New Mazda3, SP-25 & MX-5 for MIMS
February 10, 2009 by Matt Brogan
It feels like the wait is almost over with the next generation of the Mazda3, Australia’s best-selling car, to make its Australian debut at the Melbourne International Motor Show.
Both sedan and hatch models will offer even higher levels of quality, practicality, performance and value. The all-new Mazda3 SP-25 will also be on show.
“The new-generation Mazda3 has a more expressive and emotional design that emphasises dynamism, and has the driving excitement and agility to back it up,” said Mazda Managing Director Doug Dickson. “Combined with the class-leading features and equipment that deliver the great value Mazda is renowned for, this new-generation Mazda3 is a worthy successor to the classy small car that has consistently been among Australia’s top sellers.”
The Mazda stand will also host the Australian debut of the new Mazda MX-5 roadster (pictured above). This mid-life MX-5 makeover not only ramps up the visual aggression, it includes a host of mechanical enhancements all designed to reinforce the Mazda MX-5’s status as the world’s favourite roadster.
The Melbourne International Motor Show runs from February 27 to March 9, 2009.
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Looking at the photo of new Mazda 3 I can comfortably say it is quite an improvement over its ugly predecessor. Well done.
^Although I agree the new 3 is an improvement, the old car is by no means ugly in any regard.
^ agree that the existing model is not ugly, but damn it is old. It seems to take so long for new models to come out – I am so over the Subaru Liberty, and the current Mazda 3 – hell, even the CX-7 is starting to get a bit ho-hum. Can’t wait to see the new Mazda 3 MPS – hopefully it’s not butt ugly.
^Agreed
Does anyone know how many kw the sp25 will have?
I wont buy the new 3 just because of that UGLY front grill! Yuck
It would appear you can’t please everybody…
Oooooooo, look, it’s smiling!
^Its got a lot to smile about, it will be a ripper of a car.
Who cares how many kw it will have. It will be an understeering FWD of FAIL ripper of a car lol!
Old 3 is butt ugly, period. Hence any change ought to be an improvement.
The SP25 will have around 125kw and 225nm of torque. A little bit more efficient than the outgoing SP23 as well.
I too disagree about the previous Mazda 3 ,great styling and fit and finish in their products.
Disagree about FWD too, it can be achieved with grunt Ford have managed too………..
quote
“If you can achieve the performance you want without steering disturbance, then front-wheel-drive is a better performance car – lighter and with a more precise, linear steering response than AWD. With the work of our advanced research team in Aachen, we were able to achieve this and deliver something genuinely different,” explained Team RS Chief Engineer, Dirk Densing”
Im sure you all know what car this is!
Love the look of the whole Mazda range at the moment ,very classy cars!
The reason the new 3 is so good looking could be because with that wide smile; it looks alot like a new Peugeot which I believe are cool looking cars.
I dont think the old Mazda 3 was a bad looking car, its just it was starting to look very dated. Good to see they are finally bringing it up to the same good looks the rest of the mazda range has.
On a whole I woud say Mazda has one of the best looking range of cars in the world.
I like everything about both cars except for the smiley fronts.
But I will wait until I see one in the flesh to make a proper assessment
Well glade i have just purchased a SP23 cause there is no way in hell I would be seen in that BUTT UGLY looking SP25 if any thing I would by the engine from theSP25 and put it in my attractive SP23 body I cant get over its so fugly its not funny should be a clowns car
I’m going to say something brave. That front grill looks ridiculous. The rest of the car has some great lines, but the eye keeps getting drawn to that stupid smiling face. The Mazda 3 has sporty lines, but the smiling face just clashes with that. I’m sure it’ll be a great car, but though the old one wasn’t perfect, it looked better than the new one, IMHO.
Most other cars with a similar grill are slightly frowning, they have a serious face on. On a sporty (or sporty looking) car thats good. Leave stupid grinning cars to clown cars and other excessively female targetted micro cars.
i agree with the missile ,the whole mazda range looks great ,with build quality right up there with the best of them.but then i am a bit biased i own a new 6 wagon not a bad drive either.and as for fwd drive well i cant pick it it steers and handles brilliantly.
Golfie the reason its smiling or laughing could be because it [like a number of others on this site] can’t believe that its Australia’s most popular selling car at the moment either..
I however; think Mazdas are under estimated by most which makes the fact that the 3 series has managed to outsell its more favoured opponent even more of an achievement
I think that the new 3 is a great looking car and the one that it replaces was the best of the bunch but in need of a make over to keep it fresh. I have to agree with some of the comments above about the whole Mazda range looking good…
Its personal preference as I hate the front of the Lancer its too pointy….
