Mazda3 – natural, smooth and sound

EVEN the petrol heads among us might be hard pressed to explain the benefits of something like G-Vectoring Control.

Or how about Natural Sound Smoother technology, or even Transient Control for that matter.

But far from being pointless pieces of car company gobbledegook they are all important features of the latest Mazda3 hatchback and saloon – and important ones at that.

They are all part of the Japanese company’s upgrades to the 2017 model year Mazda3 that make big differences to the way the car performs – if not necessarily to how it looks.

For instance the GVC highlights Mazda’s electronic wizardry by minutely varying the power going to the front wheels to keep the car tracking straighter, with the benefit of passenger comfort.

As for the Transient Control, it concerns the two diesel engines in the line-up, ensuring a more positive throttle response by reducing turbo lag and boosting torque for a more petrol-like engine feel.

The Natural Sound Smoother, meanwhile, has little to do with mellow music, instead reducing knock noise during starting and low-speed acceleration on diesel engines.

In fact across the whole range, refinement has been substantially improved with added noise suppression material in the roof, doors, dashboard and transmission tunnel area.

What was already a car in the higher echelons of its class – up there with the likes of the Volkswagen Golf and Ford Focus – is now even sweeter.

Short or long distance comfort is all-important, and revisions to the car’s suspension have improved both the way the car rides and sharpened its handling.

From a practicality perspective there’s now an electric parking brake replacing the manual lever, the door bins are deeper and there’s a more upmarket feel to the plastics on the doors and dash.

Otherwise what you get with the Mazda3 is a car that does everything well, has sufficient space for rear passengers and a decent sized boot.

Up for grabs with a choice of two diesels and a pair of petrol engines and in four spec grades, the 2.0-litre petrol engine, like the tested version in hatchback bodystyle, has proved the most popular choice with buyers.

That’s not especially surprising given that the leap between petrol and diesel is £1,500, and the 120PS petrol variant can potentially return a handy 55.4mpg.

On the motorway the power builds quickly if not in an instant and the six-speed manual gearbox is slick to use, while pottering around suburban roads finds the Mazda in an ideal habitat.

Prices are from £17,995 for the 2.0-litre 120PS SE petrol model rising to £24,695 for the flagship 2.2D 150PS Sport Nav automatic.