg for a Mazda 3 manual Neo to 1336kg for an auto Astina. Gross vehicle mass ranges from 1800kg to 1875kg.

Dealer accessories for organising your stuff include a cargo tray which also acts as a boot liner. You can also twist your dealer's arm to throw in floor mats on Neo, Maxx and Touring - they're standard on SP25 and up.

The Impreza doesn't feel like a small car inside. I can easily fit behind my own driving position, with tons of room to spare (I'm 180cm tall), so lankier rear occupants will be fairly comfortable if a little tight for headroom once passing about 185cm.

Front and rear passengers each get a pair of cupholders and small bottle holders in each door. The centre console has a litre or so worth of storage with two USB ports to go with the two further ports in a storage slot under the climate controls.

Boot space is a generous 460 litres, besting the class-leading Mazda3, but Civic and Elantra are bigger still.

The L is the second-tier offering in the Impreza range, starting at $27,980 for the sedan and $28,180 for the hatch. We had the sedan in a fetching silver that won't cost you a single extra dollarydoo, which is an excellent start.

Standard are 17-inch wheels, a six-speaker stereo, dual-zone climate control, 'EyeSight' safety package, reversing camera, cloth interior, cruise control (with distance control), keyless start, remote central locking, power mirrors, power windows all around and space saver spare.

The six-speaker stereo is powered by Subaru's 'Starlink' media system, which has come along nicely in this newer version. The 8.0-inch screen is bright and clear (too bright at night, even with auto-brightness on), the system also features Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, matching the i30 and beating the Mazda3 on that particular score. It's a bit slow to respond, though, which might get a bit tired.

Factory options? None.

The Mazda3 range is available with two transmissions and two engines. Since the demise of the MPS3, there is no AWD turbo version and with the departure of the XD, diesel problems are nothing to worry about. There has never been a factory LPG option.

The 2.0-litre SkyActiv-branded engine produces 114kW/200Nm.

SP25 models run the 2.5-litre SkyActiv, with 138kW/250Nm, a useful increase in horsepower.

The 3 features stop-start with the manual transmission and the auto, and the 3 was the first model to feature Mazda's 'G-Vectoring' technology which helps sharpen up the steering during cornering.

For those keen on load capacity ratings for towing, the 3 is rated at 1200kg braked and 600kg unbraked. Towing capacity is the same for all engine and transmission combinations.

Both run on standard unleaded, use a standard oil type. Oil capacity is model dependent, and can be found in the owners manual.

A regular question is whether the 3 makes use of a timing belt or chain - we can report the SkyActiv engines are both chain-driven.

Performance figures vary between the two engines - the SP25 auto should complete the 0-100km/h dash in just under eight seconds with the 2.0 cracking it in around nine seconds.

Subaru (thankfully) persists with the gravelly four-cylinder 'boxer' engine and all-wheel drive. The 2.0-litre unit serves up 115kW/196Nm, which is about right for the segment, if a little down on its rivals for torque.

All four wheels are turned through Subaru's Lineartronic CVT, which has a torque converter to help curb the worst excesses of CVT-itis.

Mazda claims the 2.0-litre will return 5.3L/100km on the combined cycle for the manual and 5.0L/100km for the automatic. For the 2.5-litre, the official combined cycle figure is 6.5L/100km for the manual and 6.1L/100km for the auto.

Fuel tank capacity is 51 litres.

Recent Mazda3 reviews for CarsGuide reveal varying mileage figures. I drove the 3 Touring and got 8.0L/100km and when I drove the Neo saw an indicated 8.2L/100km, so you'll get around 600km to a tank with the 2.0-litre petrol motor.

In the 2.5-litre SP25, Richard Berry did not spare the road and returned 11.1L/100km, suggesting a range of under 500km if you're having fun. Calm down and you should get reasonable fuel economy from the 2.5, if still closer to 9.0L/100km than the claimed figure.

Subaru's claimed combined cycle figure is 6.6L/100km. A long, startlingly uninterrupted run along Sydney's M2 delivered an indicated 4.8L/100km before traffic pushed it up to 8.4L/100km for the week, not a bad effort really.

The Impreza's range is slightly hampered by a small-ish 50-litre tank.

Whether in 2.0 or 2.5-litre form, the current 3 is by far the best. Mazda's engineers have paid close attention to complaints that dogged earlier 3s, including road noise and a lack of front grip. Both of these have largely been banished, with the teams delivering a well-balanced chassis that rides and handles well.

The 3 is front-wheel drive, but with no torque steer, it's an easy companion in the wet or the dry, with well-tuned stability and traction control systems keeping things in check. It's been a long time since a Mazda hatchback was rear-wheel drive.

