Test drive Mazda Mazda 3 (Axela) Sedan 2004 - 2009 sedan

Japanese arrow

Mazda3 is not inferior to the Italian rival, but more loyal to the driver
 
Alfa Romeo 147 had a competitor. For those who are well versed in cars, I think other comments are not required. But still I will explain that Italian cars have always been valued for excellent running qualities, and few people managed to surpass them. Meanwhile, the new Mazda3 if I could not jump higher, it certainly came close to the opponent. And according to other criteria and surpassed her.
 
and gleam in the eyes
 
Even now, after the test, I look at the photo of Mazda3, and I feel a pleasant excitement in my soul. There is something special in it, a certain draft, clinging to the living. And the matter, most likely, is not in the appearance of the car as a whole, but in the details, which at first you simply do not pay attention. In general, you rarely think about why it is necessary, for example, this impressive stamping on the hood or molding walking along the sides. Of course, a person who was enthusiastic would immediately say that all these details are designed to optimally distribute aerodynamic flows. Like, the hood thus tries not to resist the audit air, but as if cuts it, delicately directing it to the sides. And decorative strips on the sides of the doors do not allow dirt from the road to rise to the level of glasses, cutting it off on the distant approaches.
 
All this, of course, is right. But we are talking about the fact that these elements are not just functional, but subordinated to a special design plan. Say, the same Molding facilitates the visual perception of the sidewall. Imagine that he is not. The wall of iron will come out, which is crowned with small door windows. Great. Or take the hood: stamping, tapering to the radiator grill, gives appearance solidity and courage, if you look at the car in front or in the rearview mirror. At the same time, the low edges of this body part when viewed from the side make the silhouette lighter.
 
Probably, in order not to make a completely combed car from the Mazda3, the Japanese stylists diluted his appearance with some intentionally rude details. Not in the sense that they are replete with straight angles and sharp faces, but athletic. These elements work more on the image of the machine. For example, wings, muscular shoulder zones of the body, sharply expanded due to the same stamping, sharp, like a well -sharpened ax, the edges of the headlights, intricate air intakes in the front bumper. In general, in three days of communication with the model, I noticed that a rare person looks indifferent to her.
 
This is the new corporate style, which was recently laid in the senior Mazda6 rank. Treshka, who only appeared on the Russian market, incorporated its best features, but at the same time looks a completely independent model. The sedan and hatchback, moreover, received various forms of the front. The first is designed for a rather conservative buyer who prefers a more solid car in appearance. Therefore, the severity in it is smaller, the forms are more calm. The five -door claims to the laurels of a car intended for fans of the sports style of driving, and therefore looks menacing. Behind her steering wheel, you expect to see a person with a gleam in the eyes.
 
But the Mazda3 salon, regardless of the type of body, carries a sports spirit in itself. And also the memories of Alfa Romeo 147, which, as I said, is the main competitor of the Japanese model. It is only worth open the door, and the dashboard is thrown into the eyes, which inevitably causes associations with Italian machines. Firstly, the trio scales devices. Each of them is drowned in a separate well with a chrome rim. Together, they resemble the nozzles of the aviation engine. Secondly, the arrows of the devices look strictly down. In some ways, the Japanese even overwhelmed Italian designers. For example, in the backlight of the instrument panel. As soon as you turn on the ignition, bright red numbers, framed by a blue rim glowing in the dark, come to life.
 
Fruits of savings
 
Any detail in the cabin attracts attention, only leaves, like a young Tuscan wine, the aftertaste - from a delightful bouquet to a light bitterness. Unfortunately, there is bitterness in the interior. So, the desire to unify and reduce expenses is reflected in the central console. The handle of the hand brake, for example, is located closer to the right chair, and the block of the cup holders, which is covered by the lid, separates it from the driver's seat. Maybe it is just so conceived, given that the treshka does not claim to be the expanse of business class cars? I would believe this if the same cover opened aside from me, and not vice versa. And the handbrake can be captured, only slightly turning the brush and taking his hand to the side. In general, it is clear that this is a legacy of the right -handed modification for the Japanese market.
 
