2017 Mazda 3 vs Volkswagen Golf

What's the difference?

The 3 is a car that will satisfy growing families, couples or a sole driver who likes a bit of space or a bit of metal around them. While the Neo is a bargain basement starter, competition around that price point comes thick and fast from Japanese and Korean rivals, with Euros not far behind in the form of VW and Skoda. Like I said, it's a tough market.

The pick of the bunch is the Maxx, with all of the good safety gear and an options list so short it's not worth bothering with. The rest of the range features largely cosmetic bits and pieces that are perfectly fine but not fundamental to the experience.

If you have a family and want to hang on to some driving enjoyment, think twice about that compact SUV. The Golf R wagon, while not exactly cheap, is a brilliant blend for the practical head and fun-loving heart.

The 3's third iteration is sleek and fluid, as befits Mazda's successful 'Kodo' design language. In both sedan and hatch, it looks low, sleek and classy. Whether rolling on 16 or 18-inch rims, the car has a good road presence and there isn't a bad angle on it.

The hatch is arguably less-balanced, in profile at least, its shorter exterior dimensions obvious in photos. The choice is between which you prefer for style and/or boot size.

The cabin is equally nice to look at - Mazda interiors continue to impress. Materials feel good and even the cloth trim is nicely textured to make you feel like you haven't cheaped out when going lower in the range.

The only real complaint is that on some models, it's very dark as the plastics are all dark grey or black with little to break up the expanses of... well... black and grey. The interior photos tell the story, although some models feature flashes of colour to lift the mood.

We're often asked "Where is the Mazda3 built?" and we can tell you it's at Mazda's Hiroshima plant in southern Japan.

The devil is in the detail in terms of the Golf R’s design, with our test example resplendent in a bold shade of ‘Tornado Red’. 

Menacingly black 19-inch ‘Pretoria’ alloy rims are shod with high-performance 235/35 Michelin Pilot SportCup2 rubber, and full LED headlights give the car a focused, professional-grade appearance.

Where the Golf GTI has a red keyline running along the grille and lower part of the headlights, the R is all business with gloss black inserts in the same position.

Strangely, the R wagon misses out on the hatch’s LED tail-light cluster (with scrolling indicators), but its distinctive twin chrome exhaust tips on both sides of the rear apron are firmly in place.

Standard spec sees the R’s exterior mirror caps finished in ‘Chrome Matt’, while ‘our’ car featured racy carbon fibre covers.

Inside, leather-trimmed R-branded sports seats set the tone, with the new 9.2-inch ‘Discover Pro’ multimedia screen paired with VW’s configurable ‘Active Info’ digital instrument display.

Faux carbon trim panels and slick ‘piano black’ surfaces contribute to an overall look and feel that’s cool, contemporary and focused.

The 3 has grown over the years, with the sedan measuring 4.6m long, 1.8m wide and 1.45m high.

With the boot of the sedan lopped off and replaced with a hatchback, the 3 is 110mm shorter, which translates to a much smaller cargo area. The hatch can carry a still-reasonable 308 litres of stuff when full, while the boot swallows another 100 litres exactly. The hatch stands slightly higher at 1.47m high but is the same width as the sedan.

There's little choose in the cabin as it is basically, riding as it does on the same length wheelbase (2700mm), meaning virtually identical interior dimensions. There is plenty of room for four adults, offering good rear legroom for even those over 183cm (six feet) - I've had a 3 with four adults in it, with no (real) complaints or issues from the back seat passengers.

If you want a cup holder, the 3 has two up front and two in the rear, with bottle holders in each door as backups. Some models feature seat back pockets where you can store the kids' gadgets while in transit.

It's an easy car to park in either hatch or sedan, which is lucky because park assist is limited to front and rear parking sensors and no auto-parking as on some rivals.

Ground clearance when unladen is 160mm, so lumps and bumps won't turn into scrapes. Kerb weights range from 1258kg for a Mazda 3 manual Neo to 1336kg for an auto Astina. Gross vehicle mass ranges from 1800kg to 1875kg.

Dealer accessories for organising your stuff include a cargo tray which also acts as a boot liner. You can also twist your dealer's arm to throw in floor mats on Neo, Maxx and Touring - they're standard on SP25 and up.

Despite its performance potential there’s no change in terms of practicality in the Golf R wagon.

Front passengers are provided with plenty of room and numerous storage options, including two cupholders, door pockets with bottle holders, and oddments space including a useful glovebox and lidded bin between the seats.

There’s another pair of cupholders in the rear, with a big tick going to adjustable air conditioning vents with flow control for back seaters.

And there’s tonnes of room back there. Sitting behind the driver’s seat, set for my 183cm position, there’s ample head and legroom.

With its 60/40 split folding rear seat up the wagon offers a generous 605 litres of load capacity, which expands to no less than 1620 litres with the second-row folded. A temporary (80km/h limit) space-saver sits under the floor.

Add in cargo tie-down points, bag hooks, plus decent lighting and you’re looking at a compelling combination of speed and utility.

Cost-of-entry for the Golf R wagon is a not insignificant $57,490, before on-road costs, and specification aligns with its ($2000-cheaper) hatch sibling.

