It’s no secret that I quite like Mazdas. One day I will own an RX-8, however financially ruinous it proves, and I think the MX-5 is one of the best new cars on sale. And, if only for a little while, I owned a 3. Ultimately, it proved a little too ordinary for a car that doesn’t have to be used every day, but I’ve always admired Mazda’s commitment to doing things its own way.
The latest 3 is the perfect example of that, eschewing the current trend for small turbos and plug-in hybrids for Mazda’s Spark Controlled Compression Ignition. It’s a 2.0-litre naturally aspirated engine with an incredibly high (for a petrol) compression ratio of 15.0:1, meaning it can run both as a conventional combustion unit and a compression ignition one - i.e. like a diesel.
According to Mazda, SPCCI ‘combines the fuel-efficiency of a diesel with the power and drivability of a petrol engine’, which was intriguing enough on its own. With peak power of 186hp (just 6hp less than the BMW) once mustered and a standard manual gearbox, I was keen to see just how rare groove hatches had evolved since the ‘00s. Obviously the BMW has the additional capacity, cylinders and rear-drive, so it’s hardly a direct comparison, but having a naturally aspirated, manual family car still around was good enough for me.
Having spent a good amount of time in similar hatches like the Golf and Civic, the Mazda feels so much classier and more sophisticated. In a world of rubbish interiors, the 3’s seems really high quality and is intuitive to use. Mazda being Mazda, too, the driver’s dials are a model of clarity, while the relationship between steering wheel and gearlever isn’t bettered by some sports cars. To disable the speed limit warning and lane keep requires no interaction at all with the central screen, which makes the 3 eminently recommendable almost on its own.
While I won’t suggest that a new four-cylinder can rival an old straight six for charisma, there’s a lot to like about the Mazda 2.0-litre. Not least from an efficiency standpoint: officially this is a 50mpg, sub-130g/km car, an absolute world away from what was achieved by atmospheric engines not so long ago. It means that more than 40mpg is easily achievable, yet with all the joy of a naturally aspirated engine: it responds to the throttle perfectly, so working with the six-speed manual is a pleasure, and actually doesn’t sound bad at all by 2025 standards. It doesn’t scream around to the limiter or lug with vast quantities of torque (unsurprisingly the BMW shows it up a bit here), but the Skyactiv-X is satisfying to use in a way that a small turbo just isn’t.
Indeed, the whole car is, with a lovely weight and resistance to all the controls that is seldom found in the average family hatch. Jinba Ittai isn’t just for the MX-5, it would seem. Against the old Compact, everything inevitably feels quite light, but the Mazda avoids the modern trap of feeling overly synthetic or assisted. Perhaps it needs a little more effort than is the norm these days, thinking about revs and gears, but it’s really enjoyable to do so. However hard you try, though, the lighter old car is faster - while using so much more fuel it seems like there’s a hole in the tank.
That’s all without considering the biggest advantage I think the 3 holds over the alternatives, and most definitely my dumpy old 3 Series: it looks fantastic. An elegant, distinctive piece of hatchback design when so many are now overdone; seldom has the Compact looked worse than when parked next to the Mazda. Perhaps if my old 3 had looked as good and gone as well, I wouldn’t have got rid…
So, in conclusion, a two-decade-old BMW isn’t much like a brand new Mazda - who’d have thought? But having the 3 around was a great reminder that, even in the humble hatch, there’s little to rival the enjoyment of a (very clever) atmospheric engine and a manual gearbox. That it comes in such a handsome, well-built car means the Mazda left a very positive impression, a welcome reminder that the obvious options aren’t always the ones to go for. Which is what I always say to those who ask why I bought the ugliest 3 Series…
FACT SHEET
Car: BMW 325ti Compact (E46)
Run by: Matt Bird
Purchase price: £2,999
On fleet since: July 2024
Mileage: 160,055
Last month at a glance: 3 is the magic number
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