2019 Mazda 3 Hatch

Brand new for 2019 sees the latest Mazda 3 Hatch come our way.  Words like stylish, FWD, frugal, hatchback and Mazda are common and popular, and like a ‘duck to water’ these attributes are loved by a big market segment of new car buyers.  So-much-so, that the 2018/19 Mazda 3 has sold in higher numbers than the latest Toyota Corolla hatchback in Australia.  Mazda’s 3 hatchback only comes behind the Hilux, Ranger and Triton for new car sales for early 2019, remembering that these other three are utes/SUVs.

The word ‘Style’ has plenty of verb action behind the word’s nounish meaning.  With the Mazda 3 Hatch the car has a styling class that designates it with its own special breed of car, a breed that no other car manufacturer emanates.  Mazda has put a lot of energy into making their new cars flowing, aerodynamic and pleasing on the eye.  The 2019 Mazda 3 captures motion in its striking form and the car’s road presence is more exciting than some other weird looking hatchback shapes that are out there on our roads.  Distinctively Mazda, the new 2019 3 looks attractive -and attractive sells cars!

Hop inside the new Mazda 3 Hatch, and its interior design is excellent.  Beautifully crafted, the dash is stylish and simple.  Higher-end models boast a two-tone colour that really looks sharp.  Build quality inside the new Mazda 3 is very hard to beat, with all the trimmings very nicely put together at the seams.  Accentuated stitching is reserved for the luxury models, but even the base Mazda 3 hatchback has soft touch surfaces and a good-looking fascia – if not a bit black/dark greyish.

2019 Mazda 3 Hatch

New Mazda3 Hatchbacks kick off with the Mazda 3 Pure.  Inside this model you’ll find an 8.8-inch widescreen touchscreen display, Mazda’s excellent radar cruise control and even satellite navigation.  Not bad for an entry model.  Mazda 3 Evolve models have, in addition to the Pure’s high equipment levels, a paddle shift gear control (auto only), dual-zone climate control with rear vents and wider 18-Inch alloy wheels.  Mazda Evolve boasts some very nice interiors with features like: advanced keyless entry, an auto-dimming driver side mirror and leather seats with the driver’s seat boasting power adjustment.

More power comes with the Mazda 3 and the 2.5-litre motor, and the higher power also gets the owner some other nice features.  The G25 Evolve gets cool features like: cylinder deactivation, advanced keyless entry and driver seat power adjustment.  My favourite new Mazda 3 Hatch model happens to be the G25 GT with the more powerful engine and a very luxurious and well-equipped interior.  The GT even has exterior mirrors with a heating function, a very nice audio upgrade in the form of the Bose premium sound system, heated seats and a heated steering wheel.

2019 Mazda 3 Hatch Luxury

I wouldn’t say ‘no’ to the Mazda 3 Astina either.  A very special flagship model with sporty styling and features like a 360° view monitor, power sliding and tilt glass sun-roof, as well as Mazda’s vision technology all add up to one very nice hatchback experience.

So when you think over the available equipment for the Mazda 3 which includes 16- and 18-inch alloy rims with a selection of metallic paint jobs, a 7-inch instrument cluster display, a windscreen-projected Active Driving Display, the standard 8-speaker sound system (Bose 12-speaker system optional), 8.8-inch widescreen display and the MZD Connect infotainment system you are living in hatchback luxury.

Mazda’s MZD Connect infotainment system has been updated with new graphics, improved voice recognition and interface structure.  You have a new split-screen view function which is a nice techy addition.  Cycling through the menu on the left side of the screen is accompanied by an available option on the right side.  Navigation and audio information can be displayed together.

Mazda safety is very good, and a quick count has a new 2019 Mazda 3 Hatch boasting seven airbags, the count including a driver’s knee airbag, curtain and front side airbags.  Mazda’s i-Activsense suite of active safety and driver assist systems has also been given more features and systems.  A new Driver Monitoring system, Front Cross Traffic Alert (FCTA) and Cruising and Traffic Support (CTS) are now available.  CTS is a form of low-speed adaptive cruise control.  Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) that works with Traffic Sign Recognition (TSR) to prevent the driver from exceeding the speed limit by proposing a speed limiter be active is a cool feaure. There’s also a 360-degree view monitor and the Adaptive LED Headlights (ALH) now have an LED array divided more finely into 20 blocks that can be turned on or off independently.  Mazda Radar Cruise Control (MRCC) gains a stop-and-go function for automatic transmission models, while the Smart Brake Support (SBS) keeps an eye out for you at all times.  Stray bikes and night-time pedestrians come under the eye of the SBS which is also linked to the car’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert system.

Mazda’s latest 3 Hatch boasts a lightweight, high-rigidity body design, and one thing that is very likable about the Mazda 3 Hatch is that it remains quick and agile over any road surface and through the corners.  Particularly when mated to the 2.5-litre engine, the new Mazda 3 is a fast performer.  Holding its own very easily on the motorway, the car feels smooth and composed.  I really rate it.

A closer look at the engines that power the new Mazda 3 Hatch reveals that the G20 Pure, G20 Evolve and G20 Touring use the efficient new 2.0 litre in-line 4-cylinder 16-valve DOHC S-VT petrol engine with i-stop technology.  This modern engine can give you an excellent driving experience as well as very good fuel economy.  A combined fuel consumption of around 6.5 litres/100 km can be expected.  The motor can run on unleaded petrol (91RON or higher) and pumps out 114 kW at 6000 rpm.  Torque is a strong 200 Nm at 4000 rpm.  Acceleration is swift but not ground shatteringly fast.  A 0-100 km/h sprint should take around 10 seconds.

The G25 Evolve, G25 GT and G25 Astina all use the smooth and strong 2.5 litre in-line 4 cylinder 16-valve DOHC S-VT petrol engine with i-stop and cylinder deactivation technology.  In reality the larger motor is only a little bit thirstier on fuel when driven lightly, however the 2.5-litre can really get up and go when prodded – and of course the harder you drive the thirstier the car becomes.  But you can average less than 7 litres/100 km easily when driven gently.  Who won’t enjoy the higher 139 kW output at 6000 rpm and larger 252 Nm pull of torque in the mid-range.  Plant your foot and the G25 models can see off the 0-100 km/h sprint in around 7.5 seconds.

You have plenty of choice, as you can see, between trim levels, engines and whether you’ll link up with a six-speed manual or six-speed auto gearbox.  I truly believe Mazda cars are some of the best you’ll drive anywhere, and I think that they have still been battling the image, decades old, of being somehow inferior to Honda, Toyota and high-end European cars.  But, these days they are leading the way on many fronts.  Style, reliability and FWD handling are some of the best out there, so make sure you try a new Mazda 3 before you buy elsewhere.

2019 Mazda 3 Hatch

The 2019 Mazda 3 Hatchback models include the:

• G20 Pure
• G20 Evolve
• G20 Touring
• G25 Evolve
• G25 GT
• G25 Astina

For any more information on the new Mazda 3 Hatch or, for that matter, any other new car, contact one of our friendly consultants on 1300 303 181.  If you’d like some fleet discount pricing (yes even for private buyers!), we can submit vehicle quote requests out to our national network of Mazda dealers and come back with pricing within 24 hours.  Private Fleet – car buying made easy!