A similar picture with a radio and climate control system with which the car was equipped. I repeat once again that there is nothing criminal in this, but the rotary regulator of the radio tuning is closer to the driver, and the handle, which is in charge of the sound quality settings - further. Personally, I am used to seeing this equipment in a mirror reflection. The climatic installation was also pleased with the handle responsible for the temperature of the air, which is classified away to the passenger chair. Such trifles will have to be used to.
 
Let me allow a few words directly about the radio. I don’t know how great Mazda’s claims are regarding the quality of the sound of musical systems, but the fact is that any other, except for the proprietary one, cannot be established in the cabin. In the basic version, cars are equipped with a simple radio receiver, which, however, occupies the entire upper part of the central console. The settings block with a volume handle in the middle are equipped with a flickering strip, which accompanies with blinking of light bulbs every effect. Under it is a wide panel with only two round regulators, just above - a panel of choosing a sound source with several buttons, and on top of this farm - a narrow display that displays current settings. So, it is not possible to implant any other, except for the proprietary, except for the proprietary. If you decide on this, it turns out that half of the equipment on the console is worthless. Meanwhile, the standard radio receiver is proposed to be built as it were, supplementing it with a cassette or CD player. This, in principle, is not expensive, but I buy Mazda3 in my own garage, I would definitely have spent on new acoustics. The factory, frankly, does not shine either the details of the study, or the purity of sound.
 
But back to the interior. In general, excluding the described miscalculations in ergonomics, and more precisely, a small savings when finishing a machine for the European market, everything is at a fairly high level. Encouraging the eye line, comfortable chairs with a very wide range of adjustments, a grave steering wheel of a small diameter, sheathed with perforated skin. On it, by the way, is also Japanese, that is, on the left, and not on the right, the radio control buttons are located. But in this case, it was not required to change anything: the left hand is constantly on the steering wheel, so the keys under it is just right.
 
As for the materials of the finish, there are no complaints to the fabric that the chairs and part of the doors are. But plastic could be softer. Although the one that is applied is quite good. At least touch it is not disgusting, since a slightly rough layer is applied on top, resembling rubber in texture.
However, the salon really begins to like in the dark. Direct -red backlight of buttons and controls, plus secret neon bulbs in niches, plus the original coloring of the dashboard - this spectacle attracts attention for a long time and does not irritate the eye at all. There is not enough mild glow of the navigation system at the very top of the central console, which, unfortunately, does not come to us.
 
Here, not a dangerous turn ...
 
However, it is time to tell about the most interesting - about the running qualities of Mazda3. If you run a little forward, I will say that the car is so distinguished by so distinct behavior on the road that you instantly forget about all the annoying misses described above. Treshka is unsusible claims to the role of a leader in his class. It seems that there are no innovations in the car suspension (only new fasteners of the subframe to the body appeared, designed to reduce the number of noise and vibrations transmitted to the salon, from behind - a long -term scheme has long established itself), but its kinematics is tuned with taste, until recently inherent only inherent inherent inherent inherent in Italian engineers.
 
Yes, the car turned out a little harsh, but not so much as to greatly annoy the passengers. But the responses to the actions of the steering wheel are almost perfect. The characteristics of the steering hydraulic control are canceled, so you constantly feel the exact degree of rotation of the wheels. On the road, all this is poured into fairly sharp reactions to the movements of the steering wheel, the almost complete absence of rolls in corners and the completely predictable and smooth start of the demolition of the rear axle. At the same time, there is a desire to put the car sideways in almost every turn: sliding is so pleasant, and so easy to overcome them. The same qualities are glorious and Alfa Romeo 147, however, in favor of the driver, and also, perhaps, the Italian is slightly losing Mazda in ergonomics.
 
