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07/03/2010
By EWAN KENNEDY
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The Mazda3 MZR-CD is a rare beast amongst Japanese cars – it has a turbo-diesel engine in a market segment that's almost exclusively petrol powered. Though European car buyers, admittedly helped by big tax breaks, have embraced the economy of diesel fuel for decades, Japanese buyers simply don’t like it. They see diesel engines as being powerplants for commercial vehicles, not for cars. Interestingly, there are plenty of Japanese 4WDs and SUVs with diesel options, but that's probably because these are still seen to some extents as descendants of trucks.
Mazda has long been at the forefront of engine design being, amongst other things, the only car company still working on the Wankel rotary engine. So it doesn't come as any real surprise that Mazda is having a go at the passenger diesel market.
The Mazda four-cylinder turbo-diesel is a good size at 2.2 litres, indeed, it's shared with the larger and heavier Mazda6 diesel. This 110 kW unit not only trims fuel bills, but also provides plenty of performance. For example it can move the Mazda from rest to 100 km/h in just 8.5 seconds. More importantly in real life situations, it has the grunt to get you out and around a slow vehicle in an overtaking situation. Acceleration from 80 to 120 km/h in third gear takes only 6.1 seconds.
During our week’s road testing we found the Mazda using about six to seven litres per hundred kilometres in flat country driving and on the motorway. Keen economy drivers will have no trouble bringing it down into the five-litre bracket. Around town consumption is unlikely to rise over the eight litre mark and only the hardest drivers will see anywhere near 10 litres per hundred kilometres.
To make its diesel more attractive, Mazda Australia has cleverly arranged for the sporting variant to be imported here. The Mazda3 MZR-CD comes with a good looking body kit, comprising a front spoiler, rear wing, side skirts and alloy wheels. This car can fool bystanders into thinking it's anything but an economy special. Nice one, Mazda.
The latest Mazda turbo-diesel engine is fitted with a smaller turbocharger than the won in the superseded ‘3 diesel. This makes for less turbo lag and also provides more willingness to rev. This shows up in performance that's slower than that of a similar capacity petrol engine for the first second or so after you push the pedal on the right. But after that it gets up and flies and is great to sit behind.
In the European manner, the Mazda3 MZR-CD comes only with a six-speed manual gearbox in the interests of extra economy. Mazda is known to be working on a new design of economical automatic transmission, for all models not just diesels, but the release date has yet to be announced.
On the road this diesel is quiet and relatively smooth, indeed it's almost as good as a four-cylinder petrol unit in this way. But there is the typical diesel clatter when you listen to it from outside the car. It's most obvious when the engine is cold after an overnight stop and the Japanese powerplant is not as good as similar four-cylinder engines from the European marques in the quietness stakes. But the Japanese have little experience in this type of engine type so that's hardly a surprise.
Ride comfort in the Mazda is good and the interior can cope with four adults without the need for a lot of compromise in the amount of legroom behind the front seats. Three children fit easily into the back seat, three adults is likely to be a squeeze. Boot space is good in the sedan and hatch and the latter is especially easy to load. As is usually the case, sound and vibration levels are better in the four-door sedan than in the five-door hatch, but the latter is still pretty good.
Handling is good, but there's no doubt that the heavy diesel engine brings in understeer sooner than a petrol unit. But, despite its sporty appearance the Mazda diesel isn't the sort of car to appeal to the hard driver who will push the car to the stage of it understeering.
This economy Mazda is certainly no stripped down special and standard equipment includes air conditioning, satellite navigation, a leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls, Bluetooth connectivity and cruise control.
Nevertheless, turbo-diesels are always going to cost more than non-turbo petrols. The 2010 Mazda3 diesel is sold only as a five-door hatchback format, both have the same manufacturer’s recommended list price of $29,715.
AT A GLANCE
MAZDA3 MODEL RANGE
Neo 2.0-litre five-door hatch: $21,330 (manual), $23,330 (automatic)
Neo 2.0-litre four-door sedan: $21,330 (manual), $23,330 (automatic)
Maxx 2.0-litre five-door hatch: $24,240 (manual), $26,240 (automatic)
Maxx 2.0-litre four-door sedan: $24,240 (manual), $26,240 (automatic)
Maxx Sport 2.0-litre five-door hatch: $26,845 (manual), $28,845 (automatic)
Maxx 2.0-litre four-door sedan: $26,845 (manual), $28,845 (automatic)
SP25 2.5-litre five-door hatch: $29,740 (manual), $31,920 (automatic)
MZR-CD 2.2-litre turbo-diesel five-door hatch: $29,715 (manual)
MZR-CD 2.2-litre turbo-diesel four-door sedan: $29,715 (manual)
FEATURES
ABS Brakes: Standard on all models
Air Conditioning: Standard on all models
Automatic Transmission: Not offered on MZR-CD, optional on all others
CD Player: Standard on all models
Central Locking: Standard on all models
Cruise Control: Standard on all models
Dual Front Airbags: Standard on all models
Front Side Airbags: Standard on all models
Stability Control: Standard on all models
Traction Control: Standard on all models
SPECIFICATIONS (Mazda3 MZR-CD 2.2-litre turbo-diesel five-door hatch)
ENGINE:
Capacity: 2.184 litres
Configuration: Four cylinders in line
Head Design: DOHC, four valves per cylinder
Compression Ratio: 16.3:1
Bore/Stroke: 86.0 x 94.0 mm
Maximum Power: 110 kW @ 3500 rpm
Maximum Torque: 360 Nm @ 1800 rpm
DRIVELINE:
Driven Wheels: Front
Manual Transmission: Six-speed
Automatic Transmission: Not offered
Final Drive Ratio: 3.421:1
DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:
Length: 4460 mm
Wheelbase: 2640 mm
Width: 1755 mm
Height: 1470 mm
Turning Circle: 10.9 metres
Kerb Mass: 1280 kg
Fuel Tank Capacity: 55 litres
Towing Ability: 500 kg (900kg with braked trailer)
SUSPENSION AND BRAKES:
Front Suspension: MacPherson struts
Rear Suspension: Multi-link
Front Brakes: Ventilated Disc
Rear Brakes: Disc
PERFORMANCE:
0-100 km/h Acceleration: NA
FUEL CONSUMPTION:
Type: Diesel
Combined Cycle (ADR 81/02): 5.7 L/100km
GREEN VEHICLE GUIDE RATINGS:
Greenhouse Rating: 7.5/10
Air Pollution Rating: 5/10
STANDARD WARRANTY:
Three years/unlimited km
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