2007 Mazda 3 Turbo Diesel ~ dedieideeresponse101

2007 Mazda 3 Turbo Diesel

Mazda 3 diesel

Impressive oiler cuts consumption, but bulks up price

For all the right reasons, Mazda's 3 has long been a favourite in these pages. What does the fourth - turbo diesel - engine variant bring to the table? A significant increase in mass, plus a serious $4000 price hike, for starters. Mazda's in-house 2.0-litre diesel (designation MZR-CD, and shared with the 6) adds a huge 145kg to lift the 3 to a hulking 1410kg. Discouraging.

Yet such is the grunt of the common-rail oiler, that the diesel alternative doesn't drive this way. It's not the 105kW number that's important here, but the 360Nm. That's just 20Nm shy of the blistering MPS petrol turbo - or almost double the torque of the normally-aspirated 2.0-litre petrol. Output enough to take the diesel 3 to 100km/h in 9.9sec, only 0.8sec behind the official claim for the regular 2.0-litre.

In the real world, however, the diesel feels quicker, provided you keep the engine spinning between 1600-4000rpm, a broader-than-normal diesel power band. Below 1600rpm acceleration is sluggish, beyond 4000rpm the engine runs out of puff, though the persistent will struggle to just beyond the ludicrously optimistic 5000rpm redline. A pointless exercise.

Better to surf the relaxed, clatter-free energy zone. Refinement levels are excellent; aural awareness of the diesel are only obvious at idle. It's also Euro IV emissions clean, and delivers a combined European cycle of 6.0L/100km.

The lack of an optional automatic obviously limits the 3's desirability in Oz, and accounts for Mazda's prediction of a modest sales target of around 100 per month - similar numbers to the also manual-only 6 diesel. Happily, the six-speed 'box shifts effortlessly and quickly, and the handling isn't noticeably affected by the increased mass up front. This 3 turns in to corners rapidly and accurately, and it's only in sharp second-gear hairpins that the nose pushes wide.

To cope with the extra torque, the diesel borrows the 3 MPS body reinforcements and suspension mods, and gets larger disc brakes all round. The test car we drove in Austria came on 16-inch alloys wearing Bridgestone Turanza 205/55 rubber. The usual Mazda 3 road noise problem was an issue, even on ultra-smooth blacktop.

What takes the edge off the seemingly wallet-busting price escalation is the increase in standard equipment over the equivalent Maxx Sport - like stability control, normally a $1000 option. If you insist on a Japanese diesel, there is only one show in town: Mazda with a 3 that's competitive with its Euro-rivals.

Model	Mazda 3 diesel
Engine	1998cc 4cyl, dohc, 16v t/d
Max Power	105kW @ 3500rpm
Max Torque	360Nm @ 2000rpm
Transmission	6-speed manual
0-100km/h	9.9sec (claimed)
Price	$30,500 (estimated)
On sale	September '07

For:	Relaxed performance; refinement; cruise economy
Against:	No automatic version; $4000 premium over petrol

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2007 Mazda 3 Turbo Diesel

Source: https://www.carsales.com.au/editorial/details/mazda-3-diesel-5135/

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