Mazda 3 Sedan

While the exterior of the Mazda 3 Sedan manages to still make it look timeless, the cabin somehow couldn’t hide the fact that this car is more than half a decade old. While the asymmetric layout of the car now has begun to show its age, the quality levels feel top-notch, with the Mazda 3 Sedan being a cut above the rest of its competitors in fit and finish levels.

The cabin of the Mazda 3 Sedan features leather upholstery for the seats, steering wheel, and transmission lever in both its variants, with the sedan being offered with the black-themed cabin as standard. The High Plus variant is available with contrast burgundy-themed seats and contrasting continuous-running highlights on the dashboard, door panels, and sides of the transmission tunnel.

The Mazda 3 Sedan has a 7-inch TFT instrument console behind its three-spoke steering wheel, which, though, gets dated-looking fonts for the analogue dials. The centre console has an asymmetric design, with the dashboard having the infotainment system sitting within a carved panel at the top of it.

The climate control buttons sit right in the middle of the centre console, with the lower centre console emerging from it housing the cup holders, transmission lever, drive mode controller, and electronic parking brake. The rectangular AC vents in the centre console look dated, though. 

Pros and Cons:

Pro: Premium-looking leather finish in both variants

Con: Slightly-dated cabin theme

Features and Technology

The Mazda 3 Sedan has a generous level of comfort and convenience features to offer, if not the segment-best list. Both the variants of the premium compact sedan come equipped with an engine start-stop button, a coloured head-up display, a 7-inch TFT screen for the instrument console, a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, an electric sunroof, and an 8-speaker audio system.

The additional features common to both the variants of Mazda 3 Sedan are two USB-C charging ports, a tilt and telescopic adjustable multi-functional steering wheel, paddle shifters, a frameless auto-dimming inside rearview mirror, dual-zone automatic climate control with rear AC vents, and a 10-way power-adjustable driver’s seat with memory function.

The only additional comfort and convenience features in the High Plus variant are a wireless charger and wireless connectivity for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. 

Pros and cons:

Pro: Both variants of the Mazda 3 are generously loaded  

Con: No heated and ventilated seats at all

Boot Space and Storage

This is where Mazda 3 Sedan’s advantage and premium positioning over the Liftback version of the car looks clear. The boot space of Mazda 3 Sedan measures at 450 litres – a clear advantage of around 100 litres more than the Liftback’s boot space. This makes the boot compartment of the Mazda 3 Sedan more spacious and capacious to store additional luggage.

Even the cabin of the Mazda 3 Sedan offers decent storage spaces, including the two cup holders in the lower centre console and rear centre armrest, bottle holders in all four doors, map pockets in front doors, front centre armrest storage box and a glovebox in the co-passenger side of the dashboard. 

Pros and cons:

Pro: Usable storage spaces in the cabin and boot compartment

Con: No 60:40 split rear seats

Launched in 2019, the Mazda 3 Sedan has been ageing gracefully, with a beautiful and aerodynamic design that refuses to look old. The smooth curves all around its profile make it look fresh and eye-catching, while also giving it the premium appeal it deserves. 

The front profile of the Mazda 3 Sedan has been shared with its Liftback version, with the sedan having a wide front grille that has a chrome-finished side and lower edges. The side edges of the chrome garnish extend towards the lower edges of the headlamps, which are shaped like bird’s eyes and house LED projectors and LED DRLs.

The front bumper of the Mazda 3 Sedan looks clean, with the sedan missing out on fog lamps. Coming to the sleek and aerodynamic-looking side profile, the Mazda 3 Sedan has a fine, low-slung stance, with it getting 16-inch wheels in the High and 18-inch wheels in the High Plus variants. The sedan gets smooth curves over the front and rear fenders, while also getting electrically adjustable and foldable outside rearview mirrors. 

