#01#Mazda's 'Fly-Drive' media event - an annual recurrence now in its third year - is a fantastic opportunity to test the mettle of the company's latest offerings on the magnificent West Country roads and take a ride through the skies in an acrobatic aircraft. While the balmy temperatures and rays of sun have some journalists lunging for the keys to Mazda's compact MX-5 roadster, we're here to get our hands on the latest Sport derivation of the new Mazda3 diesel.

Mazda has been consistently creating better variations of its C-segment Mazda3 since the first model appeared in 2003. Based on Ford's C1 platform (which also underpins the Focus and Volvo S40), the chassis was honed by Mazda and employs MacPherson struts with coil springs and an anti-roll bar at the front and a rear multi-link set up. It has always made for a spirited and practical family car, though it fell short of its rivals in terms of quality and dynamic ability.

A diesel version of the Mazda3 was launched in 2004 with a Ford/PSA-developed 1.6-litre unit creating 89bhp or 108bhp. Though the engine was a decent first attempt, it lacked refinement and was more akin to farm equipment than drivers would have liked. Mazda has therefore decided to add a new oil-burner to the Mazda3 line-up: the 2-litre turbocharged 'MZR CD'.

Putting out 141bhp at 3500rpm and producing 266lb.ft of twist at a low 2000rpm, the new powerplant is quite punchy, but also commendably smooth. As expected, the engine really comes alive around 2000rpm when the turbocharger kicks in and all 266lb.ft.of torque becomes available, but it has acceptable levels of pulling power even before that mark. Driving along in third gear demonstrates a consistently even stream of power between 2000rpm and its 5000rpm redline.

Just as the new powerplant is refined, its diesel clatter is equally subdued. The addition of what Mazda calls an 'ultra-high pressure' common-rail injection system injects the fuel at up to 1800 bar into the cylinders and enables multi stage injection of up to six 'shots' per cycle, decreasing diesel knock and combustion noise while enhancing efficiency. New insulation fitted to the engine compartment effectively prevents engine noise from filtering into the cabin and lends to the overall feeling of refinement. The only downside is that the driver will notice the road noise over certain road surfaces, emphasised by the Sport's large 205/50 R17 tyres. #p##02# Power is transferred to the front axle though a six-speed manual gearbox, fitted with a dual-mass flywheel to quell transmission noise and vibrations. The transmission in the Sport we drove felt slightly notchy and was sometimes reluctant to engage gears. This is a characteristic we have found on one of the examples of the Mazda3 MPS we drove too.

Mazda's engineers have also retuned the suspension, fitting 2mm larger front and rear anti-roll bars and stiffening the coil springs and dampers in the 2-litre diesel models. A new bracket (introduced in the mildly revised 2007 models) is claimed to reduce suspension housing deformation and is combined with a new front upper plate, cowl member and larger middle tunnel cross member from the performance-oriented MPS model.

The suspension is sprightly yet compliant and absorbs B-road bumps and undulations without jarring occupants, but while the setup minimises wheel camber change in corners and maintains stability through reduced roll, spirited driving will still induce unwanted levels of understeer. This can be easily corrected through subtle throttle lift causing the front end to tuck back into line; a testament to the refined chassis balance. Steering feel however is a bit more vague than its Golf and Focus rivals, but it is responsive and communicative.

Stopping power is provided by ventilated 300mm front and solid 280mm rear discs, with good pedal feel and composure. Fade only became apparent after four laps through the chicanes at Castle Combe race circuit, an unlikely habitat for this particular model. The brake system also features ABS, EBD, and emergency brake assist as standard.

As in Mazda3 models across the range, the cabin of the diesel Sport offers a high level of standard amenities and has good ergonomics. The steering wheel is adjustable for height and reach and the seat height can also be adjusted. Prominent red-lit gauges behind the leather bound steering wheel are easy to read and the air conditioning and entertainment controls are simple to operate. #p##04# Mazda3 MZR CD models are available in either TS2 or Sport guises. While the TS2 offers high levels of kit, the Sport trim we drove replaces its 16-inch wheels with tastier 17-inch alloys, adds Xenon headlamps, front fogs, a Bose audio system, rain sensing wipers and styling enhancements including sportier bumpers, side skirts and a rear spoiler.

The Sport spec is priced at a reasonable £17,910, but it no longer undercuts comparably equipped rivals by a significant margin. Given all the improvements however, we'd still say it's worth a trip to your Mazda dealer to check it out.

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Mazda3 hatchback range overview

Model	UK (£ on-the-road)	Ireland: (€ on-the-road)
Mazda3 1.4 5dr S	£11,400	n/a
Mazda3 1.4 5dr TS	£12,700	n/a
Mazda3 1.6 5dr S Diesel (90ps)	£12,900	n/a
Mazda3 1.6 5dr Katano	£12,995	n/a
Mazda3 1.6 5dr TS	£13,300	n/a
Mazda3 1.6 5dr TS2	£14,260	n/a
Mazda3 1.6 5dr TS Activematic	£14,300	n/a
Mazda3 1.6 5dr TS Diesel (109ps)	£14,800	n/a
Mazda3 1.6 5dr TS2 Activematic	£15,260	n/a
Mazda3 1.6 5dr TS2 Diesel (109ps)	£15,700	n/a
Mazda3 2.0 5dr Sport	£16,330	n/a
Mazda3 2.0 5dr TS2 Diesel 143ps	£16,730	n/a
Mazda3 2.0 5dr Sport Diesel 143ps	£17,910	n/a
Mazda3 2.3 5dr DISI Turbo MPS	£18,995	n/a
Mazda3 2.3 5dr DISI Turbo MPS with Sports Aero Kit	£19,495	n/a
Mazda3 1.4 5dr COMFORT	n/a	€19,645
Mazda3 1.4 5dr COMFORT SE	n/a	€20,795
Mazda3 1.4 5dr TOURING	n/a	€21,795
Mazda3 1.6 5dr COMFORT SE	n/a	€21,995
Mazda3 1.6 5dr TOURING	n/a	€22,995
Mazda3 1.6D 90ps 5dr COMFORT	n/a	€24,245
Mazda3 1.6D 110ps 5dr COMFORT SE	n/a	€25,995