Mazda 3 Saloon review

If you want sleek looks, a classy interior and great long-haul road manners, an executive car such as this Mazda 3 Saloon could be the answer. 

The 3 Saloon is the grander-looking sibling of the Mazda 3 Hatchback but while the two cars have similarly curvy looks, they share very few external parts, other than their bonnet and windscreen.

The saloon version has a larger boot and a more steeply raked roofline than the hatchback, and is available with just one engine (the hatchback range has a few more). Its e-Skyactiv X petrol engine has mild-hybrid tech so there's some gentle electrical assistance available to improve fuel economy.

That's not this car's only talking point. While nearly every other rival – including the Audi A3 Saloon, the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupé and the Mercedes A-Class Saloon – has a turbocharger to help produce more power with less fuel, the 3 Saloon's 2.0-litre petrol engine is lightly supercharged.

Even rarer is its innovative design that burns petrol a bit like a diesel engine burns diesel fuel – and we know how efficient diesels are. Mazda says that means you get Mazda MX-5 performance with Mazda 2 fuel economy.

Does it work? That's what we'll tell you in this Mazda 3 Saloon review, along with how good it is in all the other important areas. Once you've chosen your next car, we can help you find it for the best price if you search our New Car Buying pages.

The Mazda 3 Hybrid's 2.0-litre e-Skyactiv X petrol engine produces its 184bhp by combining the best aspects of petrol and diesel engine technology.

It's designed to behave like a sporty petrol engine when you need lots of acceleration, then at cruising speeds uses diesel-style compression ignition to reduce the car's fuel consumption. There's also a tiny supercharger, which is there to increase efficiency rather than power.

What does that all mean in the real world? Well, at low revs you'll wish you were driving a turbocharged petrol or diesel because it would be much more flexible and require fewer gear changes.

Indeed, the Mazda 3 Saloon remains relatively lethargic until you get to at least 3000rpm. After that it pulls fairly healthily, and 0-62mph is dealt with in 8.1 seconds, but there are much quicker executive cars available.

At least you’ll have fun as you flick through the gears, with the 3 Saloon’s manual gearbox providing a lovely precise shift that feels inspired by the MX-5 sports car. If you pick top-spec Takumi trim, you can swap the manual for an automatic gearbox but we wouldn’t bother because the auto is often slow to change gear and reluctant to drop down when you need a burst of power. 

Regardless of which gearbox you go for, the 3 Saloon isn’t particularly quiet. That's partly because you need to rev it harder than, say, the A3 Saloon 35 TDI, and there’s a slight coarseness to the engine, too.

Wind and road noise are reasonably muted, but compared with the ultra-quiet but more expensive Audi A4 and BMW 3 Series it's not as hushed at 70mph, and also produces more suspension noise.

The Mazda 3 Saloon's suspension set-up is quite firm and doesn’t smother ridges on motorways or potholes around town nearly as well as the A-Class Saloon or A4. On the plus side, it’s well tied down, meaning it never gets the floaty sensation over undulations you’ll experience in the softer Skoda Superb. 

That body control helps when you go for a spirited drive, with the 3 Saloon never leaning much through corners and providing plenty of grip. What’s more, the slow but pleasingly weighted steering gives you a good connection to the front wheels and makes precise cornering easy.

Driving overview

Strengths Engaging manual gearbox; quite fun to drive; well-judged steering

Weaknesses Engine is lethargic at low revs; more engine noise than rivals; ride not as smooth as the Mercedes A-Class Saloon

While even the top-of-the-range Mazda 3 Saloon will cost you slightly less than the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupé and the Mercedes A-Class Saloon, you wouldn’t think so based on its interior quality. It’s a testament to how good the interior is that we’re even comparing it with premium executive cars.

It feels solid, well put together and features plenty of high-quality materials. The dashboard combines dense, soft-touch plastics with attractive finishes and chrome trim highlights. You certainly won't feel short-changed.

Drivers shouldn’t have any trouble getting comfortable behind the wheel either, regardless of their shape or size. There’s a broad range of adjustment for both the seat and steering wheel, to ensure you can easily find your perfect driving position. You can have an electrically-adjustable driver’s seat with adjustable lumbar support, but only if you go for the top Takumi trim.

As with its executive car counterparts, the 3 Saloon doesn’t perch you particularly high above the road, but the view out of the front is spot on, with narrow front window pillars that don’t get in the way at junctions.

The view out of the rear isn’t so good due to the sloping saloon roof line, but front and rear parking sensors are standard across the range. Entry-level Exclusive-Line cars get a rear-view camera while Takumi trim upgrades that to a 360-degree- view camera.

The uncluttered dashboard is easy to use, with physical buttons for all the functions you're likely to need a lot, including the climate controls. That makes operating them while driving far easier and less distracting than in the BMW 3 Series and the Peugeot 508 (which require you to navigate their touchscreens for even simple tasks). 

We also like the infotainment system. The centrally mounted, 10.3in has clear, simple menus and a quick response to your inputs. Better still, while you have the option of operating through the touchscreen when you’re stationary, you’ll mainly control it through a physical rotary controller and shortcut buttons mounted between the front seats. 

