Mazda3 1.6D TS2 Nav review
by David Finlay (13 May 2011)
The most important thing to say about this particular Mazda3 is that it uses the new 1.6-litre diesel engine which was introduced to the range in January 2011. There have been 1.6D Mazda3s before, but this one is more powerful, with a maximum power output of 113bhp and - for those who like to read about torque - more of that too (specifically a 12% increase to just short of 200lb/ft at 1750rpm).
More to the point, it's also more fuel efficient and emits less CO2, at least according to the EU test procedure, which results in official figures of 117g/km and 64.2mpg respectively. This makes it by far the cheapest car in the range to tax, since its nearest rival - the less powerful 1.6 petrol model - has a CO2 rating of 149g/km.
Sounds good so far, doesn't it? There are a few snags, though. One is that the 2011 1.6 diesel is only barely more economical on the official test than the previous version was - a far more significant point is that it meets Euro 5 emissions regulations, which the old one didn't.
It's also worth noting that, while this car is much cheaper to run than the 1.6 petrol, it costs £1400 more to buy in the first place (if you compare models with different engines but the same trim level) and is in insurance group 16 rather than 12.
The most important point of all becomes apparent as soon as you look beyond Mazda's own products. Miraculous as it would have seemed only five years ago, there are now several cars of this size which have official CO2 emissions below 100g/km and are therefore exempt from both Vehicle Excise Duty and the London congestion charge.
The 3 doesn't even come close to this, which is irritating rather than costly in terms of tax, but financially very significant if you live outside the charge zone but have to commute into it.
In these times of fiscal brouhaha it's difficult to recommend the car for these reasons. I have to admit to liking it, though. It may not be an outstanding car in any area, but it has a lot of luggage space when you fold down the rear seats (even if it's nowhere near class-leading when those seats are up), it has almost precisely as much straightline performance as it needs, and over some splendid roads on a test route north of Glasgow it was approximately twenty-seven times more fun than I expected it to be. Not much of a recommendation for most potential buyers, I admit, but it pleased me all the same.
Oh, and unlike the last Mazda3 diesel I drove (which you can read about in this 2009 review) it doesn't go "bong-bing" at you every time you switch on the engine. I can't thank Mazda enough for having made that change.
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