The MX5 looks great in yellow and its new touches keeps it fresh that why I purchased a green Mazda 2 Genki as it suits the car…..
Well done Mazda once again…
Kick some rolla butt with the new 3…
Anyone else think the new Mazda 3 is looking more and more like the old mid-90’s Mazda 323 Astina?
https://www.mynrma.com.au/cps/rde/xchg/mynrma/hs.xsl/mazda_323_astina_1996_car_review.htm
From Nissan 2 mazda, you could make a grave mistake by putting the new engine into the more “attractive” older body.
Not that you seriously would…but it reminds me of the story of the Holden fanatic who loathed the squared-off rear of the new VY Commodore so much that, when he ordered his new SS, he took it straight down to the panel beater and grafted the softer looking and familiar VT/VX panels on the back.
What a complete wally. Like many commenting here today, he suffered a simple reluctance to embrace and comprehend the new.
Barely 3 months after he did it, I’m sure he must have appreciated the new VY coachwork and regretted his actions.
I think the new Lancer is much better looking. I prefer mean looking cars over smiley looking cars. Just like the Nissan Micra, all happy looking, this one will also be popular with female buyers, does it come in pink?
Seems dan is a bit bitter cause a 5yr old, about to be replaced car outsold his beloved crapolla.
I know from experience the 3 is a great little car having driven the MPS and my brothers new neo which he picked over the crapolla.
LOL! I don’t own, I wouldn’t own, and I don’t want to own a corolla. I just find funny that people get so excited over such a mediocre car as the mazda 3… And I think the corolla sells more than the 3…
Going by what Dan said, if the Mazda3 is a ‘mediocre’ car, then the Corolla is a ‘bad’ car and anything else must be ‘awful’.
In other words, people won’t get excited about if the car is ‘mediocre’. The Mazda3 is far from it.
However, the nose on the 3 looks ugly IMO. The old one was much better and still good great for an old lady!
Actually Dan the 3 was top selling car in january relegating the corolla to 3rd but that will probably change when toyotas much relied upon fleet sales kick in.
“In other words, people won’t get excited about if the car is ‘mediocre’. The Mazda3 is far from it. ”
The fact that people actually get excited about something like this, proves they’re not real car enthusiasts. End of the day, it’s an a-to-b econobox. Nothing more, nothing less. If you think you’re driving a ‘desireable’ car then you’re really kidding yourself. But there’s people who don’t need much to be happy so different courses for different horses I suppose.
Quote [Dan] “The fact that people actually get excited about something like this, proves they’re not real car enthusiasts. End of the day, it’s an a-to-b econobox. Nothing more, nothing less.”
That’s funny that you should say that Dan; because on the Hyundai Genseis topic you said to me..
“If you believe all cars should be looked at as items that get you from a to b, you’re very well mistaken.”
So what makes this car any different from a Corolla; a Camry; a Kluger or even a Lexus?
And don’t say its the price.. because price is all relative as to how much you can afford or are willing to pay.
This car [like all others] is designed to get you from A to B just like your Lexus is.. make up your mind
Nice play on words wheelnut. THis is an econobox, that is its job, get your from a to b. Then you have utes, 4wds, sports cars etc, which do more than a to b and have more purposes than a to b. Get it?
Small hatchbacks or econo-boxes [as you like to call them] such as this also have a purpose besides getting you from A to B… they are quite popular with couriers as they are nimble economical and easy to park etc not only that but with the seats folded down some of them have quite a spacious/cavernous cargo area..
Getting you [and your cargo] from A to B is what all cars do. You got to stop somewhere sometime.. it just depends on how many of you need/want to get there what you need/want to take with you and how quickly you need/want to get there not to mention where your destination is
Smiley front is a japanese design point,cars with a frown or that look unhappy don’t sell very well in japan.
So Wheelnut, you believe that an econobox, a 4WD, a sports car, and a van are meant to be compared directly, as they sit in the same vehicle category?? *facepalm*
Phil, the new Lacer looks mean and angry, and it’s Japanese.
Dan, every vehicle is made to get from a to b, it just depends on wether you need to or want to or for what purpose.
At least with the Mazda you’ll have a bit of affordable fun doing it, unlike say, a Nissan or Toyota.
Dan: you are obviously reading moree into my comments which could be why you are missing the point completely
I never said that Coupes Utes Sedans 4×4setc are to be compared directly against one another as they have different categories mainly because they have different characteristics and although they are used for different purposes they all do the same job which is move people and cargo from one location to another.
I mean a cordless drill and a screwdriver bothhelp drive screws into pieces of wood.. [or a hammer and a nail gun] .. a circular saw and a hand saw both help cut wood.. an air conditioner and a fan both help cool you down – they are in different categorise but the do the same job… need I go on?