Standard features include the 9.2-inch 'Discover Pro' multimedia system with voice and gesture control, Apple CarPlay, MirrorLink and Android Auto support, satellite navigation, the 12.3-inch 'Active Info Display' digital instrument cluster, keyless entry and start, 'Vienna' leather-appointed upholstery, heated front seats, electric driver's seat with memory function, ‘Air Care’ dual-zone climate control (uses an active biogenic filter to keep pollen, fungal spores and particulates out), auto headlights, rain-sensing wipers, LED interior ambient lighting and an auto-dimming rearview mirror.

Add the LED headlights, alloy rims, ‘Adaptive chassis control and Driving profile selection’, front and rear parking sensors, and reversing camera (with static guidelines), and the equipment level is looking healthy.

The Golf R wagon doesn’t have direct competition in the Australian market, although Renault’s $15k cheaper Megane GT wagon pushes towards its territory. With the above basket of fruit on board, plus a healthy dose of performance and safety tech, the dollars are sure to add up for enthusiasts with a family.

The Mazda3 range is available with two transmissions and two engines. Since the demise of the MPS3, there is no AWD turbo version and with the departure of the XD, diesel problems are nothing to worry about. There has never been a factory LPG option.

The 2.0-litre SkyActiv-branded engine produces 114kW/200Nm.

SP25 models run the 2.5-litre SkyActiv, with 138kW/250Nm, a useful increase in horsepower.

The 3 features stop-start with the manual transmission and the auto, and the 3 was the first model to feature Mazda's 'G-Vectoring' technology which helps sharpen up the steering during cornering.

For those keen on load capacity ratings for towing, the 3 is rated at 1200kg braked and 600kg unbraked. Towing capacity is the same for all engine and transmission combinations.

Both run on standard unleaded, use a standard oil type. Oil capacity is model dependent, and can be found in the owners manual.

A regular question is whether the 3 makes use of a timing belt or chain - we can report the SkyActiv engines are both chain-driven.

Performance figures vary between the two engines - the SP25 auto should complete the 0-100km/h dash in just under eight seconds with the 2.0 cracking it in around nine seconds.

Powered by a third-generation version of Volkswagen’s direct-injection (EA888) 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine, the latest version of the Golf R grocery-getter will be offered exclusively with a seven-speed ‘DSG’ dual clutch auto transmission, supplying power to all four wheels via VW’s ‘4Motion’ all-wheel drive system.

The Golf R uses a Haldex-type system to distribute up to 50 per cent of drive to the rear, with VW’s ‘Extended Electronic Differential Lock’ (XDL) helping to direct power to where it’s best applied.

While the engine delivers 228kW/400Nm in European trim, Australia’s status as a ‘hot climate market’ means, for us, VW tunes it to produce 213kW between 5400 and 6500rpm, with maximum torque of 380Nm delivered across a gloriously flat plateau from 1850-5300rpm.

Mazda claims the 2.0-litre will return 5.3L/100km on the combined cycle for the manual and 5.0L/100km for the automatic. For the 2.5-litre, the official combined cycle figure is 6.5L/100km for the manual and 6.1L/100km for the auto.

Fuel tank capacity is 51 litres.

Recent Mazda3 reviews for CarsGuide reveal varying mileage figures. I drove the 3 Touring and got 8.0L/100km and when I drove the Neo saw an indicated 8.2L/100km, so you'll get around 600km to a tank with the 2.0-litre petrol motor.

In the 2.5-litre SP25, Richard Berry did not spare the road and returned 11.1L/100km, suggesting a range of under 500km if you're having fun. Calm down and you should get reasonable fuel economy from the 2.5, if still closer to 9.0L/100km than the claimed figure.

Claimed economy for the EU combined (urban, extra-urban) cycle is 7.3L/100km, with the engine emitting 166g/km of C02 in the process. And you’ll need 55 litres of (minimum) 95RON premium unleaded to fill the tank. 

Whether in 2.0 or 2.5-litre form, the current 3 is by far the best. Mazda's engineers have paid close attention to complaints that dogged earlier 3s, including road noise and a lack of front grip. Both of these have largely been banished, with the teams delivering a well-balanced chassis that rides and handles well.

The 3 is front-wheel drive, but with no torque steer, it's an easy companion in the wet or the dry, with well-tuned stability and traction control systems keeping things in check. It's been a long time since a Mazda hatchback was rear-wheel drive.

There is still some less than pleasant noise under hard acceleration, but it's much quieter than before.

Part of the credit for the car's transformation goes to some more sensible use of sound-deadening to simply block the noise, but also in tweaks to the shell and the suspension itself. There is still some less than pleasant noise under hard acceleration, but it's much quieter than before.

Added to that was last year's update with G Vectoring, a system that helps smooth out direction changes by adjusting the torque across the front axle. It makes the 3 feel rather pointier than in years gone by while boosting driver confidence. It's subtle, but effective and feels a lot more expensive than it is.

Front suspension is by MacPherson struts and rear suspension is a multi-link setup that is slowly becoming the segment standard. The turning circle is a commendably tight 10.6 metres.

