Mazda can be considered something of a maverick amongst Japanese carmakers – it likes to do things differently. While we're not talking Citroen levels of avant-garde here, things like rotary power, suicide doors on a 'coupe', the jinba ittai, Kodo and 'Zoom-Zoom' philosophies, and the reincarnation of the no-frills, open-top sports car aren't, by most standards, run-of-the-mill.
Such unique traits undoubtedly draw enthusiasts, and shine brightest in the brand's more niche offerings, but how do they manifest themselves in a volume product like the Mazda3? The C-segmenter accounts for 30% of the company's global volume and 3.5 million sales worldwide. In Australia, it was the segment best-seller in 2011 and 2012, with all-time sales of around 360,000 units.
Add to that Mazda's strong Oz presence (nearly 80,000 units sold year-to-date for third best-selling carmaker overall), plus the fact that the new third-gen Mazda3 made its global debut in Melbourne, and you can see why it made sense for us to scoot Down Under to try it out at the Australian Automotive Research Centre in Angelsea, Victoria.
Read the full review here.
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