2016 Mazda3 first drive review

Athletes call them "one percenters", small details in your game that prove the difference between success and failure.

Find enough of them and a series of relatively minor refinements can make a major difference as a whole.

That's the approach Mazda took when preparing the mid-life update for the most popular car in its range. While the new Mazda3 looks like the same car that's been scrapping with small car rivals for a couple of years, engineers have squeezed a handful of improvements out of the proven platform to make it a more attractive proposition. 

Unlike most mid-life facelifts, the majority of Mazda's work lies under the skin.  

Naturally, the new car has subtly revised styling with a deeper front grille that stops where it meets new LED headlamps on the high-end GT and Astina, rather than flowing alongside the top edge of the main lights. The front fog lamps now extend across their housing toward the centre of the bumper, and the numberplate now sits lower on the car. 16-inch steel and alloy wheels on affordable models haven't changed, though there are slightly reworked 18-inch wheels for the SP25, GT and Astina.

On the inside, the cabin features a new steering wheel, while the absence of a CD player grants room for USB inputs in a handy cubby ahead of the gear selector. Top-line GT and Astina models have a new colour driving display, a digital radio tuner is now standard, and Mazda's 7.0-inch infotainment screen is better integrated within the dash. 

Other tweaks include electric folding mirrors, improved noise reduction and the addition of G-Vectoring Control - we'll get to that in a minute. Mazda says there are also improvements to the car's on-road refinement, along with subtle tweaks to the ride and handling characteristics.

But the big news is the addition of autonomous emergency braking (Mazda calls it Smart City Brake Support) as standard across the range. 

The previous Mazda3 was available with a $1500 safety pack that included blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert and autonomous emergency braking systems. That's all standard on every grade except the entry-level Neo, most of which now cost an extra $500 except for the top end Astina, which is $1550 cheaper.

The Mazda3 range retains its six-vehicle line-up that starts with the Neo at the same entry price of $20,490, a basic model that comes with a 2.0-litre engine and manual transmission as well as self-braking, steel wheels, smart keys and a stereo with Bluetooth and USB connectivity.

Priced from $22,890 in manual form, the popular Mazda3 Maxx also brings fog lamps, leather-wrapped driver controls, shift paddles, a 7.0-inch touchscreen with sat nav and a reversing camera, and alloy wheels. The mid-range Mazda3 Touring adds auto headlamps, leather trim, dual-zone climate control and other luxuries for $25,290.

Just $400 more brings buyers into the Mazda3 SP25 for $25,690, a car that has a more powerful 2.5-litre engine, along with 18-inch alloys, cloth trim, climate control and a one-touch parking brake. The $29,990 SP25 GT brings leather trim, LED tail-lamps, powered leather seats, a full-colour heads-up display with traffic sign recognition and Bose stereo systems, while the top-flight Astina adds a sunroof, memory seats, active cruise control and adaptive LED headlamps.

The Astina also comes with a more advanced safety suite with blind spot monitoring, lane keeping assistance and forward collision warning systems as well as upgraded autonomous emergency braking ability (AEB). Mazda calls the standard car's AEB "smart city braking support), owing to its 4-80km/h detection range, while the more sophisticated "smart brake support" of the Astina works at speeds approaching 160km/h.

The revised Mazda3's cabin will be instantly familiar to anyone with experience in the current car. But there are discrete differences around the air vents, door pulls and decorative trim stretching across to the passenger's side of the dashboard, as well as extra padding for elbows.

A new electronic parking brake in premium models and larger door pockets free up additional storage space while a fresh steering wheel with a smaller centre section lends a sporty vibe.

The tweaks add a dash of maturity to the cabin, which remains functional and reasonably well sorted. Mazda's "MZD Connect" isn't the most intuitive media system out there, and you won't find modern Apple CarPlay or Android Auto connectivity here.

There's a decent amount of room in the front and back though, as well as a moderately spacious boot which is home to a steel temporary spare wheel and tyre.

The Mazda3 retains its pair of 2.0-litre and 2.5-litre petrol engines, while a niche top-end diesel model has been phased out. 

The entry-level engine continues to offer impressive efficiency, with official fuel consumption as low as 5.7L/100km thanks to its stop-start system and clever engine management. The 2.0-litre unit makes an adequate 114kW and 200Nm, outputs that haven't changed since the car first arrived in 2014.

Premium models have a more powerful 2.5-litre engine that uses 6.0L/100km to offer up 138kW and 250Nm outputs for stronger performance. 

As before, a six-speed manual transmission is standard across the range, while a six-speed auto costs an additional $2000.

The engine and transmission combination remains well-calibrated, responding well to driver inputs and driving style. The auto transmission now has a sports mode, and all bar the entry-level Neo have paddle shifters that allow drivers to take control when they feel like pressing on.

Perfectly adequate around town, the little 2.0-litre unit feels a little breathless and overworked when pushed out of its comfort zone, lacking the turbocharged punch of the latest Ford Focus or Volkswagen Golf. 

It's more powerful sibling feels much stronger on the road, lending a reasonable degree of urgency to the swoopily-styled hatch.

The Mazda3 feels stable and assured on the road, with quick reactions and a light-footed approach that makes it a doddle to drive.

While it feels a dash more comfortable than its predecessor, we didn't pick a major improvement in road noise, a factor that has been a Mazda bugbear for years.

The Mazda3 is the first car in the company's line-up to offer what it calls G-Vectoring control (GVC), a system that measures driver inputs such as steering movement and adjusts the engine's torque output to balance loads between the front and rear tyres. Mazda claims the world-first system reduces the need for steering corrections on the road, making the car less taxing to drive.

Essentially, the engine fractionally reduces torque to put more weight over the front wheels when turning into a corner, before adding torque to put more weight over the rear axle for stability as the car straightens. Mazda describes the system as "extremely subtle", saying deceleration forces surrounding the system are less than 0.01 G.

We couldn't feel it working in isolation. But back-to-back drives of 2015 and 2016-spec hatchbacks on the same Dunlop tyres revealed that the newer car feels more stable when cornering, requiring fewer adjustments to hold its line on wet or dry roads. 

No doubt helped by suspension retuned with Australian conditions in mind, the unobtrusive system provides a subtle degree of assistance that doesn't detract from the driving experience. 

While GVC is not a life-changing development, it's a little element that does its best to make the revised Mazda3 a more attractive proposition.

Call it a one-percenter.

2016 Mazda3 pricing and specifications:

Mazda3 Neo         $20,490                 (no change)

Mazda3 Maxx       $22,890                 (+$500)

Mazda3 Touring    $25,290                 (+$500)

Mazda3 SP25       $25,690                 (+$500)

Mazda3 SP25 GT $29,990                 (+$200)

Mazda3 Astina      $33,490                 (-$1550)

Automatic transmission: +$2000

On sale: Now

Engines: 2.0-litre or 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol

Power: 114kW at 6000rpm or 138kW at 5700rpm

Torque: 200Nm at 4000rpm or 250Nm at 3250rpm

Transmission: Six-speed manual or automatic, front-wheel-drive

Fuel use: 5.7-5.9L/100km (2.0L), 6.0-6.5L/100km (2.5L)

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