We tested Mazda3 Sedan (the sedan with both elegant and sporty tail, so to speak) equipped with the Mild-hybrid Skyactiv-G engine and I say it immediately. I & egrave; liked. Promoted in its various facets, in the road test as well as in consumption. Let's read together how you & egrave; behaved.
- AESTHETICS AND DESIGN
- INTERIORS AND COCKPIT
- INFOTAINMENT AND TECHNOLOGY
- HABITABILITY & Aacute;
- ENGINES
- TEST AND CONSUMPTION
- PRICES AND FEATURES
AESTHETICS AND DESIGN
Aesthetically, the Japanese sedan has style to sell . It is a car with a personality original and all of her, which stands out from her sister hatchback especially in the rear. Here, let's start from the tail that shows a pretty good tail, embellished by its top; in relief and that makes the verse of a spoiler. The side-b & egrave; well shaped and connects with the rest of the body, sinuous and free of ribs.
And then those two tailpipes under them. So, in plain sight, they're not bad at all. The side draws a cockpit that moves more towards the rear of the car, to the full advantage of the feeling of elegance and sportiness, thus leaving the stage to a long bonnet that dominates the face.
The grille consists of two very sharp LED headlights, slightly set, which give them a I look more & ugrave; nasty. Below, here is the large grid with fine strips of the radiator, surrounded by a chrome blade that touches both eyes. Even more; under? A hint of splitters with other louvers, but the flow cleaners more & ugrave; extremes are fake. In short, an elegant and tapered aesthetic , refined, which during my test aroused some curious glances.
INTERIOR AND COCKPIT
L & # 39; < strong> cockpit & egrave; premium and cared for. The interior design & egrave; nailed it. It leaves no room for too many doodles or elaborate aesthetic trappings, the minimal choice & egrave; always apt but it must be said that is starting to feel a certain need for updating , at least according to my personal taste.
Here then is a large but elegant steering wheel, with the spokes on the physical commands to better set the instrument panel menus, to manage Adaptive Cruise Control, lane keeping or to better manage the infotainment menus dedicated to music and the phone.
The dashboard is ; covered with soft touch material . The same soft cover is found on both the doors and at the center tunnel. The physical buttons remain to control the dual-zone air conditioner (standard) in the center of the dashboard and & egrave; physics also the wheel between the seats that allows you to control the infotainment system, enclosed in the screen by 8.8 & quot; inches .
That's right, a non-touch screen . To tell the truth I am not convinced by the idea of not using a touch panel in 2021 for the infotainment system. Of course, unsightly fingerprints are avoided but usability, at least at the beginning, is not; optimal. There is it must also be said that a few minutes of using the wheel are enough to become familiar with the controls. The radio is also controlled via physical buttons and the volume knob.
ENOUGH SPACE?
In the setup tested, Executive , that is the base (however already very equipped and complete) there were no electronic controls to best set the seat. The front seat is; ergonomic and comfortable and above all on the rear sofa you are comfortable even in three, with a decent space for the head despite the descending roof similar to coup & egrave ;. to report for & ograve; the complete lack of USB sockets or air vents dedicated to our rear guests.
The trunk of the Mazda3 Sedan & egrave; deep and spacious: 450 liters of standard capacity that reaches 1,138 liters by reclining the rear seats. It remains only to report a beautiful and generous step at the entrance to the luggage compartment. Not very comfortable.
ENGINES
Mazda3 Sedan introduces itself to the public with three engines , all light hybrids. Here then is the Executive set-up with a 122 HP Mild-hybrid Skyactiv-G engine combined with the 6-speed manual gearbox only , the Exceed M Hybrid Skyactiv-G version with 150 HP, manual or automatic and the high-range Exclusive with 186 HP M Hybrid Skyactiv-X engine, both with manual and automatic transmission.
THE ROAD TEST WITH CONSUMPTION
For the test on street mi & egrave; was granted the most & ugrave; small hybrid that … surprised me! What a push guys! What a progression and what fun to drive. There is a lot of torque (200 Nm) immediately available at the slightest touch of the gas pedal and the sensation & egrave; that of having a few extra foals & ugrave; under the hood, not only 122.
So much promptness & egrave; also thanks to the excellent manual gearbox which thanks to its short and precise levers rattles off the six gears available one behind the other and without questioning, like a granny intent on reciting the prayers that make up the rosary.
The set-up favors driving pleasure in spite of the comfort, there is a few extra potholes that sedans of this type usually absorb without hitting. Yes, the bumps more & ugrave; deep will make you a little jolt inside the cockpit, but nothing too serious. Just slow down a bit more; and good absorption occurs.
In addition, the petrol engine- Light hybrid Skyactiv-G shuts down two of the four cylinders under low load conditions or when driving at speed; constant, thanks to the changeover of the valve clearance recovery system of the first and fourth cylinders in the hydraulic system.
The shutdown of the cylinders takes place imperceptibly for the driver. To notice that one part of the engine was not working, I had to concentrate on the special menu for the hybrid engine, in the infotainment, which warns when the engine changes from two to four cylinders.
Obviously, this is to the advantage of consumption . In about 500 kilometers spent in his company and along urban and extra-urban roads and motorways, pursuing a dynamic and not too calm driving, the on-board computer returned me a consumption of 6.6 liters per 100 kilometers .
PRICES AND FEATURES
And now the price . To take the car in the Executive version home with you, so the proven one, the base price starts at 27,000 euros . The mid-range version starts at 29,000 and is the largest; high-end has a starting price of 33,000 euros. It should be noted that Mazda offers a 5,250 euro discount on the price list if you have a car to be scrapped and if the state eco-bonuses are still available.
CONFIGURE MAZDA3 SEDAN 
- Price: starting from & euro; 27,000
- Dimensions: 4,660 mm length x 1,795 mm width x 1,440 mm height
- Boot: 450 l, 1,138 l with folded seats
- Declared fuel consumption: 5, Average 3-5.4 l/100km (5.6-6.1 urban, 4.4-5.1 extra-urban)
- Empty weight: from 1,275 to 1,320 kg
- Speed maximum: 202 to 216 km/h
- Engines: all Mild-hybrids from 120 hp up to 186 hp
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