There is still some less than pleasant noise under hard acceleration, but it's much quieter than before.

Part of the credit for the car's transformation goes to some more sensible use of sound-deadening to simply block the noise, but also in tweaks to the shell and the suspension itself. There is still some less than pleasant noise under hard acceleration, but it's much quieter than before.

Added to that was last year's update with G Vectoring, a system that helps smooth out direction changes by adjusting the torque across the front axle. It makes the 3 feel rather pointier than in years gone by while boosting driver confidence. It's subtle, but effective and feels a lot more expensive than it is.

Front suspension is by MacPherson struts and rear suspension is a multi-link setup that is slowly becoming the segment standard. The turning circle is a commendably tight 10.6 metres.

Given the 3 doesn't have a 4WD version or even reasonable ground clearance, its off road ability is somewhat limited.

The new Impreza has a few headline numbers, but the one you really want to know is this - it's 70 percent stiffer than the old one. You probably want to know why that's good.

The stiffer a car, the better it is because the engineers don't have to compromise as much on ride and handling. It also make it vastly easier to isolate noises and gosh darn it, it just feels better.

It's a big improvement all around. The cabin is much, much quieter and the car feels a lot more planted. It will still understeer, seemingly long before the Mazda3 or i30, but again, it's better than the car it replaces.

The transmission is Subaru's best attempt yet at the CVT auto, although quite why you put a torque converter into the mix when you could just put a solid six-speed auto in is anyone's guess, but Subaru employs much smarter people than me, so I'm sure they know what they're doing. There's no whine and the usual flaring seems well-contained, a stark contrast to the Levorg I drove last year.

It's pretty slow, though. Overtaking is something you'll need to plan and even though it's one of the better CVTs, you either need to kick it down with the paddles (there are seven artificial steps in the transmission) or be prepared to wait it out. Single carriageway country roads will mean a lot of time stuck behind caravaners. We're talking titchy automatic hatchback slow.

As far as other complaints go, the halogen headlights are a bit on the weak side, the touchscreen is really slow to respond and there's a space-saver spare.

Also, the remote's 'big' button, the Subaru logo, doesn't lock the car, but unlocks it. This might just be motoring journalist different-car-every-week syndrome, but I reckon the easiest button to press should lock the car.

The Impreza comes with seven airbags, ABS, stability and traction controls (as well as all-wheel drive), brake force distribution, brake assist and a reversing camera, all of which adds up to a five star ANCAP safety rating.

There are three top-tether child seat points and two ISOFIX locations.

Here on the L is where EyeSight debuts in the range. While a screaming madman hellbent on annoying the crap out of you in the Forester, it's a much calmer system in the Impreza (and Liberty and Outback).

EyeSight refers to a pair of cameras in the windscreen that scan the road ahead and provide the data for the forward collision warning, active cruise control and AEB. It's quite clever and didn't suffer the failures I had previously encountered in the Levorg and Forester.

Mazda's standard warranty runs for three years/unlimited kilometres and roadside assist starts at $68.10 per year or $83.50 for a few more inclusions. There is no indication of an extended warranty sold by Mazda, but a dealer will no doubt try and flog you a third-party offering.

Service costs are capped for the first five services. Visits to the dealer come every 10,000km or 12 months, whichever comes first. Service costs alternate between $297 and $324 for a total cost of $1539 for the five.

There are extras, such as cabin air filter ($64), and if you need oil, Mazda will charge a very reasonable $15. It's worth noting Hyundai's capped price servicing regime applies to the lifetime of the car.

If past models are anything to go by, durability shouldn't be an issue. The roads are still crawling with first-gen 3s.

Reliability faults seem few and far between, with no widespread reported transmission problems, gearbox problems or issues with oil consumption.

If past models are anything to go by, durability shouldn't be an issue. The roads are still crawling with first-gen 3s. For common faults, check our Mazda3 problems page for an idea of its general reliability rating.

The 3 enjoys good resale value, with a check of the price guide suggesting a 2014 Neo will fetch between 65 and 75 per cent on a private sale, suggesting few issues when you need to shift a second hand machine. Dealer trade-ins will yield around 51 and 60 percent of the new car price of $22,490.

Imprezas are covered by Subaru's three-year/unlimited kilometre warranty and a year's roadside assistance in the form of a membership with your local motoring organisation (NRMA, RACV, RACQ etc.)

Also on offer is capped-price servicing for the first three years or 37,500km. Service intervals are 12 months or 12,500km, with the A and C services costing $348.30 and the B Service $601.59, a total of $1298.19.

After that, there is a further two years of "transparent pricing".