Road Test: Mazda3 SP25

Review by Samantha Stevens - 8/July/2009

The new Mazda 3 SP has reason to smile, for behind that gaping grille is a bigger engine formerly powering a weighty 6 sedan, and enough revs to power its position at the top of the sales table both here and overseas.

Straddling the small and medium segments with four spec variants in hatch and sedan body styles, the 3 is Mazda’s most important seller accounting for 30 percent of the Japanese carmaker’s sales.

But instead of playing it safe with its second generation, Mazda has embraced brave design lines both inside and out which may polarise its sometimes conservative following, and stepped up the engine size despite the associated financial implications and social stigma connected to corpulent cubic inches.

One may wonder if success has affected Mazda to its detriment: the grinning new face tantamount to contempt and carelessness. But after a few hours behind the wheel on test, the SP25’s broad grin definitely transfers to its driver….

Drive: 4.5/5

The 3 range already hails as a dynamic, fun and lively hatch and sedan, so the Sport Pack variant must up the ante on performance without compromising every-day drivability. It is a fine balance, but one the Mazda range in general handles very well.

The handling itself is a 3 specialty, and the SP25 improves on its predecessor with a tighter electro-hydraulic rack and communicative feel through the heel even on centre.

The 17-inch alloys speed up the turns, and a quick flick into a tighter country corner moves the rear around with cheeky bum-steer. Traction control and stability control are standard but switchable and well-calibrated, and any intrusion is judicial.

Mazda claim the chassis and suspension have been stiffer, suggesting a gust of wind would pick the car up like loose sheetmetal for the SP23 was stiff enough. The damping and rebound control makes itself felt through the twists but not excessively on the bumps; firm but without crashiness.

The car constantly reminds you of its sporting connotation through wheel and seat, which may prove too loud for some – but this is a sports model, and the softer Maxx Sport is just a step down the ladder.

Mazda offers a lovely six-speed manual or a five-speed sports shift auto for $2,260, and while we were disappointed at first sight of the test car’s auto tiller, the wheel-mounted paddles quickly disperse gears and misconceptions.

Another 500rpm is available in manual mode, bringing the redline to 6250rpm in the eagerly-revving engine. So even in auto guise, the SP25 still waves the flag as an involving, mischievous drive.

Engine: 4/5

Like the superseded SP23, this top-shelf SP25 is powered by its namesake’s engine, a 2.5-litre four nicked from the larger Mazda6 sedan and hatch. This is despite the availability of a perfectly good 2.0-litre familial sports powerplant which already powers the MX-5 roadster (and offers on-par acceleration despite the displacement deficiency).

But Mazda has a perfectly good excuse for seemingly ignoring its own light weight philosophy, environmental and social conscience, and the current financial constrictions by stepping up to a larger engine.

While the Mazda MX-5’s 2.0-litre makes a decent 118kW, peak power is found 700rpm higher than the 2.5-litre’s 122kW. And with almost 40 more Newtonmetres available at 1000rpm lower (227Nm @ 4000rpm), the flatter torque curve and powerband is far more flexible for its application while still encouraging spirited driving.

But here’s the real paradox: the 2.5-litre is more fuel efficient than its outgoing 2.3-litre predecessor. Both manual and automatic models claim 8.6L/100km, down from 9.0L/100km in the superseded manual, and 9.3L/100km in the old auto. And unlike many of its Euro competitors, the 3 sips cheaper 91RON unleaded.

Exterior: 3.5/5

Like a newly divorced socialite, the new 3 has moved into its second life with a taught facelift, toned body and obvious new bling.

The SP25 adds a mild sports bodykit to set it further apart from its siblings, and 17-inch alloys and metallic paint are a complimentary bonus (a cost options on most of its segment counterparts).

The edgy design combines flowing lines with sculpted, angular panes, creating a fluid but modern shape. Mazda has dubbed the influence ‘Nagare’, a design movement inspired by nature and the elements which has developed over two years on a series of futuristic concept cars.

Though relatively inoffensive on the 3 series, the swoopy design will not be to everyone’s taste. But this is the risk of design progression.

Interior: 4.5/5

Like the opening credits of the Brady Bunch, the 3 fits perfectly into the family chequerboard as the youthful and exuberant younger sibling.

The flowing, organic cabin, interrupted with acerbic lines and edgy detailing, is feistier in its overall feel, fitting in well between the mature subtleties of the 6, and the cutesy cartoon quality of the smaller 2.

A standard factory sat-nav and Bluetooth connectivity are a first in class, and add a few more buttons to an already overfilled steering wheel. Nearly 20 buttons are crammed onto the hub, which can confuse the eye with its complexity, but the wheel has plenty of rake and reach adjustment for extra ergonomic ticks.

The second row is comparatively underdone and simple, but seating and shoulder room is comfortable with decent lateral support.

Mazda has worked hard on its NVH (noise vehicle harmonics) and this new 3 is more civilised in its tune, but tyres and engine still make their presence known as the speed and revs climb.

Our sport-themed SP was cranked up another notch with the $2,600 Luxury pack, including leather trim and Bose audio. Another option of note is a two-way sunroof for $1,600 – another first for the 3.

The 10-speaker Bose surround stereo includes a subwoofer sunk into the spare tyre recess, which reduces the spare to a space-saver and also eats into the boot capacity. However, the clarity of the audio almost makes up for the reduction in cargo, and most of its contemporaries also carry a skinny spare.

Overall: 4/5

Mazda is, at present, the company that can do no wrong. Though they recently lost the man behind the gaping grin to Renault – chief designer and Nagare concept series architect Laurens van den Acker – Mazda has found the right balance between design and practicality without sacrifice or compromise.

It’s a big claim, but this is a car that needs to appeal to so many people who have equally varying requirements from such a vehicle. And the 3 acquits itself exceptionally well across this broad spectrum, without risk of being unexceptional.

They say bad things come in threes – Mazda’s SP25 certainly disproves this age-old adage.