The rear profile is where the differences over the Liftback version of the car look more evident. Compared to the muscular-looking truncated rear of the Mazda 3 Liftback, the sedan here gets a nicely proportioned extended boot, with the roofline flowing seamlessly towards it. The bird’s eye-shaped combination tail lamp clusters have the same curved design as the front headlamps while featuring LED inserts. 

The rest of the design of the boot lid of the Mazda 3 Sedan looks plain, with the car getting dual exhaust ports with chrome-finished tips. The colour options available in the Mazda 3 Sedan for the Malaysian car market are Soul Red Crystal, Machine Grey, Snowflake White Pearl, Deep Crystal Blue, Platinum Quartz, Jet Black, and Polymetal Grey. 

Pros and cons:

Pro: Sleek, aerodynamic, and curvaceous design makes it look timeless

Cons: Looks too plain at the rear

The Mazda 3 Sedan features Mazda i-Stop idling technology for the 2.0-litre petrol engine it comes with, which gives the benefit of an idle start-stop system for the engine at brief stops. This eventually enhances the fuel efficiency of the sedan in city conditions, with the Mazda 3 Sedan having an official claim of 15.15 kmpl in combined driving conditions. 

Pros and cons:

Pro: Decent fuel efficiency in the city

Con: Highway efficiency could have been better

While the Mazda 3 Sedan is offered with a conventional suspension setup with Macpherson struts at the front and a torsion beam at the rear, it also has the brand’s G-Vectoring Control Plus technology that helps the sedan maintain a fine balance of ride and handling. As a result, the Mazda 3 Sedna has negligible body roll, with good control around corners even at higher speeds. The ride quality, especially in the High Plus variant with larger 18-inch wheels, also feels supple and well-sorted. 

Pros and Cons:

Pro: Fine balance of ride and handling

Con: Nothing much actually 

Performance and Driving Dynamics

In 2023, Mazda dropped the 1.5-litre petrol engine from the lineup of the 3 Sedan. With this move, the Mazda 3 Sedan is now offered only with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder naturally-aspirated petrol engine.

Paired with a conventional 6-speed torque converter, which also gets a manual shift mode, this engine produces 162 bhp of maximum power and 213 Nm of maximum torque. While this engine impresses with its refinement and decent mid-range, it lacks the zing required at higher RPMs for fast overtakes. 

Pros and cons:

Pro: Refined and reliable petrol engine

Con: Power delivery at higher RPMs could have been stronger

Apart from comfort and convenience features, the Mazda 3 Sedan also comes nicely equipped with advanced and modern safety features. The bunch of standard safety features in both variants of the sedan are seven airbags, ABS with EBD and brake assist, dynamic stability control, traction control, emergency stop signal, hill launch assist, front and reverse parking sensors, and reverse camera. 

The High Plus variant justifies its premium positioning over the High variant with the i-Activesense suite of ADAS features, which includes adaptive front lighting system, high beam control, blind spot monitoring with rear cross traffic alert, front cross traffic alert, lane departure warning system, lane keep assist system, front and rear smart braker support, driver attention alert, radar cruise control and cruising and traffic support. 

Pros and cons:

Pro: ADAS features offered in the High Plus variant

Con: No 360-degree parking camera

Competitor Comparison

Given the price points at which it is positioned, the Mazda 3 Sedan is the most expensive option among all of its direct peers, which include some established names like Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, and Peugeot 408. The Mazda 3 Sedan also competes with the lower-spec variants of all-electric sedans like BYD Seal and GWM Ora 07.

Conclusion and Final Verdict

Being a premium compact sedan, the Mazda 3 Sedan has a good quality interior with several comfort, convenience, and safety features, a refined and reliable engine and gearbox combination, and segment-best ride and handling balance. However, the age of the car is now clearly evident, with the signs of its interior looking slightly dated amidst its competitors. Even the steep pricing over its direct rivals doesn’t help matters much, but for striking a great balance in core parameters, the Mazda 3 Sedan deserves a fine look.