Mazda 3

I’ve rung both Mazda Assist and my local main dealer so often recently that I’ve ended up putting their phone numbers on my mobile’s speed dial. Don’t get me wrong – the 3 MPS has never left me stuck at the roadside, nor even run anything less than perfectly. The cause of my frequent calls has been the engine management warning light, which illuminated the dash at the slightest excuse.

It took two visits from Mazda Assist and a further five trips to a franchised garage to get it sorted, which involved replacing two inlet valve solenoids. All the time, though, the MPS ran faultlessly, the only other problem being the front number plate coming unstuck. However, that was easily rectified by reattaching it using bolts instead of glue.

If it hadn’t been for that wretched warning light, my time in the 3 MPS would have been just about perfect. After running a series of diesel cars, it was good to get into something with a bit of power. And the 2.3-litre turbo unit has that in spades – although it did mean average fuel returns of less than 25mpg over the course of the 10,000 miles I covered in it.

Its stay coincided with me replacing my kitchen, and I was concerned that the MPS would struggle to double up as an MPV. But I need not have worried. Everything I had to dispose of – including the outgoing sink – was despatched to the council dump with ease.

I also loved the massive glovebox. It was more than capable of swallowing all the electronic kit that I’ve tested in the Mazda this year – which includes the fitted Smartnav route guidance.

There are few complaints. I hated the fierce clutch, which made driving smoothly difficult, and the ride could be choppy, especially at low speed. The sound system won few fans, as it cannot cope with an iPod, and its internal hard disc didn’t recognise MP3 music files. Despite these hassles, I’m sorry to see the MPS go. It delivered a great compromise between practicality and fun.