08/04/09

• Price16,257
• We like...Style, engine
• We don't...Firm ride

A new, box-fresh 3 has landed. Here's a look at the one it replaced - should you snap one up second-hand? There’s a new Mazda 3 due within weeks of us penning this. But this is one car we’d yet to sample, and we give our tuppence-worth here for anyone with an eye to the current 3 as an old-model bargain, or thinking of one second-hand.

This car competes against some of the best – like the Volkswagen Golf and the Ford Focus – that you can buy at ordinary prices. Against such rivals, it’s hard for any model to shine. But the 3 has found itself a niche or two. As there are with other Japanese brands, Mazda draws a loyal band of buyers who stick with their cars because they are so darned reliable.

Then, there are buyers who will pick a 3 simply because it isn’t a Golf or a Focus. When such cars sell in their tens of thousands, some drivers pick another brand just to be different. But to get their vote, that ‘other brand’ must be good.

And that’s where the 3 cashes in. Though never pretty, it’s distinctive to look at. Viewed from some angles, there’s a sporty purpose about it that’s appealing. Its prominent front wings and grille tie it in visually with its big brother, the 6, and give it a distinctive look.
In the way it looks and feels, the cabin is nothing special. But then in fairness Mazda hasn’t tried to ape the high quality, soft-feel mouldings you’ll find inside the latest Volkswagen Golf, a car reckoned to set the mark at its price and size for how cabins should be.
Instead, the 3 gs for a sportier vibe. And it succeeds, giving a similar air of restrained, pared-back purpose that you’ll also experience in some Seat cars.

Our 2.0 Sport petrol five-door here tops the model line-up, though there’s also a hot hatch variant, the 2.3 MPS. It’s nicely tricked out, with big alloy wheels and a cabin specification that includes leather seats as standard. What you won’t find, however, is the kind of all-singing, ever-dancing trip computer that monitors the car’s performance moment by moment. It just dsn’t have this. In fairness, you do get treats such as rain-sensing wipers and a cracking Bose sound system.

The car’s ride at low speeds is definitely towards ‘firm’ and there’s more wind and road noise at motorway speeds than you’ll experience in some of its rivals. But it’s a quick and involving drive.

Its 2.0 engine spins easily and punts the car along keenly, though it’s more warm hatch than full-on sports machine. Inside, there’s good space for four adults and enough for five on a hop across town, while the boot is generously sized and sensibly shaped.
There’s no one stand-out feature. But, as you spend time with the 3, you get to admire the way it gets on with the job of being a car. Well. If it fits the bill and you can get a deal, nearly-new or second-hand, it’s one to grab.

To view and buy second-hand Mazda 3s, click on motors.co.uk

• Engines2.0 petrol
• Power
• 0-60 mph9.1secs
• Economy35.8mpg
• CO2g/km189
• Insurance groups8
• EuroNCAP
• Airbags6
• Seats5

Motors.co.uk value verdict: