2018 Toyota Corolla vs Mazda 3

What's the difference?

Toyota seems to be mostly waking up to what it takes to cut through in the contemporary car market. While the local arm sits on a pretty big pile of brand loyalty forged over years of delivering a solid-if-unspectacular product, its lunch is danger of being eaten by the various mouths of its rivals.

Have a good look at a Hyundai from 10 or more years ago - an attempt to clone Toyota's middle-of-the-road approach. Now they're a distinct brand with a strong focus on styling, dynamics and equipment. Toyota has grabbed two of those values and is lurching towards getting the third right.

Toyota will sell a squillion of these and probably for the first time I won't be wracking my brains trying to remember what it's like to drive. And while it's missing a few obvious bits and pieces, and the hybrid is very slow, the new car confirms how good TNGA is. Maybe, just maybe, Toyota is finally breaking free of building boring cars.

The 3 is a terrific car and continues to improve with every yearly update, however minor. The uplift in the Neo Sport may not look like $1000 worth, but having that proper screen and reversing camera - along with standard AEB - starts to make sense over time.

In 2017, I said the pick of the range was the Maxx and I still reckon the Maxx Sport is the one to go for - it has a good package of safety equipment and a sensible spec list, without the frippery of the increasingly oddly priced Touring. The not-that-much-more SP25 is similarly specified, but only worth it if you want the extra power. Not everyone does.

The new i30 and forthcoming new Corolla are giving the Mazda3 more of a hurry-up these days, especially in price and spec but the i30 now has the driving dynamics to go with it. And with the Kia Cerato rapidly closing in, every little bit of competition is making the 3 a better car than before.

And it's still by far the best-looking car in the segment. For many, that's what will tip them over the edge.

Well, here's something - a Corolla with genuine character. I'm not completely convinced (styling is subjective after all) but this is certainly a Corolla you can say is good looking.

The front is aggressive - particularly here in the ZR - with the right number of lines rather than the overdone designs of some other Toyotas. The big 18-inch wheels add a bit of dynamic tension to the look, its backside is almost shapely and the profile quite wedgy.

The bit that gets me is where the rear doors meet the C-pillar. It looks like the design team couldn't work out how to make it elegant, so they just closed their eyes and hoped for the best. Bit of a shame, really, given the clarity of the rest of the car.

The cabin is a huge step forward. Contemporary and shapely rather than a cheap plastic cliff face, it makes all the right moves and is made of good materials. The seats are absurdly sporty and equally comfortable, although even up here in the ZR they feature manual adjudstment.

The interior is so good that small, unfortunate details jar, like the clumsily placed seat-heater switches, which look and feel like they're straight out of a 1988 Toyota Crown. The big 8.0-inch screen dominates the dash with almost cinematic scale.

The 3's exterior design is still a winner to my eyes. Based on Mazda's Kodo design language, it looks great in just about any colour and the company's commitment to beautiful paint some years ago is still paying dividends.

It's a lovely, flowing design that looks best in the sedan and few cars in the segment are as genuinely pretty. About the closest you'll get for commitment to design is the Alfa Giulietta.

As you climb the range, the detailing in items like the lights and brightwork mark out the spec level, with additions like chrome exhaust tips and LED daytime running lights.

The range is available in seven colours - 'Sonic Silver', 'Jet Black', 'Deep Crystal Blue', 'Titanium Flash' (a sort of bronzey brown), 'Snowflake White' and 'Eternal Blue'. Mazda continues to be absurdly generous and offer those colours as no-cost options. 'Machine Grey' and 'Soul Red Crystal' (this one is a ripper) are a still-reasonable $300.

Unlike previous versions, there's no yellow or purple paint available.

Inside is well-executed but is a bit grey and drab, especially in the lower-spec versions. I recently drove a Touring with contrasting colour panels in the doors, but it was a deep rich red that barely stood out from the grey. 

Some touches, such as satin silver dash parts, do lift the colour a little but it's fairly nondescript. Mazda also persists with the frustrating single-dial-with-wings dashboard that I really don't like very much. Still, few others complain, so it's probably just me.

The new machine has a few more centimetres in each direction, but not many of them have been lavished on the occupants. Front-seat passengers have plenty of space but I did feel like the chunky dashboard towards the right-hand side makes getting in a bit more of a job than it perhaps should be.

Rear-seat passengers really aren't as well looked after as they are in some of the Corolla's rivals because those front seats - as brilliant as they are - have super-chunky backs. All of that bulk means it's pretty tight for me, all of 180cm, to sit behind my own driving position. My beanpole son wasn't a particularly happy camper back there, with his head brushing the ceiling and legs akimbo.

