Test drive Mazda 323 F 1994 - 1997 hatchback

Modest charm

Many of us when buying a car, not even noticing this ourselves, pay a lot of attention to the nationality of a future purchase. This is especially felt if the pre-passing car also had exotic roots. The former owner of the American model will probably first get acquainted with the offer of American automotive traders in this price range, and only then will go to watch other options. The admirer of French, German or even Korean cars will do the same - we still get used to our car, or rather, to its features. Against this background, the situation with cars of Japanese brands looks rather unusual - for the most part their buyers, even if they previously owned vehicles of other companies, choose them consciously, carefully calculating all the pros and cons.

Apparently, the pluses with a great advantage win, although the Japanese can interest not only this. Almost all auto manufacturers of the Land of the Rising Sun, including Mazda, which will be discussed today, are very often changing and improving their models, especially when it comes to a very popular and in demand for the machine.

Following a long-standing tradition, and the models of almost all Japanese are changing with the regularity of four to five years, Mazda with enviable regularity represents customers around the world, including us, the latest models and modifications. True, our test today is a little different. The tested Mazda 323S, the sales of which began less than six months ago, is just the restyling of the previous model. Although this does not mean her merits and does not make her less new. Mazda has long established itself in our market, and the number of new or almost new cars with a stylized logo of M on the false radiator lattice is excessive confirmation that run along our roads.

Mazda brand design is constant disputes. Some are delighted with the smooth contours of the body of modern or even the previous 626th, some, on the contrary, can not tolerate it to the spirit. I must say that after the removal of the previous 323F, many are unsubstantially reproached by Mazda in the excessive modesty of the external design of its machines. If the aforementioned EFKA attracted the attention of everyone and everything, then the modern 323rd on a work of art is clearly not pulling. However, this is not required of them, especially since these are simply transitional models. Their goal is to maintain the level of sales at the proper level until completely new, designed, as they say, from a clean sheet of models. And judging by the concepts of Mazda, which the company represents to almost every large car dealership, the models that will appear in the next year or two will look much more aggressive and more stylish. The same can be said about modern hatchbacks of the third series. They, unlike the sedan, have not such a conservative appearance, especially for the design of the back of the car, so they look, in my opinion, much more attractive. However, it all depends on the color of the car. Mazda 323s, painted in a light metallic, looks very beautiful and solid. Moreover, from afar it can be mistaken for a larger 626th. After restyling, both sedans have a lot of similar details, which undoubtedly affects the 323rd image in a very positive way.

External conservatism has a continuation in the design of the internal space. In other words, everything is extremely functional, convenient, but somehow without any venture. And even if you travel the 323rd all day, then the next day you can hardly remember what shape the panel had the car. However, all this does not interfere: it is easy to control, pleasant in motion. Even with a 1.6-liter engine, the car can be called dynamic, although in order to feel this, you will have to raise the tachometer arrow in the 3000th mark. Only then does the engine begin to breathe in full chest. The second half of the working area of \u200b\u200bthe tachometer shooter flies much faster than the range from idle revolutions to the above mark. And if the road conditions allow you not to lower the momentum below 3000 rpm, then even the most fastidious rider will arise any complaints about the dynamics of the 323rd. The only thing that embarrasses is that in the urban crowd, such an engine is not always pleasant, moreover, some would surely prefer a good traction on the bottoms of such a groovy character. After all, it is there that she is not enough.

The car rides, but acceleration is very lethargic, and only switching down in the root changes the situation. This disease of almost all models with a sixteen -valve engine with the DOHC abbreviation. The motor with two camshafts loves high speeds very much, and so that the buyer can really feel the advantage of such a scheme over the usual ones, the peak of torque has to be moved to a zone of higher revolutions. True, it is worth noting that in this situation, Mazda looks good. It is possible to achieve detonation from the engine only by direct provocation, that is, the inclusion of the highest gear at an unacceptable low speed. In all other cases, everything happens in the previous scenario: the car goes, but accelerates extremely reluctantly, although again without the slightest signs of detonation. The only thing that I did not really like during the test is the passion of the car to carefully process all the small defects of the road surface. Mazda large pits are painless, but all sorts of small cracks and joints make the car tremble. However, this is not the biggest drawback, given the good, one might even say, impeccable behavior of the car on the road.

Given all of the above, you yourself can make a portrait of the new Mazda 323. Maybe, of course, I am not a very good artist, but in this picture I wanted to show an impeccably collected, reliable and unpretentious, with a good genealogy and established traditions of a car. Maybe he is a little modest, but this, you must agree, is not the biggest drawback, because the main thing is, albeit without much emotion, this is not a Frenchman, Mazda is silently and meekly does his job. And judging by the testimonies of experts, she is ready to do this for almost infinitely long.

In the statistical calculations of the German ADAC Mazda automobile club, with its models, it has been lying as a manufacturer of the most reliable cars for several years in a row. Moreover, this applies to both new and used cars. High reliability is a guarantee that in the first years of operation, including at the end of the warranty period, you will have to spend money only on planned ones, without which, as you know, not even the most reliable, the car will not serve for a long time. By the way, for buyers of new Mazda there is another pleasant news: due to the high promotion of the brand, over time, Mazda cars lose much less in price than competitors.

Subjective opinion:

(+) Good quality assembly and interior decoration, a large supply of space for sitting in the cabin, a large trunk and the presence of a full -sized spare wheel.

(-) The engine is sluggish at low speeds, a harsh suspension when passing small irregularities.

Text: Pavel Kozlovsky
 

A source: Autogazet / N 33 (336) dated 10.10.01