Nice backpedal there Wheelnut. I guess I should thank you for finally agreeing with me lol!
Dan the smiley face on a car is like Feng Shui or good kama but the japanese version(forgot name)and angry is not sad.the lancer looks like is got a red hot poker up the date and it’s saying OOOOHHHH,maybe thats why it’s angry.
Dan how do you come to the conclusion that I finally agree with you?
Because correct me if I am wrong [don't bother I am not] you said that Coupes 4×4s Sedans Utes Hatchbacks Wagons Cross-Overs etc aren’t designed to get you from A to B. You said that they’re used for different purposes..
Whereas I was saying that no matter what type of car you have they are all designed to get you from A to B
Yet you oontinued to rave on about how different cars are used for different purposes and refused to accept my statement that they all do the same job.
So I came up with a few other examples of things which despite being in sepperate categories like Sedans Coupes Utes etc – they all do the same job.
Read my comments again and you will find that at no stage did I back-pedal… if anything it appears that you are back pedalling and finally agree with me – and Falcodore
You must have a different understanding of what “a to b” means then. To me, it means driving between home and shops. Or home and work. Or going to the gym. Econoboxes are sufficient for that. Then I might want to go up to the dunes in Lancelin, and have some fun. So I grab the 4WD and go off-roading. That is no longer simple “a to b”. Then, I might want to go to Barbagallo raceway and do some track work or drift, so I grab my sports car. That is no longer simple a to b. Then, I want to go out to a wedding, or to meet the queen or something, so I take the S class luxury car to boost my social status. That is no longer simple a to b. Then, I want to go pick up some furniture so I need a transport vehicle, so I get my truck. That is no longer a simple a to b communiting either. Of course, you can feel free to take a truck to a wedding, at the end of the day it will get you from a to b literally, but it was not made for that purpose. But the point is, all cars have a differnt purpose. Of course, to a non car enthusiast like yourself, a car is simply a carriage with four wheels it seems, because you cannot grasp the simple concept of why there are different classes of cars in the first place, and you should not be comparing a truck to a limo.
Phill, the GTR looks angry. Yet still sells heaps over there. You’re looking too much into it hehe.
Dan it doesn’t matter where A or B is the thing is a “car” will get you there.
As to what TYPE of car you choose depends on where you want to go or what you want to do.. beiti go racing or carry cargo etc..
conversely where you want to go or what you want to do may determine what TYPE of car you need to get there be it Hatch Sedan Ute Wagon Soft Roader 4×4 or Pick Up Limousine or even a Hearse
Coupe Ute Sedan Wagon Hatch etc are specific terms which relate to a specific typpe of Car… the word car is a more genreal tem which refers to the various types of transport such as Coupe Ute Sedan Wagon Hatch etc.. it all depends on your perspective or how a-n-a-l you want to be
As falcodore said: every vehicle is made to get from a to b, it just depends on wether you need to or want to or for what purpose.
Surely even you can understand that as you are a supposedly an educated person [accountant] not to mention a supposed car enthusiast.
I mean a real car enthuisiast is able to appreciate a wide variety ofcars for what they are; what they are etc even though its not the sort of car that they wthemselves would choose – because it doesn’t wear a particular [L---s] badge or something like that
Wheelnut, give up. We have both given Dan a whole dictionary of explanations and he still doesnt get it! Its just common sense, which, it seems Dan lacks.
Anyways, most motoring journalists seem to agree the 3 is a great little car to drive, which i can personally attest to as well. Which is more than can be said for Dans beloved Toylexus.
Quote; [Him Again]: I don’t own, I wouldn’t own, and I don’t want to own a corolla. I just find funny that people get so excited over such a mediocre car as the mazda 3… and I think the Corolla sells more than the 3…
Dan; if Toyota sold more Corollas than Mazda did Mazda 3s then how is it that the Mazda 3 was Australia’s most popular selling car last month
Surely that means that it outsold not only the Corolla but also the Holden Commodore?
^I mentioned that yesterday and got no response wheelnut, guess he cant deal with facts either.
Geez Wheelnut, you love writing repetitive essays don’t you? Again, your definition of ’simple a to b commuter’ varies to mine. So deal with it. You have again avoided answering my question, whether you believe it is fair to directly compare cars from different classes. You seem to have picked on my wording in the hope to avoid admitting that you are wrong. Ok fine, I’ll just use the word econobox instead of ‘a to b commuter’ from now…
So back on track: do you believe it is fair to directly compare an econobox, a 4WD, a bus, and a luxury car against each other in a COTY test? You seem to reckon it is.
Most likely I’ll expect you to avoid answering the question (as you know you are wrong) and pick on another word to save face lol!