Front and rear-seat passengers score a pair of cupholders each and every door has a bottle holder. In the ZR you get a Qi wireless-charging pad, which is super handy if you have the right phone except you don't get a "Your phone is still in the vehicle" message, which would be good because you can't really see the phone once its in there.

The boot is pretty ho-hum in the rest of the range at 217 litres, but as the ZR goes without a spare tyre, there's a rather more generous 333 litres.

The 3 comes in two body styles - four-door sedan and five-door hatchback. The most popular is the shorter hatch, despite the loss of luggage capacity. The different boot space dimensions deliver 308 litres in the hatch while the sedan has 408 litres. For load capacity, the sedan is the clear winner.

The hatch's boot size isn't exactly a world-beater but it does feature a cargo cover to hide your valuables.

The interior dimensions are unchanged, meaning good if not outstanding rear leg room. The cabins are basically the same, so if you refer to our interior images, you'll note only minor differences.

The cup-holder count differs depending on which specification you choose. The Neo Sport has just two, for the front passengers. In the rest of the range there are two up front and two in the rear, with bottle holders in each door as backups. Some models feature extra storage space for books or devices but there's no sunglass holder until you reach the Touring.

The turning circle is a fairly standard 10.6 metres, so most suburban streets need a three-point-turn manoeuvre. Park assist is limited to beepers and the reversing camera.

Ground clearance when unladen is 160mm, so all but the steepest driveways won't present a challenge, but going off road is not on the menu. Kerb weights range from 1258kg for a Mazda3 manual Neo to 1336kg for an auto Astina.

Gross vehicle weight ranges from 1800kg to 1875kg.

How much does a Mazda3 cost? The price list spans $21,490 through to $35,490 and encompasses five models in the range, two engines and two transmissions. These prices are RRP, you'll have to attack your dealer for a drive-away price or wait for a promotion. To compare models in detail, see our snapshot guide. As always, pricing is identical whether you choose the sedan or hatch variant.

All Mazda3s are now front-wheel drive - it's been a long time since Mazda sold an AWD car at this level. Of course, if you do want a 4WD Mazda, you're spoilt for choice with the small CX-3 and mid-size CX-5. If you must have a turbodiesel Mazda, your best bet is the forthcoming CX-8. 

Even sadder than the lack of a 4x4 version is the absence of rear-wheel drive, for which you have to stretch back into the 1980s to find a 323 that was rear driven.

With the Neo Sport upgrade, Mazda's full infotainment system is on all 3s. It used to be one of the better entertainment systems but is starting to lag a little. 

You can't fault its usability, with touchscreen when you're stopped and a rotary dial with shortcut buttons for when you're on the move. 'MZD Connect' also powers the GPS navigation system (where fitted). The USB port will handle your iPhone or Android phone and will look after MP3-compatible devices too. Remember them?

The entry-level machine is now called the Neo Sport to reflect the bump in specification over the 2017 model.

Up to the SP25, the sound system features six speakers. The GT and Astina each feature nine Bose-branded speakers, including a subwoofer.

There is no 'radio CD player', DVD player, or CD changer available any more and, frustratingly, you still can't get Android Auto or Apple CarPlay. 

There are five trim levels, two of them newly renamed. The entry-level machine is now called the Neo Sport to reflect the bump in specification over the 2017 model. Starting at $21,490 for the six-speed manual transmission (vs $23,490 for the automatic transmission), the MY18 price is up by $1000. 

That buys you standard features such as 16-inch alloy wheels, trip computer, air conditioning, push-button start, electric power steering, central locking, projector-style halogen headlights, rear parking sensors, reverse camera (new to the entry level), 7.0-inch MZD Connect touch screen, cruise control, lightly tinted windows, automatic door lock, a power window in each door and mirrors and a space-saver spare tyre.

The Maxx Sport builds on the Neo Sport's spec and is also a new badge to the range. Priced from $23,490 for the manual and $25,490 for the auto (both up $600), you get the same size rims, but you pick up dual zone climate control, rain sensing wipers, leather steering wheel, auto headlights, electronic park brake (replacing the manual park brake), gear-shift paddles, the first appearance of sat nav and additional safety features in the form of reverse AEB, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert.

The last of the cars with 2.0-litre power is the Touring. With just a modest $200 price rise, the Touring starts at $25,490 for the manual and $27,490 for the auto, the Touring picks up leather seats and keyless entry and start (smart key).

The 2.5-litre range starts with the SP25, with the manual starting at $25,990 and the auto $27,990. The SP25's spec is somewhere between the 2.0-litre Maxx Sport and Touring, but you get LED headlights, 18-inch alloy wheels (Mazda jumps straight over 17-inch alloys), twin exhausts, and the leather disappears and is replaced by perfectly reasonable cloth trim. Prices are up by $300 for 2018.

