2021 Mazda 3 e-Skyactiv-X GT Sport UK review Car News

The revised SPCCI engine doesn’t change that. Just as we found out in the CX-30 crossover paired with the same revised powertrain, this is a generally well-bred four-cylinder – and here it is now well capable of beating an actual 50 mpg on a longer stroke. He still doesn’t have the “who needs a downshift?” gear torque of a turbocharged engine when overtaking on a motorway; but you wouldn’t always really want that to be the case, as some finely polished control weights, along with the engine’s improved smoothness and linearity of response in the midrange, make the car a pleasure to engage. A particular highlight is the smooth, light and precise shifting quality of the car’s six-speed manual transmission.

The hybrid system has been calibrated to cover the small interruptions and fluctuations in torque delivery that result from switching the engine between lean compression ignition operation and normal stoichiometric combustion – and it handles that well. There’s just the slightest hint of a rough edge in the engine rating under light loads to tell you you’re in SPCCI mode, but anyone who wasn’t listening to it would have a hard time noticing. It’s a shame the crank doesn’t spin more freely at high rpm, but there is good mid-range handling here, so you don’t have to work the engine beyond 4,500 rpm too often. if you don’t want to.

The mid-firm suspension gives the 3 a slightly laconic, clipped feel to a rough country road, but it’s generally smooth and rarely choppy or choppy. It’s smooth and comfortable in town and on the highway as well, with rougher, more abrasive surfaces that squeeze a bit of a hollow, resonant roar out of the chassis every now and then.

There’s a tension and agility in the 3’s handling that few might not notice, but it really doesn’t cost anything. The steering is predictable, linear and well-weighted, so the car is easy to position and intuitive to steer around a bend; it is greedy without being at all imposing. The car drives as you expect, as you would expect, and has well-judged damping and anti-roll bar settings that seem to work just as smoothly on a heavily crowned B-road as they do around a tight roundabout. .

Inside, the cabin of our GT Sport test car had a slightly monotonous but high-end vibe, and a level of perceived quality to easily stand up to comparison with the premium brand’s competitors.