Mazda 3 (2022) review | Coach Car News

And so, while Mazda’s first all-electric will arrive next year and its first plug-in hybrid a few years later, what we’re getting from the firm for now is an interesting new breed of gasoline engine called Skyactiv-X. . It is unlike any other gasoline engine currently in production; it combines both spark and compression ignition technologies to increase efficiency; and it hits the market first in the all-new, fourth-generation Mazda 3 hatchback – which is our test drive subject this week.

Design and styling of the Mazda 3

The new Mazda 3 has been completely redesigned on an all-new platform. It’s a slightly shorter and lower sedan than the one it replaces, but better packaged in terms of interior space, Mazda says. A bit heavier car too, for reasons that will become apparent – albeit stronger and stiffer, with the proportion of ultra high strength steel used in its construction rising from 3% in the last generation to 30%.

The car continues in a largely conventional vein in terms of mechanical layout, with an all-steel monocoque underbody; engines mounted transversely at the front and driving the front axle only; and MacPherson-type front suspension with torsion beam rear. However, get into the technical details of the car’s design and layout and you’ll quickly discover evidence of typical Mazda alternative thinking. The car’s chassis, for example, has been reinforced with ring-shaped structures intended not only to add strength, but also to more quickly transmit vertical loads from the car’s suspension mounts to the base of the driver’s seat. driver.

The suspension has been redesigned to achieve similar goals and (for the first time in Mazda’s recent history) runs on softer sidewall tires than the car they directly replace. Handling is aided by an electronic torque-vectoring system called G-Vectoring Control Plus, which uses braking and throttle interventions to imperceptibly but proactively balance the car’s weight between its axles when cornering and, depending on Mazda, to “smooth transitions between pitch, roll and yaw”.

The seat frames have been considerably reinforced and the seats themselves have also been reshaped. All of this, along with the specific body-strengthening measures, is aimed at taking better advantage of the same biomechanical human reflexes that allow you to hold your head steady while walking, and give the Mazda 3 what should feel like a smoother ride. intuitively comfortable. . It’s an interesting approach that few other automakers follow.