Car Enthusiast - click here to access the home page


 



Driven: Mazda3 180 Skyactiv-X. Image by Mazda UK.

Driven: Mazda3 180 Skyactiv-X
One week with Mazda’s deeply impressive new 3, but how do we like that fancy Skyactiv-X engine after a prolonged test?

   



<< earlier Mazda review     later Mazda review >>

Reviews homepage -> Mazda reviews

Mazda3 2.0 Skyactiv-X 180

4 4 4 4 4

Good points: sharp exterior styling, superb chassis, quality interior, excellent refinement, decent performance, great value and equipment

Not so good: 3's cabin needs the leather upholstery to be at its best, still not 100 per cent convinced by the Skyactiv-X SPCCI motor

Key Facts

Model tested: Mazda3 2.0 180 Skyactiv-X M Hybrid Sport Lux
Price: Mazda2 range from £21,795; 180 Skyactiv-X Sport Lux from £25,575, car as tested £26,245
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder Skyactiv-X Spark-Controlled Compression Ignition (SPCCI) petrol with M Hybrid mild-hybrid technology
Transmission: six-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Body style: five-door hatchback
CO2 emissions: 103g/km (VED Band 101-110: £150 in year one, then £145 annually thereafter)
Combined economy: 48.7mpg
Top speed: 134mph
0-62mph: 8.2 seconds
Power: 180hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 224Nm at 3,000rpm
Boot space: 358-1,026 litres

Our view:

Following on from our first drive of the fourth-generation Mazda3 last year, we were mighty impressed with this Japanese C-segment challenger. Truth be told, we always liked the 3 Mk3, but it was abundantly clear from our initial try of the Mk4 that Mazda had moved the game on significantly from its immediate predecessor. Not least for interior finishing, which looks utterly splendid when you go high spec (like a GT Sport Tech) and you have the burgundy leather upholstery.

We weren't, however, quite so enamoured with what is arguably the Mazda3's party piece: its fancy-dan Skyactiv-X engine, also known as Spark-Controlled Compression Ignition (SPCCI). This promises to blend the throttle response and high-revs performance of a petrol engine, with the low-down torque and overall frugality of a good diesel, all without recourse to anything so gauche as a turbocharger. So, given that Mazda clearly thinks SPCCI is the future of internal combustion and yet we're wishing the marque had just gone for a light-pressure blower instead, we thought we'd better have a week with the Skyactiv-X model to see if we'd been a bit hasty in judging it first time around.

Let's make no mistake, the latest Mazda3 is a terrific family motor, one of the first things you ought to be looking at in this segment. Our test car this time around was a lesser Sport Lux version, which meant a cloth interior, and there's no doubting that the cabin is slightly less gobsmacking without the eye-catching hide. But that's entirely understandable (few vehicles feel as good inside at base spec as they do in flagship guise) and while this car's interior maybe lacked a little of the razzmatazz on first impressions, over the course of seven hours at the Mazda's wheel it proved that, ergonomically and haptically, it is bang on the money. We're therefore still of the opinion that this is one of the best passenger compartments in the sector, if not the outright finest.

Also unsurprisingly, where Mazda is concerned, the chassis set-up is exceptional. The 3 feels agile and alert when you want it to be in the corners, and yet refined and comfortable on the straights when you're simply cruising along. The cabin is an admirably hushed place to spend some time, even - especially - at motorway speeds, and the sumptuous ride quality on 19-inch wheels is a testament to how the correct settings for fixed-rate springs and dampers means passive suspension can still cut it in an age of adjustable shock absorbers and air-sprung luxury. Besides this dynamic excellence, the Mazda3 looks fabulous on the outside, is reasonably priced at £26,000 as tested and it comes with a kit list as generous as you could imagine, considering the Sport Lux isn't even top of the tree in the line-up.

So we're back with the engine again. We're not going to complain about the simple experience of the performance - work the four-cylinder motor through the rev range and it feels good value for its claimed 180hp output, as well as its 8.2-second 0-62mph sprint. You'll also revel in a wonderful six-speed manual gearbox (the action of the throw is divine), as well as beautifully judged steering and brakes. We're also supporters of the assertion that the SPCCI can turn in diesel-like economy, because an overall 46.8mpg return across 337 miles is truly remarkable for a normally aspirated 2.0-litre petrol; we ought to cite 'full disclosure' here, though, like those US websites often do and concede that about 90 per cent of that total mileage was conducted going to and from Heathrow on the M1 (with a best single-trip figure of 50.9mpg). Still, anything above 40mpg looks like it ought to be easily and regularly achievable for the Skyactiv-X owner who knows how to read the road and be in the right gear for any given situation.

