Mazda 3

By Sam Hardy

July 2006

Say hello to the facelifted 3. On sale next month, the compact family hatchback is also available as a saloon, and gets subtle exterior and interior changes, improved equipment levels and suspension tweaks.

It’s never been very popular with UK buyers – Ford’s Focus outsold it 10 to one last year – but will this round of updates improve sales for the Japanese maker? Auto Express tested a 1.6-litre diesel to find out.

With a barely altered grille, slightly different front and rear bumpers and LED style tail-lights, you’ll have to be eagle-eyed to spot the new 3 from the old one. Changes are minimal inside, too, although the centre console now comes in black or grey trim.

However, the options list has grown. In comes a Renault-style smart ‘keycard’ and a seven-speaker Bose stereo with a hard disk capable of storing 3,000 songs. Under the bonnet, the 2.0-litre petrol gets a new gearbox and an electronic throttle – but apart from that the line-up is unaltered.

So do the changes transform the Mazda 3? Not really. Our diesel was just as punchy – but also as noisy – as the previous car. Around corners it also feels similar to its predecessor, with a comfortable ride and good agility, but lacking the sharpness of the Focus.

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