Barcelona, 30 November 2016
There are often, the silent stars: Here the Nobel Prize winner, which no one knows, there the best-seller author, who works with pseudonym. The Mazda 3 is similar to the Mazda 3. It is the number one of the Japanese with around 460,000 units. From the beginning of 2017 the slightly different 3er gets a facelift. Are the changes worth the wait?
Optical refinements
Let's take a closer look at the 2017 Mazda 3. It is best to look at them at close quarters, because the changes do not occur immediately. This will be appreciated by the owners of the previous 3 (since 2013 on the market). New is a wider radiator grill with a lowered Mazda emblem and license plate. It empties into smaller headlights for which optional LED technology is available. Further modifications are the bumpers. The Mazda 3 is the fastest model in the 2017 model.
High quality and color
Come along, we get on: the most striking feature in the cockpit is the redesigned steering wheel with slimmer spokes. With its narrow wreath, it lies well in the hand, as of course, the thumbs to three and nine o'clock. A steering wheel heating system is available as an option. Because with the exception of the barely ordered basic version, all Mazda 3 now have an electric parking brake, the center console has been modified. In general, the materials used in the interior are convincing, a BMW 1 Series looks even simpler in comparison. New from Mazda is a colored head-up display on a small Plexiglas disk. Here, besides the tempo, things like the traffic signs or navi instructions are shown. Very nice, but the large, centrally placed speedometer (depending on the equipment line) and the visibly mounted display of the infotainment system. My opinion: Can you have, but you do not have.
It does not always have to be diesel
The engine program of the Mazda 3 has done little, but recently the 105-hp diesel supplemented the offer. Above that a self-igniter with 150 hp. Mazda has worked on the engine at both engines. But in the compact class, the diesel share is not as gigantic as you would expect. In the case of the Mazda 3, it is only about eleven percent because the model is preferred by private customers. So I take a look at the petrol program before I choose the test car. 100 hp is only available with the decoy base version for 17,990 euro, the other extreme are 165 hp. Ideal is the center, a two-liter petrol engine with 120 hp. You read right: two liters of displacement for a performance that other manufacturers of lawn mower engines squeeze with one liter and less. Mazda also waives a turbocharging, but sets a high compression ratio of 14: 1. The result is amazing 210 Newtonmeter at 4,000 revolutions.
Switch and switch
In the stand, a somewhat hard combustion noise betrays the high compression, otherwise the two-liter petrol engine remains acoustically reserved. I push the selector lever of the automatic on D and let's go. If they prefer to switch themselves: it is rewarded with 1.800 Euro minor prize, because so much is the six-speed automatic. This fat difference hurts the really positive impression. Unlike the paper itself, the automatic and the middle petrol engine are quite good. The gear change takes place subtly, if one goes normally and floats in the river. It is not until the kick-off that the engine is loud, but he also needs the high speeds. This condition does not last long, perhaps one or two seconds. Then there is rest in the box. Or expressed in figures: 2,500 revolutions at tempo 120. The engine remains quiet, wind noise from 130 km / h. I was amazed by the consumption value: Despite automatic and sometimes high speeds, the on-board computer after an highway highway mix averaged 6.5 liters. There are turbo-benzines, the more powerful the tank.
Put on the G-spot
What else is there to say about the Mazda 3? Comfortable front seat, but no exhilarating place in the rear. And that, although the five-door (there is also a little demanded stepped tail here) is quite generous 4.47 meters long. In the rolling behavior, a little more suppleness would be desirable, especially the rear axle sometimes acts somewhat roughly. Without flaw and blame is the lively driving behavior. This is made possible by direct steering and the new G-Vectoring Control. Behind this, minimal adjustments are made to the motor torque during turning into the curve. As a result, the wheel loads are varied and more lateral power transmitted. In other words, the Mazda 3 w
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