Since 2004, she has taken on the role compact family sedan in the Mazda line. Mazda 3 that year replaced the 323, offered at that time with five or four doors. She now in its fourth generation ; the current one was launched in 2019. This year, he improved on his predecessors by noting the desire of the manufacturer to become more premium. His dream? Overshadowing Mercedes A-Class, Audi A3 and BMW 1 series. And, as a continuation, to the queen of this category among station wagons: Volkswagen Golf. A difficult target, where even Japanese competitors do better: Toyota with Corolla, Honda with Civic. In France in 2022, Mazda recorded 7,040 registrations, that is, a very small market share of 0.45%. Despite these numbers, the Mazda 3 remains one of the the manufacturer’s bestsellers in Europebehind the CX-30 crossover.

Complex presence in Europe

We can only regret this is a very marginal assessment of Mazda in Europe. With its elegant and clean lines and neat presentation, the brand also has all for the sake of the Europeans. Especially regarding certain “stylistic quirks” that Japanese women sometimes display. Unfortunately, despite the obvious arguments, the Mazda 3 is still almost non-existent on the Old Continent. In 2022, it found just 15,000 buyers compared to the Golf’s 177,000! Four years after its launch and faced with this observation, one would have expected Mazda to give it a deep mid-career facelift. Modernize it, make it more attractive, and also different from the current one. Unfortunately, this is not the case, and you will see that the restyling that has just been introduced in Japan is very light…

Changes… under the microscope

Let’s say right away: nothing changes from the outside. No shields, no projectors, no grid. However, this is usually where the biggest changes happen. Mazda 3 retains this curved and refined design, which, however, has the advantage of not aging. As for the engines, there is nothing to report. It retains two gasoline engines: Skyactiv-G units with 122 and 186 horsepower, respectively. The old Skyactiv-D diesel unit with a capacity of 116 horsepower is no longer in the catalog, but it is not new.

Finally, the only changes to this “new” Mazda 3 concern the interior. Its central infotainment screen grows from 8.8 inches to 10.25 inches. It is also equipped with new driver aids as well some gadgets as a fatigue detection system, and a inductive charger for smartphones. Very minor changes which we hope will be of the same kind at the level of its prices in France.