The Mazda3 is a small-medium car with excellent styling. Styling that was great news to those who loved cars with a bit of pizzazz. After a conservative period when it was in financial strife, Mazda bounced back onto the style scene, with the Mazda3 being considered one of the best of them all.

The ‘3 was the replacement for the long-running Mazda 323 series, a car that had built up an excellent reputation for quality and reliability in Australia over several decades. The name change was made because Mazda saw this latest range as heralding a complete new generation of models. Conservative buyers were suspicious of the new name at first, but the Mazda3 is now an accepted and respected car amongst them.

Mazda3 is sold in two different versions each with a quite different character. Though similar under the skin, the four-door sedan and five-door hatchback bodies share no visible external panels, the latter having a real sporting note, the former being slightly more conservative. There’s a big degree of commonality in the cabin of the two variants.

Cabin space is good without being outstanding and, as is not unusual in this class of car, you have to juggle the front seat spacing if you want to carry big adults in the back seat.

It comes as no surprise that this Mazda scores really well in traditional areas such as superb build quality, where it makes the Europeans look rather ordinary. Japanese build quality is something we have long admired and Mazda has consistently been near, or at, the forefront in this important aspect.

The standard models get a 2.0-litre four-cylinder powerplant, the sporty Mazda3 SP23 has a 2.3-litre version of the same engine. Not only does it have 15 per cent more capacity, but also variable valve timing on the inlet valves to fatten out its torque graph.

Transmission options in the standard Mazda3 range are five-speed manual and four-speed automatic with both engines. (The MPS variant has a six-speed, more about that model in a moment.)

Mazda Australia had been in the forefront of safety for some time in Australia so it came as no surprise that the mid-life upgrade of the ‘3 in July 2006 saw ABS fitted to all cars in the range irrespective of price.

At part of that upgrade the body of the Mazda3 gained extra rigidity to reduce NVH (Noise, Vibration and Harshness) entry. There were also changes to the suspension settings, the tyre design as well as the fitment of additional under-bonnet and under-roof sound-deadening materials. We reckon the Series 2 ‘3 is the one to opt for if your budget is up to it.

Mazda joined the hot-hatch brigade with an MPS (Mazda Performance Series) version of the Mazda3. The hot 2.3-litre, four-cylinder, turbocharged engine used in the Mazda3 MPS produces up to 380 Newton metres, although the engineers opted to go only for front-wheel drive models. Electronic stability controls mean that the torque steer, which could have made the car all but undriveable at times, are able to tame the car. Maximum power (190 kilowatts) and torque aren't generally available in first and second gear, the engine only able to be boosted to its maximum in the final four ratios of the six-speed gearbox.

Insurance costs for the Mazda3 MPS can be fearsome, so check on them before falling in love with the performance and chassis dynamics. On the other hand the cost of insurance in the standard models in the ‘3 range is about average for the fully-imported class.

Similarly, spare parts and servicing costs are about what you would expect from a car of this type. Home repairers will find the Mazda3 isn’t overly complicate and that access to the underbonnet area isn’t as crowded as in some other cars of this size.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

Still relatively new on the market, but at this stage we have heard of no ongoing troubles with the Mazda3. Nor do we anticipate any given our previous experiences with many different Mazdas.

Check for crash damage or previous repairs, no matter how minor, as these can seriously affect the resale value of the car. Look for paint colours that don’t quite match from panel to panel. Sight along the doors and look for ripples in the finish of the panels. Look out for tiny specks of paint on surfaces that shouldn’t be painted, such as windows, badges and brightwork.

Look for severe tyre wear, particularly on the front tyres and especially on the high-performance variants off the Mazda3.

A damaged interior – don’t forget to check the boot – is likely to be a sign of an uncaring driver. And bored kids can do terrible things to the rear-seat area.

Bad driving can damage a gearbox and/or clutch in a surprisingly short time. Make sure the clutch takes up positively, that the gearchanges are all light and easy to make.

An automatic transmission that has harsh changes and/or which changes at the wrong time, or refuses to change at all, may need to be serviced. Or even major repairs.

HOW MUCH?

Budget on paying from $10,000 to $16,000 for a 2004 Neo hatch; $13,000 to $19,000 for a 2004 Maxx sedan; $15,000 to $22,000 for a 2006 Maxx Sport; $18,000 to $25,000 for a 2007 diesel; $20,000 to $29,000 for a 2008 SP23; $23,000 to $31,000 for a 2006 MPS; and $27,000 to $36,000 for a 2008 MPS Sports Pack.

CAR BUYING TIP