Mazda 3 SP25 Astina hatch 2017 review

Andrew Chesterton road tests and reviews the new Mazda 3 Astina hatch with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Way back before the Kodo design guff and the intense focus on fuel-efficient engines, Mazda used to make cars that were just a little bit unhinged.

Need evidence? Look no further than the RX family, which culminated in the rear-drive, rotary-fed RX-8 that arrived in Australia wearing suicide style rear doors, an unquenchable thirst for petrol and, in its early iterations, a total absence of stability control. 

And it wasn't just dedicated performance cars; even the every-day range had a hint of madness about it.

Consider the Mazda3 MPS, for example; a brute of a thing that generated 190kW and a stupendous 380Nm from its turbocharged 2.3-litre engine, feeding that power in great, un-chewed lumps directly to the long-suffering front tyres. It was madness. And it was wonderful.

But Mazda doesn't roll that way anymore - at least, not at the moment. The RX-8 disappeared in 2011, while the Mazda3 MPS torque-steered out of our lives (and possibly into a tree) back in 2008.

These days, the fastest option in the Mazda3 range is this, the top-spec Astina. And the performance kit, at least on the car we've tested here, comes not from a fettled engine, but in an optional style pack called 'Kuroi', which adds black alloys, along with a black-highlighted spoiler, side skirts and rear spoiler. 

It might be an almost performance car, but push the Astina and you can almost forget the 'almost' 

So then, consider this an almost performance car. But it is also ferociously well equipped, dynamically excellent and offers more standard life-saving equipment than your average hospital emergency room.

The $35,490 Mazda3 Astina sits at the top of the Mazda3 tree, above the $31,990 SP25 GT, the $27,690 SP25, the $27,290 Touring, the $24,890 Maxx and the $22,490 Neo, and every model listed can be had with a six-speed manual gearbox at a $2,000 discount.

Design

The Mazda3 Astina looks terrific. Really, genuinely terrific. It blends the best of Euro styling with Mazda's evergreen Kodo design language, and the result is incredibly easy on the eye. For one, it looks more expensive than a Japanese hatchback probably should (though to be fair, it is expensive - but more on that in a moment), especially with the black alloys and spoilers of the Kuroi pack.

Inside, it's the definition of understated efficiency. Our test car's interior was black-on-black, with the only real spark coming from the gloss-black inserts surrounding the gearshift and door handles. With all critical cabin controls operated by a rotary dial behind the gear knob, the Astina can afford a beautifully uncluttered and uncomplicated dash that's only really interrupted by the raised multimedia screen.

You'll find leather on the seats and a glass sunroof that spans the width of the roof, too. 

Price and features

Let's get this out of the way early: the Mazda3 Astina is not cheap. It arrives with a list price of $35,490 - roughly $2k more than both the top-spec Hyundai i30 or petrol-powered VW Golf - and you can add $250 for the 'Soul Red' metallic paint, and another $168 for floor mats. Then there's the Kuroi style pack, which will set you back $514 for the black-lipped spoiler, $633 for the side skirts, $701 for the rear spoiler, $44 for each mirror cap, and a healthy $314 for each of those cool black alloy wheels. That brings you to grand total of $39,100 before on-roads. And that's quite a lot. You can step into a mid-spec Mazda CX-5 for less money.

On the plus side, though, you'll want for nothing in the Astina. The features list is too extensive to explore here in full, but the headline acts are adaptive headlights, radar cruise control, lane-keep assist and AEB, along with LED DRLs, a fatigue-alert system and Mazda's clever traffic-sign recognition software that reads  road signs as you pass them and displays the details on your head-up screen.

You can also add dual-zone climate control, proximity entry and push-button start to the list. And you'll get heated, power-adjustable front seats with a memory function for the driver, along with a nine-speaker Bose stereo and standard sat nav. 

Engine and transmission

The Mazda3 Astina gets the biggest engine currently available in the 3 range, a 2.5-litre petrol unit that produces 138kW at 5700rpm and 250Nm at 3250rpm. It's paired with a six-speed automatic transmission and sends its power to the front wheels. A six-speed manual is also available, and at a $2,000 discount. 

Driving

It might be an almost performance car, but push the Astina and you can almost forget the 'almost' and focus on the performance. Almost.

While not lightning quick, the 2.5-litre engine is a thing of joy, with oodles of low-down torque which it delivers in handfuls the moment you ask for it. Likewise, the six-speed automatic is quick to shift, whether you leave it to its own devices or take over via the wheel-mounted shifters.

There is a soundtrack that accompanies heavy acceleration, too, but weirdly it doesn't come from the exhaust, more from a throatiness in the engine when you put your foot down. Some will say that impacts refinement, but we think it adds a sense of theatre to the Astina when you challenge it.

The entire 3 range was updated in July last year, and part of that refresh saw Mazda re-work the suspension, aiming for set-up that's more forgiving during everyday driving, but no less engaged when you're tackling twisting roads. It also saw G-Vectoring Control introduced across the range - a system we recently sampled on the bigger Mazda6.

Much like on the bigger sedan, we couldn't actually feel the system at work, but it doesn't take anything away from the drive experience, either. And whatever the reasons, the Astina proved a smooth and engaging drive on most road surfaces.

In short, it feels almost sporty. Which is probably exactly what Mazda was shooting for. 

Practicality

In hatch form, the Mazda3 Astina offers plenty of room for front passengers, but things do get a little snug in the back seat, which is made slightly more unpleasant by the fact Mazda has smuggled some hard plastics back there. 

Measuring 4460mm long, 1795mm wide and sitting on a 2700mm wheelbase, the Mazda3 isn't overly petite, but the swooping roofline does impact headroom in the back, which - especially wrapped in black like in our test car - feels a little claustrophobic for bigger rear seat passengers.

The Astina hatchback will provide 308 litres of storage in the boot (100 litres less than the sedan), which increases to 1222 litres with the rear seats folded flat, and you'll find a total of four cupholders, two in the front, and two in the pull-down divider that separates the backseat. There are two ISOFIX attachment points, one for each window seat in the back. 

Safety

Every Mazda3 arrives with six airbags (two for the front, two for the front sides and two curtain bags that cover both front and rear passengers), along with a reversing camera, blind-spot monitoring, AEB and rear cross traffic alert.

Springing for the top-spec Astina, however, adds forward obstruction warning, lane departure warning, lane-keep assist, radar cruise control and a fatigue-detection system.

The Mazda3 Astina was awarded the maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating.

Ownership

Every Mazda3 is covered by a three-year, unlimited kilometre warranty and requires servicing every 12 months/10,000km. The range falls under Mazda's Service Select capped-price servicing program, so owners can visit the Mazda website, punch in their registration or VIN details, and get detailed quotes on the cost of every service. At the time of publication, your first three services would total $934.