Given the 3 doesn't have a 4WD version or even reasonable ground clearance, its off road ability is somewhat limited.

Our preview drive ran from Berlin in Germany’s east, to Frankfurt, roughly 550km to the south-west.

We had the opportunity to blast down unlimited speed sections of the autobahn network, and take in the twists and turns of high quality B-roads between smaller towns.

Happily, our test car was optioned with a ‘Performance Pack’ which includes removal of the standard 250km/h speed limiter, and inclusion of an upgraded brake system. As it transpired, we used both to full effect.

Thanks in part to standard launch control, Volkswagen claims the Euro-spec Golf R wagon will sprint from 0-100km/h in 4.8 seconds, and despite the slight drop in outputs for the Aussie version, it’s a safe bet the car will still hit triple figures in under five seconds.

That’s properly quick, and the Golf R loses none of its urgency in the transition from hatch to wagon.

With maximum torque available from just 1850rpm, all the way to 5300, forward thrust is strong and unrelenting. In Australia, speeds above 110km/h are irrelevant, unless you’re keen on track days (the multimedia system includes a lap timer) or prison time, but for the record the R wagon is a missile from 110-160km/h.

Beyond that speed power becomes the most important measure, and as the peak comes on stream at 5400rpm the howl from the 2.0-litre turbo (despite synthetic ‘Soundaktor’ enhancement) is exhilarating all the way to the 6800rpm rev ceiling.

We saw an indicated 269km/h, just one km/h shy of VW’s claim, which is big speed for such a small, four-cylinder car, and the wagon remained stable and balanced at all times.

A wayward SUV meandering into the fast lane at just the wrong moment put the performance brake package to the test, and a firm shove on the left pedal at 200km/h-plus did nothing to upset the R’s composure.

Once off the autobahn we played with the adaptive damping and chassis control system, and the shift from ‘Comfort’ to ‘Sport’ mode immediately firmed up the suspension, without obvious benefit in terms of steering response (already good) or body control (well buttoned down).

Step it up to ‘Race’, and throttle response is instantly sharper, the turbo lag that occasionally makes its presence felt in Comfort mode is banished, and already slick shifts from the DSG transmission become eye-blink fast.

Factor in rorty exhaust burps on the way up the ratios, and rude pops and bangs, with more aggressive changes on the way back down, and you have a recipe for backroad blasting fun.

Turn everything back to standard settings, however, and this powerhouse is just as civilised and tractable as its less sports-focused siblings further down the range.

The sports seats remained comfortable and supportive over long stints behind the wheel, the Golf 7.5’s new multimedia set-up is excellent, and the Active Info Display digital instrument set-up is as good as it gets.

While we know the Golf R’s ride is firmer than even its sporty GTI stablemate, it’s hard to make a judgement on overall refinement for this mark 7.5 version, given we’re driving on Germany’s billiard table smooth A-roads.

But in this environment, the drivetrain, steering, and brakes feel brilliant.

On the active safety front, high and low speed AEB is standard, as is the expected array of braking, traction and stability aids including AEB, ABS, EBD, BA, EDL, multi-collision brake, ASR, a tyre pressure indicator, and a rear-view camera. 

For more elaborate systems like blind spot warning and radar cruise control, you’ll need to stump up for an optional safety package ($1300 on the hatch).

Passive safety support includes seven airbags (driver and front passenger head and side, driver’s knee and front and rear curtain). 

There are three top tether points across the back seat, with ISOFIX anchors on the two outer rear positions.

Although the 7.5 upgrade hasn’t been specifically tested by ANCAP, the current Golf scored a maximum five-star rating when it was assessed at launch in early 2013.

Mazda's standard warranty runs for three years/unlimited kilometres and roadside assist starts at $68.10 per year or $83.50 for a few more inclusions. There is no indication of an extended warranty sold by Mazda, but a dealer will no doubt try and flog you a third-party offering.

Service costs are capped for the first five services. Visits to the dealer come every 10,000km or 12 months, whichever comes first. Service costs alternate between $297 and $324 for a total cost of $1539 for the five.

There are extras, such as cabin air filter ($64), and if you need oil, Mazda will charge a very reasonable $15. It's worth noting Hyundai's capped price servicing regime applies to the lifetime of the car.

If past models are anything to go by, durability shouldn't be an issue. The roads are still crawling with first-gen 3s.

Reliability faults seem few and far between, with no widespread reported transmission problems, gearbox problems or issues with oil consumption.

If past models are anything to go by, durability shouldn't be an issue. The roads are still crawling with first-gen 3s. For common faults, check our Mazda3 problems page for an idea of its general reliability rating.

The 3 enjoys good resale value, with a check of the price guide suggesting a 2014 Neo will fetch between 65 and 75 per cent on a private sale, suggesting few issues when you need to shift a second hand machine. Dealer trade-ins will yield around 51 and 60 percent of the new car price of $22,490.

Volkswagen Australia’s new vehicle warranty covers three years/unlimited km, with paint covered for the same period, and the main steel body structure under warranty for no less than 12 years (unlimited km).

Recommended service interval is 12 months/15,000km, with capped price servicing available for six years.