It is clear that such a story is harsh as our reality. Most of the Mazda3 buyers are unlikely to ever deliberately cause a skid. However, it is already useful that in the event of an error, the driver easily adjusts the position of the car on the road. And the kinematics of the suspension and the adhesive properties of the tires with more than enough to inject a sufficient dose of adrenaline into the blood. For this car, it seems, there are no dangerous turns - each of them turns into a fervent game for the driver, without causing a drop of fear. The only complaint is not a too informative brake pedal, especially when you have to slowly slow down at high speed. Then you have to apply it a little more effort than I would like. However, I repeat, this is a matter of habit.
 
A few words about the engine. The test car was equipped with a two-liter 150-horsepower engine. Paired with a mechanical gearbox with excellent selectivity and carefully selected numbers in the gears, it guarantees very frisky acceleration and honestly spins to the maximum 7200 rpm. The sound made is a symphony of power that you want to listen again and again. In addition, in the range of Mazda3 supplied to our country, a less powerful power unit with a volume of 1.6 liters is proposed. There was no possibility of testing it, but it seems to me that 105 forces in any conditions of movement will be quite enough.
 
However, I have already played enough at the wheel, it's time to evaluate Mazda3 from the point of view of the rear passenger. Therefore, a tall colleague takes a place at the helm, and I move back. I sit down after him and fit without problems, even the knees do not touch the back. This is unexpected. Special thanks to the specialists for being responsible for the internal layout of the cabin, as well as the chassis engineers who made its elements as compact as possible. The trunk also won from this, the place on the sides of which is practically not stolen by wheel arches. In it, by the way, under the floor panel, a plastic trough with stamping of various volumes is hidden under the panel of the floor, and under it, in turn, a narrow spare wheel-dopatis. In general, there are a lot of places in the cargo compartment, not even taking into account the possibility of transforming the rear sofa.
 
And again, a small drawback, which, however, should not be attributed to the car. Mazda3 was shod in the newly appeared Scandinavian tires on the market, which turned out to be surprisingly noisy. And at any speed.
 
Best coffee on the road
 
Already after the test, calmly sitting in the office, I decided to compare prices for Mazda3 and Alfa Romeo 147. Both cars with two -liter engines. In similar trim levels. And it turned out that the Japanese model today is perhaps the most profitable offer in the market. Judge for yourself. The Italian car will cost more than $ 24,000, and Mazda is almost $ 3000 cheaper. PEUGEOT 307, which can also be attributed to the Stan of rivals, and he is a little more expensive.
 
Moreover, Mazda cannot be called empty in the basic version. Even with a 1.6-liter engine, ABS with a system for the distribution of brake moments between the axes, six (!) Pillows of safety, including side curtains, immobilizers, electric drives of mirrors and front door glasses, a steering wheel with hydraulic power control and two planes, and an anti-inflammatory, are installed on it. The filter in the ventilation system of the salon. And it costs a similar machine from $ 16,600. In addition to this equipment, you can order automatic transmission, air conditioning or climate control, anti-circus system or course stability system.
 
However, almost all these options are already available in the basic version of the Mazda3 with a two -liter engine. You can also add xenon headlights, rain sensors and outdoor intensity, 17-inch wheels (instead of the regular fifteenth), as well as the factory aerodynamic body kit, consisting in the thresholds, the original grate of the radiator painted in the color of the machine, and anti-winged On the door of the trunk, at the same time protecting glass from road mud. Such a car will cost in an amount of $ 21,500. Warranty - 3 years or 100,000 km of run.
 
Sergey Ilyinsky
  
 
Brief technical characteristics of the hatchback Mazda3
Engine volume, cubic meter. See: 1598/1999
The number of valves per cylinder: 4/4
Power, l. With. at about./min.: 105/6000: 150/6000
Max. Torque, Nm/at about. min.: 145/6000: 187/4500
Acceleration to 100 km /h, p.: 11.0 (12.4*) /9.0
Maximum speed, km/ h: 185 (177*)/ 208
The average fuel consumption l./ 100 km.: 7.2 (7.8*)/ 8.2
The volume of the fuel tank, l.: 55
Dimensions, mm.: 4420 (4490 **) x1755x1465
 
* - Data for versions with an automatic gearbox
** - Data for versions with a sedan body
 

Source: "Automobile Izvestia"