For the GT ($29,990/$31,990, manual vs automatic), you pick up leather seats, heated folding mirrors, adaptive front lighting system, traffic-sign recognition and driver-attention detection. The sound system jumps to nine speakers and the dash gets a swanky colour screen between the dials.

The top of the range is the SP25 Astina, starting at $33,490 for the manual and $35,490 for the auto. The Astina ships with everything the GT has but ups the ante with plenty of safety gadgets. 

In addition to the sunroof, forward collision warning, lane-keep assist, lane-departure warning, active cruise control and rear light LED. The bright finish 18-inch alloys and LED daytime running lights complete the picture.

There is also a the 'Kuroi Sport Pack' body kit, which adds side skirts, a front spoiler, and a very modest rear diffuser, while keeping the rear wing spoiler.

Neither the SP25 GT nor Astina have copped a price rise for MY18.

The extensive accessories list includes alloy pedals, cargo liner, floor mats, cargo trayroof rack kit, tow bar and welcome lighting.

There is also a the 'Kuroi Sport Pack' body kit, which adds side skirts, a front spoiler, and a very modest rear diffuser, while keeping the rear wing spoiler.

No Australian 3 comes with a full-size spare, heated steering wheel, homelink, autopilot, HID or bi xenon headlights, panoramic sunroof, carbon-fibre roof, carbon-fibre engine cover, driving lights, roof rails, bull bar, nudge bar, seat belt extender, sport exhaust system, red brake calipers, performance brakes, chrome wheels, limited-slip differential or a luxury pack option.

Hybrid Corollas, as the name suggests, feature Toyota's hybrid powertrain. While the non-hybrid cars run a 125kW four-cylinder, this one has a 1.8-litre with a small battery and a modest electric motor.

As is usual, power output isn't especially straightfoward, so here goes. The 1.8 spins up 72kW/142Nm, which isn't a lot, but the electric motor brings 53kW/190Nm for a combined total system output of 90kW/190Nm.

That's not a huge chunk of power to push 1420kg along, let's be honest.

The e-CVT auto looks after getting the power to the front wheels. The system recharges the small battery when you lift off and when you're on the brakes, with an indicator to tell you what's happening in both in head-up display and the multimedia screen.

There are two engine specs in the 3 range. Both are equipped with Mazda's 'i-Stop' stop-start technology but goes without the 6's 'i-Eloop' regenerative braking battery charging tech. Every model comes with a choice of gearbox, either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic. The automatic is a traditional auto rather than the dual-clutch you might find in a Golf.

Both engines run on standard unleaded, use a standard oil type. Oil capacity is model dependent, and can be found in the owners manual. An oft-asked question is whether the 'SkyActiv' engine uses a timing belt or chain - we can report the engines are both chain-driven.

The Neo Sport, Maxx Sport and Touring all come with the 2.0-litre SkyActiv with 114kW and 200Nm of torque.

The SP25, SP25 GT and SP25 Astina are, as the name suggests, equipped with the larger 2.5-litre motor which churns out 138kW (almost exactly 200 brake horsepower in the old money) and 250Nm.

Towing capacity is rated at 1200kg braked and 600kg unbraked regardless of engine size.

The diesel vs petrol argument has long since been settled with the demise of the punchy but not particularly popular XD. So you won't have to worry about a diesel particulate filter replacement any more. There is no LPG or turbo sport edition, like the unruly old MPS3 performance car.

Performance figures vary between the two engines - the SP25 auto should complete the 0-100km/h acceleration test in just under eight seconds, with the 2.0-litre cracking it in around nine seconds. The manuals will likely be a tenth or so slower.

The Corolla Hybrid's claimed combined fuel consumption figure is 4.2L/100km, which is the kind of number we've all heard before. Happily, a week with me saw the ZR return 5.2L/100km. I was not gentle, either. I'm genuinely impressed.

Fuel-consumption figures vary slightly between the models. While the 3 has never been a fuel-economy star, as years have gone by its mileage has improved.

Official figures suggest that the 2.0-litre burns petrol at 5.8L/100km for the auto and 5.9L/100km for the manual, while the 2.5-litre consumes 6.1L/100km for the auto and 6.5L/100km for the manual.

Our own statistics suggest these ratings are a little on the optimistic side, which is no great surprise. We regularly get about 8.0L/100km in the 2.0-litre (a neat 12.5km/l) and around 11L/100km for the 2.5 (around 9km/l).

Fuel-tank capacity is 51 litres, regardless of engine size, and there's no need for premium fuel.

As I've already said, Mazda doesn't offer an oil-burner anymore as diesel fuel economy just isn't the drawcard it used to be.