No, our problem is the somewhat subjective one of feel. It's just that the SPCCI engine sometimes gives the impression that it's not quite... right. For instance, there's a marked hesitation as the rev counter swings past 4,000rpm, as if the powerplant is switching cams or something; it's probably more that it's changing its method of combustion to suit the user's performance requirements, but in an age when utterly smooth, linear power delivery is a pre-requisite of any new car, irrespective of size, power or method of induction, the fact the Mazda3 seems to have a momentary breather midway round the tacho is a tad disappointing. As is the noise the Skyactiv-X makes when it's revving hard. This is no crisp, rorty four-pot soundtrack, the engine instead emitting a gruff and somewhat raucous tune as you approach 6,000rpm. And don't, even for a minute, expect the grunty, low-down punch of a turbodiesel - the Mazda3 still feels resolutely normally aspirated, meaning you need to regularly employ that (admittedly marvellous) manual 'box to ensure you don't get bogged down in a sizeable torque hole.

We guess that the Skyactiv-X engine will be more than acceptable for Mazda's customers who never work the 3 hard or demand anything more than 3,000rpm; although, we'd then suggest that the only other option, a 122hp Skyactiv-G petrol, would do the job just as well, even if it turns the Mazda into a considerably slower and thirstier car. We're certainly not suggesting the engine is bad, either - to execute this clever petrol/diesel 'hybrid' technology in a production motor is a testament to the engineering genius of this singular Japanese company. And yet, there's a considerable part of us that can't help but wonder what this magnificent Mazda3 Mk4 would be like if it were fitted with the superb 2.2-litre turbodiesel you used to get in the Mazda3 Mk3. Granted, such a conclusion is one in the eye for progress, we know that, but - on the basis of this week with this C-segment challenger - we think this is a potentially class-leading machine that might, it just might, be let down by its intelligent but oh-so-marginally-flawed engine.

Alternatives:

Ford Focus: the Blue Oval's product is as strong as ever in Mk4 format, but we reckon the Mazda3 is nicer to behold, has the better chassis and it's more keenly priced/equipped than the Focus.

Vauxhall Astra: it might not seem as exciting or desirable as the Mazda3 on the surface, but a 2019-enacted programme of updates for the 2016 European Car of the Year made the Astra even lovelier to drive. Well worth considering.

Volkswagen Golf: the one the Mazda must beat. We suspect the 3's interior, at its best, can go toe-to-toe with the Volkswagen's, but the Golf Mk8 will have a wider, and possibly better, array of engines at its disposal.


Matt Robinson - 21 Feb 2020



  www.mazda.co.uk    - Mazda road tests
- Mazda news
- 3 images

2020 Mazda3 2.0 Skyactiv-X 180 Sport Lux. Image by Mazda UK.2020 Mazda3 2.0 Skyactiv-X 180 Sport Lux. Image by Mazda UK.2020 Mazda3 2.0 Skyactiv-X 180 Sport Lux. Image by Mazda UK.2020 Mazda3 2.0 Skyactiv-X 180 Sport Lux. Image by Mazda UK.2020 Mazda3 2.0 Skyactiv-X 180 Sport Lux. Image by Mazda UK.

2020 Mazda3 2.0 Skyactiv-X 180 Sport Lux. Image by Mazda UK.2020 Mazda3 2.0 Skyactiv-X 180 Sport Lux. Image by Mazda UK.2020 Mazda3 2.0 Skyactiv-X 180 Sport Lux. Image by Mazda UK.2020 Mazda3 2.0 Skyactiv-X 180 Sport Lux. Image by Mazda UK.2020 Mazda3 2.0 Skyactiv-X 180 Sport Lux. Image by Mazda UK.








 

Internal links:   | Home | Privacy | Contact us | Archives | Old motor show reports | Follow Car Enthusiast on Twitter | Copyright 1999-2024 ©