New Mazda 3 Outshines Ford Focus in Head to Head Comparison

Ford and Mazda used to have a fairly tight connection up until a few years ago, with the Blue Oval owning a stake in the small Japanese automaker with which it had a large exchange of information during this collaboration period.

Now, the only proof of their time spent together is pint-sized Mazda2 which is basically a Fiesta hatch with different body and interior, but with pretty much the same basic mechanical bits underneath (not including the engines; Mazda has its own).

Now, after launching the old 3 which was basically the same as the 2 in that it used a Ford platform (this time the one from the larger Focus) and even shared its 1.6-liter (PSA-sourced) diesel engines on certain markets, Mazda has gone its own way, with a car that’s very different from the current Focus, and all the better for it, as the Car and Driver video posted here reveals.

I recently had a chance to take a quick test drive of the new 3, and while the Focus is an old friend, I must concede that the Japanese car was better in every single way, from the looks, to the drive and the interior – not even the low 120 hp output of the detuned 2.0-liter petrol engine put me off it, as it proved pokey and surprisingly frugal. Those who say it’s a borderline-luxury vehicle do make some sense, especially if the car comes with leather and all the toys that the one I drove had.

Make no mistake, the Focus is not bad either, but it felt inferior to the 3 in almost every respect. Now, do check out the video too – it’s posted after the virtual jump.

By Andrei Nedelea

VIDEO

Meet the Cars With a Five-Star Rating in EuroNCAP's Latest Tests [w/Videos]

We’ve seen the cars that achieved a four-star rating, now it’s time to meet the best performers of EuroNCAP’s latest crash-test session. Six cars were awarded the maximum five-star rating: Ford Tourneo Connect, Infiniti Q50, Maserati Ghibli, Mazda3, Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV and Peugeot 308.

Both luxury cars tested, the Infiniti Q50 and Maserati Ghibli, offered good overall protection. The Infiniti scored 86 percent for adult occupants, 85 percent for child occupants and 67 percent for pedestrians. The Japanese model also received an 81-percent rating for safety assist.

Just tested by the IIHS, the Ghibli was awarded the highest score (95 percent) for adult occupant protection of the 11 cars assessed by EuroNCAP. Child occupant protection was rated at 79 percent, pedestrian protection at 74 percent and safety assist at 81 percent.

EuroNCAP gave good ratings to both compact cars tested, the Mazda3 and Peugeot 308. The Japanese car scored 93 percent for adult occupant protection; 86 percent for child occupant, 65 percent for pedestrian and 81 percent for its safety assist systems. The Peugeot got a 92 percent rating for protection offered to adult occupants, 79 percent for child occupants, 64 for pedestrians and 81 percent for safety assist.

The Ford Tourneo Connect passenger van was equally impressive, with a 94 percent rating for adult occupant protection, 85 percent for child occupant protection, 62 percent for pedestrians and 70 percent for safety assist.

Finally, EuroNCAP also awarded five stars to the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, which was rated 88 percent for adult occupant protection, 84 percent for child occupant, 64 percent for pedestrian and 81 percent for safety assist.

By Dan Mihalascu

PHOTO GALLERY

VIDEO

New Photos Mazda's SEMA Show Custom Concepts

Mazda has unwrapped a pair of customized concepts of its new 2014 Mazda3 compact and Mazda6 mid-size models at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

The two Mazda3 studies are the Club Sport hatchback with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder unit paired to a manual gearbox and an array of performance upgrades, including an aero package and 20-inch wheels, and the other is the Vector 3 sedan with a bespoke Soul Red paint highlighted by custom blend of Deep Crimson in varying shades of depth, a ground effects kit and 19 Rays Volk rims.

The bigger Mazda6 also gets a Club Sport version only this time, power is provided by the European model's 173hp (175PS) 2.2liter turbo diesel, which will be available in North American from late spring of next year. The CS6 (Club Sport 6) is finished is a dark grey shade and sports a discreet aero package and Rays 57 Motorsport G07FXX 20-inch Black alloy wheels along with an assortment of other performance tweaks.

