Mazda 3 BP (Hatchback) G25 Evolve (2019-2026)

Don’t believe the hype, Mazda can do better – The BP Mazda 3 is not a bad car, but Mazda (like all car manufacturers at some stage) has lost sight of what made the previous models enjoyable. Unfortunately for them, they also introduced a host of very frustrating, unwanted characteristics into the new, BP-Series. Firstly, some background. I turn cars over frequently, sometimes racking up 100,000 km per annum. I’m fussy, some of the things that drive me crazy about cars go unnoticed by many happy owners. So there, you have been warned. Ok, back to my experiences with my 2019 Mazda 3 G25.

The good: looks nice (subjective); well-made; familiar; proper hydraulic automatic gearbox, decent-sized fuel tank so it has a good highway range; much improved headlamps; improved multimedia (doesn’t freeze as often, starts up more quickly), better rear-seat folding system; all-windows one-touch up and down; nicer instrument cluster; digital radio; rear seat vents; LED head- and taillamps; nice black headliner, more standard features.

The not-so-good: 1. Still very noisy, extremely so. This would have to be the noisiest new car available in Australia, on coarse-chip surfaces it will give you a headache after a couple of hours. Don’t believe the hype about this car being more refined than the previous series. 2. Strange driver’s seat shape. The lowest lumbar adjustment setting available will still feel like someone has their boot in your back, it pushes you forward, your lower legs will be pushed into the seat cushion and the seat cannot be tipped forward enough to place weight back onto your sit bones. Result? You’ll be stopping to stretch your legs more often. 3. Insane auto headlamps that are always active, even if you turn them off. I don’t want my (bright) headlamps blazing into my neighbour’s bedroom at 5:30am when I leave for work or into my (other) neighbour’s family room when I come home at 7:30pm. You can turn them off when stationary, but as soon as you start moving again they’ll turn back on. Mad. 4. Radar cruise control that has to be turned off every single time that the ignition is cycled. There should be a separate switch for radar cruise control, in fact, it shouldn’t be called cruise control at all. It should be ‘queue control’. I hold radar cruise in complete contempt, it is rubbish. Argue with me if you like, I don’t care. 5. Overly-sensitive collision mitigation system. You can dial-down the sensitivity, but you will find that your new Mazda will smash the brakes on in tight, twisting city streets, or if you’re reversing into a tight car space. Embarrassing and dangerous. 6. The transmission has been improved over the previous model, but can still deliver a shuddering downshift. Still better than a CVT or DCT, though. 7. Accellerator stumble. If you’re quick to transition from the brake to the throttle, you’ll get a flat-spot, or hesitation, it feels like the car is just about to cut-out. Apparently, it’s normal and you just have to wait for a second. It feels like an old carburettor model with a sticky needle or a blockage. 8. At normal rates of decelleration, the transmission struggles to unlock the torque convertor just prior to coming to a complete stop and you’ll feel something like the car behind you has given you a tap. Kind of like some 4x4s and utes that get driveshaft bind. 9. You can definitely feel that they’ve downgraded the suspension. If you’ve driven the earlier models, you will detect the non-independent rear suspension the first time that you hook into a corner. They’ve also tried to make the ride more comfortable by backing-off the damping, but they’ve only succeeded in ruining the turn-in. It’s no more comfortable than before, it just oscillates more. 10. You still can’t have more than one phone connected at a time. So, tough luck if you have an incoming call on your non-connected phone, you’ll miss it. Another brand had this nailed in 2008. 11. Lots of strange gaps in the equipment - no map pocket behind the driver’s seat, no lamps in the glovebox or centre console, no tie-down loops in the boot, no fog lamps, no tyre pressure display, no heated mirrors. Cheap. 12. Odd steering wheel material. It’s really slippery. 13. Horrible, dead steering feel. To be fair, every car I’ve driven with electric steering is horrible. 14. Front suspension knock, only noticeable when traversing driveways. Apparently, it’s normal. It feels like a tired 1970s Falcon, at least it doesn’t squeak like they did. 15. Weak air conditioning, just like the previous model. On a sunny, 28c day, you’ll have the air conditioning absolutely cranked. Air also leaks into the face-level vents, even if you have the air directed to the screen or footwells. 16. Crazy centre armrest that requires you to slide it rearwards before it will unlock and allow you to open it. Also, if you happen to open it when your back seats are laid down, you won’t be able to close it again.

Besides all that, it’s great.