It’s better than the Skoda Superb’s infotainment, which is prone to bugs and requires you to use fiddly touch-sensitive shortcut buttons and the touchscreen to navigate it. The 3 Saloon’s system comes with an impressive array of features, too. All models get DAB radio, Bluetooth, built-in sat-nav and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring.

Interior overview

Strengths Great interior quality; physical buttons; easy-to-use infotainment

Weaknesses No standard lumbar support; compromised rear visibility

Space in the front in the 3 Saloon is exactly the same as in the hatchback Mazda 3 and even tall adults should be comfortable, with plenty of leg, shoulder and head room. There's also plenty of storage space, including room for a bottle in each door bin, cup holders in the centre console, a non-slip area ahead of the gearlever and a reasonably sized glovebox. 

In the back, anyone particularly tall will find their knees in close proximity to the front seat and their head brushing the sloping roof. It's tight for three adults across the rear bench, too, but at least the windows behind the rear pillars make it feel light and not too claustrophobic.

You’ll find similar problems in the Audi A3 Saloon and the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupé. The BMW 3 Series and the VW Arteon are much more accommodating. Alternatively, the Skoda Superb keeps costs akin to the 3 Saloon and is even larger than all rivals, offering almost Mercedes S-Class levels of space.   

The rear seatbacks in the 3 Saloon split and fold 60/40, which isn’t as useful as the more versatile 40/20/40 split you get in the A-Class Saloon. Handily, you fold the 3 Saloon’s rear seats with levers in the boot, saving you from fumbling around through the rear doors, and they lay totally flat when folded, leaving a useful extended load area. 

Speaking of which, with the rear seats raised, you’ll find more boot space in the 3 Saloon than you will the hatchback – 450 litres versus 334 litres for the hatch. Incidentally, that’s also more space that you’ll find in the A3 Saloon and A-Class Saloon, but all are hampered by a saloon boot that limits boot height. For those that crave boot space, the Superb is a better option, with a wide-opening hatchback boot lid and a 625-litre space.

Practicality overview

Strengths More boot space than saloon rivals; decent front space

Weaknesses Small boot opening; limited rear space; 60/40 split folding rear seats less versatile than rivals

As a cash purchase, the Mazda 3 Saloon is competitively priced, with the entry-level car costing around the same as the equivalent Audi A3 Saloon, and the top-spec 3 Saloon Takumi costing around the same as an entry-level BMW 2 Series Gran Coupé, a Mercedes A-Class Saloon or a Skoda Superb. Both versions are much cheaper than the BMW 3 Series and the VW Arteon.

It’s worth noting that the 3 Saloon is predicted to lose its value faster than those rivals, so it might cost you more per month if you’re buying on a PCP finance deal. What’s more, it could also mean that you get more of your investment back on one of the 3 Saloon’s rivals if you decide to sell after three years.

When it comes to running costs, Mazda’s e-Skyactiv X engine really earns its keep. It officially allows the 3 Saloon to average 55mpg (more than the 2 Series Gran Coupé, the A3 Saloon and the A-Class Saloon), and our experience of the manual suggests that more than 40mpg is easily achievable. The automatic is a bit juicier. 

On top of that, the engine keeps CO2 emissions low for a petrol car, and as a result, benefit-in-kind (BIK) tax is lower than it is for the 3 Saloon’s petrol rivals. It still can’t compete with plug-in hybrid (PHEV) or electric rivals, though, so the more expensive 3 Series 330e M Sport will cost you less each month, while a Tesla Model 3 will be even cheaper. 

Unlike the hatchback Mazda 3, the 3 Saloon is only available in two trim levels, but both come with an impressive amount of equipment. Indeed, even the entry-level Exclusive-Line comes with 18in alloy wheels, heated front seats, dual-zone climate control, adaptive LED headlights, adaptive cruise control, wireless phone-charging and lots of infotainment features.

That’s probably all the kit you’ll ever need, but if you want more equipment or the automatic gearbox, you’ll want to upgrade to Takumi spec. That version adds a heated steering wheel and a front wiper de-icer, on top of the electric seats and 360-degree parking camera.

Both versions come with generous levels of safety equipment, too. As standard, you get automatic emergency braking (Mazda calls it smart city brake support), blind-spot monitoring, lane-keeping assistance, traffic sign recognition and emergency response service (eCall). Opting for top Takumi trim adds front and rear cross traffic assist to the list, as well. 

As a result, the Mazda 3 Saloon achieved five stars out of five when it was tested by the safety experts at Euro NCAP in 2019. On the surface, that matches the 2 Series Gran Coupé, which was tested the same year, but the 3 Saloon scored better when it came to adult occupant protection and pedestrian protection, and the same for child occupant protection.

Mazda claimed 13th place out of 32 manufacturers included in the 2023 What Car? Reliability Survey, placing it below Tesla and BMW, but above Skoda, Peugeot, Mercedes and Audi. For added peace of mind, every 3 Saloon comes with a three-year/60,000-mile warranty.

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Costs overview

Strengths Lots of standard equipment; efficient engine; cheaper than rivals

Weaknesses So-so warranty; a PHEV or electric car will be cheaper for company car drivers