Finally, we have the Ceramic 6 Concept boasting a matte Ceramic White finish littered with Taupe Silver accent stripes, which Mazda says, resembles "linear frequency patterns found on the likes of couture dresses and flowing fabrics". The car rides on Rays Volk Racing Original G25 10-spoke, 20-inch wheels finished in Taupe Silver, with performance goods including an H&R spring kit, a Racing Beat custom dual-exhaust and custom Brembo two-piece, six-piston 380x32 drilled rotors. Mazda tells us that it has also reworked the interior with "premium soft leathers, intricate stitching and overlapping weave patterns".

PHOTO GALLERY

Mazda3 Production Reaches 3 Million Units

Mazda announced that its Mazda3 compact car (known as the Axela in Japan) has reached a new milestone with the production of 3 million units, seven years and ten months after the launch of the first-generation model. The fastest-selling model in the company's current lineup of passenger cars is produced in three locations (Japan's Hofu Plant in Yamaguchi, China's CFMA plant in Nanjing and Thailand's AutoAlliance plant).The compact model is sold in approximately 90 countries and regions across the world. 

2012 Mazda3 Facelift with New 40mpg SKYACTIV Engine Debuts in New York

Mazda is getting ready to enter the raging mpg war in the compact passenger vehicle segment in the States with the launch of its facelifted 2012 Mazda3 that made its U.S. debut today at the New York International Auto Show.
While the exterior and interior refinements are modest, the updated Mazda3 debuts the first application in North America of the Japanese firm’s suite of SKYACTIV fuel-saving and performance-oriented technologies, achieving 40 mpg on the highway. Within it lies Mazda’s all-new SKYACTIV-G 2.0-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine hooked up to either a new SKYACTIV-Drive six-speed automatic transmission or a SKYACTIV-MT six-speed manual gearbox.

2012 Mazda3 with Modest Styling Tweaks and New Skyactive-G Engine Debuts in Toronto

Mazda has dropped the first photos and details on its 2012 model year Mazda3 sedan and five-door hatchback models that are making their world premiere at this week's 2011 Canadian International AutoShow in Toronto. In addition to receiving a cosmetic pick-me-up, the refreshed Mazda3 gains the Japanese firm's new Skyactiv-G gasoline engine and Skyactiv-Drive automatic transmission.
The automaker has not yet released specific details on the new powertrain, but said that this is the first application of its Skyactive engine and transmission technologies in a production vehicle. All we know for now is that the engine will feature direct-injection tech and a high compression ratio, while the transmission is said to be compact in size and light in weight, with both contributing to an improved fuel efficiency and reduced CO2 emissions.

Mazda3 gets Revised 1.6-liter Diesel in Europe, Returns 4.4lt/100km or 53.5mpg

Mazda has updated the 1.6-liter four-cylinder diesel engine offered in the Mazda3 hatchback and sedan models, making it Euro 5-compliant, more powerful (115 hp vs 109 hp) and even more economical. The new version needs just 4.4 lt/100 km (64.2 UK mpg or 53.5 US mpg) and it's mated for the first time to a six-speed manual transmission.

Mazda brings Super20 MX-5 along with other tuned models to SEMA Show

In order to take full advantage of the aftermarket fanboys trolling around SEMA, Mazda released more than a few examples of the paths tuners could take when modifying its MX-5 roadster, Mazda2, and Mazda3 models.

The Mazda2s seen here are designed with two different goals in mind: looking slick on the street, or tearing it up at the track.

The Mazda2 Street keeps it simple by getting lowered on a set of 15x9s and adding some lower-body graphics, while the Mazda2 Evil Track gets the same rims, more aggressive vinyl, and enough safety/racing gear to meet NASA and SCCA standards. The "Evil Track" also wears a Mazda Design body kit and rides on H&R coilovers.