Mazda 3 Hatchback

The interior of the Mazda 3 Hatchback lacks the visual drama and boldness of the exterior, but at the same time, it retains the elegance of the whole package with its minimalist design and high-quality materials appointed in the cabin. The all-black cabin of the Mazda 3 Hatchback gets leather upholstery and soft-touch plastics, which make it one of the most premium cabins among all the hatchbacks sold.

The three-spoke multi-functional steering wheel and the instrument console of the Mazda 3 Hatchback look too simple when compared to the appeal of the rest of the car. However, the 7-inch LCD screen in the instrument console tries to make the driver’s cockpit feel new age. The rest of the dashboard’s design focuses on minimalism but gets a few desirable features like an 8.8-inch free-standing touchscreen infotainment system with a 12-speaker BOSE audio system and wireless connectivity.

The other features offered in the cabin of the Mazda 3 Hatchback include a 10-way powered driver’s seat, automatic climate control and a single-pane electric sunroof. However, the lack of new-age features like ventilated front seats, wireless charger and TFT screen for the instrument console for a car of this price dents the appeal of the Mazda 3 Hatchback a bit.

Talk of aerodynamics and curvaceousness, and the Mazda 3 Hatchback ranks quite high among all the hatchbacks sold in the country. From every angle, the Mazda 3 Hatchback has an accurate sense of proportions and stylishness, which makes it look very premium and expensive by the standards of hatchbacks.

At the front, the Mazda 3 Hatchback looks very sleek and eye-catching, with the curvy-looking hood flowing down to the sleek fascia, which comprises an open-wide grille with tapered lower edges and eyebrow-shaped headlamp clusters that house projector bulbs. The front bumper looks clean and aerodynamic and gets a rich-looking dark chrome chin below the grille.

From the side, the Mazda 3 Hatchback looks even more stylish and curvaceous, especially towards the C-pillar where it gets a prominent rounded theme for it. This wide and curvy C-pillar and rear fender, along with the nicely-sloping hood makes the Mazda 3 Hatchback look very classy and distinctive. Adding a sense of sportiness to the side profile are door-mounted rearview mirrors and 18-inch dark grey alloy wheels.

At the back, the Mazda 3 Hatchback has the least amount of visual drama but looks elegant with the sharply-raked rear windscreen and sleek-looking combination tail lamps with LED inserts, which too have an eyebrow-shaped design.

Mazdas are fine handlers in general, and the Mazda 3 Hatchback lives up to the tradition by having a taut mechanical setup, comprising of finely-tuned suspension combination of Macpherson struts at the front and torsion beam axle at the rear and 18-inch wheels. The Mazda 3 Hatchback also comes with the brand’s G-Vectoring Plus technology, which allows the engine to lower engine torque to transfer weight to the front for maximising grip levels.

The only powertrain option offered in both the variants of the Mazda 3 Hatchback is a 2.0-litre four-cylinder naturally-aspirated petrol engine, which is one of the biggest and most powerful engines in any hatchback sold in the Philippines at the moment. Equipped with a 6-speed automatic transmission with Sport mode as standard, this engine is capable of delivering a maximum power output of 155 PS and a maximum torque output of 200 Nm.

The Mazda 3 Hatchback is heavily equipped with essential safety features like front, side, curtain and driver knee airbags, ABS with EBD, dynamic stability control, front and rear parking sensors, electronic parking brake, 360-degree parking camera, ISOFIX mounts for child seats, a blind spot monitoring system with rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure warning with lane keep assist, front and reverse smart brake support, front cross traffic alert and driver monitoring system.

While the Mazda 3 Hatchback creates a strong impression with the way it looks, it comes across as a more mature and finely-made product, with classy interiors, potent engine and fine driving dynamics.