First, let me say this car is quite slow. Despite its warm-hatch clothes, it's all mouth. A flattened throttle produces a reasonably smart step off the line with the electric motor's assistance, but after that it's mostly hydrocarbons and the CVT lawnmower effect.

Does it matter? Not really. As I've already covered, it's extremely light on the fuel and it's not often that you get that big a trade-off. It's also very quiet and if you jam a tennis ball under the accelerator you can switch to EV mode and maybe get two kilometres under electric power.

The new Corolla is by far the best I've driven. Even the previous model was pretty dull to drive, with little feel and a fairly ho-hum approach to ride and handling. It was so middle of the road Toyota may as well have painted double white lines along the car's centreline. The new car moves closer to the correct side of the road, the one where you don't forget what you're driving while you're driving it.

That doesn't mean the new Corolla has the dynamic poise of a Hyundai i30, because it doesn't. The front suspension is by the usual McPherson struts and the multi-link rear goes a long way to explaining the improvements but it's also down to the new platform, known as Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA), already found under the C-HR.

The TNGA platform has delivered a lower centre of gravity, which is critial in helping make the car feel a bit more tied down to the road. It's also stiffer, meaning it's quieter and despite having a ride-focused suspension tune, is reasonably handy in the corners. The 18-inch alloys on the ZR probably have a bit to do with that, along with wider tyres than the lower models.

These days the 3 jostles at the head of the pack for driving dynamics. The MY17 model scored Mazda's new 'G-Vectoring' technology, which subtly sharpened the steering. This, along with tweaks to the front and rear suspension, has delivered a driving experience that is hard to fault. While it would be nice to have a bit more performance (the SP25 is still no fireball), it's fun to drive if you have a bendy road ahead of you.

Most of the time, though, you're in the urban grind and it is here that the 3 excels. The steering is light, accurate and  cleverly geared. The auto is a good one and even in town the light clutch of the manual makes progress easy and unfussed. Forget about the Eco mode, though - it's doughy and slow.

Over the years, Mazdas in general, but in particular the 3, have suffered from poor insulation, resulting in road noise invading the passenger space. 

Past reviews of mine, and many others, will rail against the cabin noise. Things have gotten better and continue to do so. Where in the past occupants would suffer from tyre rumble and a cacophony of suspension noise, particularly from the front, that's no longer the case. 

The noisy suspension issues have been sorted in various ways across the whole Mazda fleet and the 3 is now a much quieter, if not class-leading, proposition. But it does come close.

One of the 3's standouts is the availability of AEB across the range, and a reversing camera has now been added as well. All cars come with a minimum suite of safety features, comprising six airbags (including side airbags), anti lock brakes (or ABS), electronic stability control (aka DSC), a clever traction-control system, emergency brake assist and hill-start assist.

As you work your way up the range, you'll see additions such as traffic-sign recognition, blind-spot monitoring, lane-departure warning, rear cross traffic alert with reverse AEB, forward collision warning and lane assist.

There are three top-tether baby seat anchor points while your ISOFIX car seat can go in a choice of two points.

Curiously, there's no tyre-pressure-monitoring system.

Regardless of specification, the Mazda3 scored a five-star ANCAP safety rating, which was awarded in August 2016.

Toyota's three-year/100,000km warranty is still with us. Just about every other competitor (except Volkswagen) has five years or more. You can buy up to a further three years and 150,000km if you want to bridge the gap.

The servicing regime is much better, though. Intervals are now 12 months/15,000km (previously it was every 6 months/10,000km) and for the first five years/75,000km, each service is $175 a pop.

Roadside assist is further $78 per year.

Mazda offers a three-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, with roadside assist subject to an additional yearly charge. So if you're worried about a flat battery or running out of fuel, the extra $90-$100 per year is a good investment. You can also purchase an extended warranty from your dealer.

Those worried about service costs will be pleased to know Mazda offers capped-price servicing. Your dealer expects to see you every 10,000km or 12 months, whichever comes first, and the prices are listed on the Mazda website, varying slightly between between engine types (by about $30 per service).

The 3 enjoys good resale value, with a check of our price guide suggesting a 2014 Neo will fetch between 65 and 75 per cent on a private sale, suggesting you'll have few issues when you need to shift a second-hand machine.

From what I've seen of older 3s, durability seems pretty good, even when in the hands of people who aren't all that careful with their cars. The 3 seems to suffer from few reliability issues. A quick swing through the usual internet forums uncovered no obvious common faults or defects. A search for automatic transmission problems, injector or transmission failure or other common problems yielded few genuine results. If you keep up with the maintenance, things seem fairly trouble-free for the current 3.

Diesel-engine problems are clearly a thing of the past, with no diesel offered.

Where is the Mazda3 built? An excellent question - all 3s come from Mazda's Japanese factories.