My previous car was a Mazda 3, which I owned for 10 years. No rust, no faults, no trouble. Guess what? I bought the 2016 Mazda 3 (petrol) and have lived with it for a year and it's a great vehicle. They're fun cars to drive, cheap to own, have no serious character flaws and they get you from A to B in fine style. They love a twisty road, rule the motorway and put a grin on your face when you put your foot down. I've driven everything from Porsche Caymans to Renault Meganes and I have to say that, unless you're prepared to shell out an awful lot of money, Mazda's range of vehicles does the job, in style. A lot of people want a German car because of the badge but honestly, I've never had a single thing go wrong on two Mazda 3's and I can't see the point in gambling on another brand. Citroen and Peugeot? I've driven both brands. Nice cars, shame about their reliability issues. BMW, Mercedes and Volkswagen? Again nice cars but shame about their very expensive service packages and (with some models) reliability. Most Japanese cars? Some can be boring (Toyota, I'm looking at you, with the Yaris) but they very, very rarely let you down. The current Mazda 3 (petrol) just loves a corner, loves overtaking, and is a joy to own. I can cram a ton of stuff into the boot (trunk), hit the road and grin all the way to the end of the journey. If I want drama, I can get some but if I want a quiet journey, I can get that too. Love it. Mazda makes a car that becomes your friendly fiend. End of.

I bought myself a Mazda 3 Sport Nav 2.0 165ps and I have no regrets. It was fully loaded pretty much everything that costs extra with German brand cars. I was going to get an Audi A3 but I couldn't justify paying £10k more than the Mazda 3 just to get it up to spec. Personally, I don't care about the image of owning a German car...I let the Mazda 3 speak for itself. The Mazda 3 is a serious car...I love it.

I'd rather have a fully loaded Mazda than a "poverty package" Audi, BMW or Mercedes. I bought a 2016 Mazda 3. So happy.

I pity the fools who stereotype German cars as superior.

The thing that isn't explained about these diesels is that Mazda is the odd one out when compared to other diesels. Rather than go the standard 17:1 or 18:1 compression normally required, they chose to flip it on its head and do a record low 14:1. The negative with this is cold starts, which they resolved with feeding exhaust on start up. But what is a benefit is that the low compression burns the fuel more effectively, so they don't need AdBlue or other additions. Secondly, because it's the same compression ratio as their petrol car, they put in lighter engine parts shaving a massive amount of weight (the weight of a person). But it's the sound and rpm that are most noticeable and it's explained in this video without Auto Express explaining why. Because of its weight and compression ratio being so different, it has much high rpm and sound as if it's 1/2 way between a standard petrol engine and standard diesel. It's a lot quieter for that. Post VW diesel issues though, both German and Japanese automotive companies were investigated to determine if they were also cheating with emissions. There was a unnanimous finding that in fact, all manufacturers were cheating to a degree. The Japanese report card was odd though. They found that Mazda was the only brand that had successful results. In real world tests on the Mazda 3 and CX-5, the emissions were basically on par with the emissions reported prior to VW's emissions scandal. Maybe the low compression was a good idea after all.

The mazda looks much more powerful and stylish

In this case I totally agree, I drive an Audi A5 2.0, big Audi fan, but I decided to pop by the mazda show room one day and I was just blown away by the quality of their latest models, they are up there with the Germans believe me!!

Love BMW's but ill have the Mazda

Was given a Mazda3 GT 2.5 to drive for 2 hours yesterday. Bloody hell it is so good! Anyone that thinks Mazda can't compete with the Germans need to wake up and take one for a drive. I was very surprised at the quality, and the amount of tech you get blows the others away for the money. Engine and trans' was just brilliant too. Very quick

Mazda made impressive cars with a wonderfull design. Good job Mazda.

Mazda runs rings around the BMW and Audi xD Japanese tech will always prevail.

This is the video that made me decide on a Mazda 3, 6 years back. I've driven a Lexus, a Mini sport, a VW, a Peugeot, a BMW, a Skoda, and been on a Mustang, amongst others...Mazda feels much better if you drive like someone who "drag races" all the time, especially around curvy roads 😉 I agree about it being good value for money. And man, the brakes and sensitive wheel response, nothing like it!! 😍

To all you Mazda 3 haters, go drive one and shut up!

mazda 3 looks way better than the other two

I choose mazda 3 even without watching the video

Mazda is definitely best.

I've just bought a Mazda 3. While the Audi and BMW are good cars, I agree with the reviewer, they don't offer the same value for money - possibly because you're paying a bit more for the badge.

When considering the service cost, Mazda is the much better of value for money than Audi and BMW.

This is a true to fact review despite people saying its biased because he owns a Mazda. With the upper tier cars that both the Germans rival offer, absolutely, any one of them would trump Mazda anyday. But this is the comparison of the more affordable, cost effective bang per buck competition which Mazda has proved itself to be quite the competitor ie, the Mazda 6, an award winning car. You need to pay like twice the amount to get the best out of BMW and Audi, for their 3 series and A6s while you can go the Mazda route and pay half and get the best of its class.

Mat owns a Mazda, so do I. The 6 2.2D 150 SEL Nav. People in the know know.

Just goes to show what I told my salesman here in the USA why I chose the new Mazda 3 hatch to purchase. All the perks of a Japanese car with all the feeling of a German car. Best of both worlds IMO.

I don't understand why people have such a hard time accepting a cheap BMW or Audi is exactly that, cheap. The saddest thing is when people buy them and flash the key fob around a like they actually own a "premium" car. It's the equivalent of putting a sock down your pants. It's all very impressive until you actually have to perform.

He forgot to mention the terrible reliablity of the german cars.

As someone in the USA, I like to see videos like this of ordinary cars. We don't get any of these cars here in the US aside from the Mazda 3, and we aren't even offered the diesel engine in that. Small cars with diesel engines basically don't exist over here, and similar sized hatchbacks over here have a lot more standard horsepower than they do in Europe. For instance, the Focus has 160hp as standard over here. The biggest difference is in the price. You said the Mazda 3 in the video is ~21,000 pounds. 21,000 pounds is about $32,000. The Mazda 3 is sold at a starting price of $19,000 over here.

Biased or not, the Mazda is faster, more economical than the smaller engined and slower 1 series, great practicality, reliable, better equipped. It's all just badge snobbery, the Audi and BMW to me are just boring, so many on the road surprised when people don't loose them in the car park, other alternatives like the Volvo V40 outclasses BMW, Audi and Mercedes with its 190 bhp D4 engine that emits 99 grams of co2, 70+ mpg and 0-60 in 6.8 seconds and to top it off, the safest car ever tested by euro ncap. Enough said.

i dont think this video is biased at all...afterall Mat is basically judging facts mostly, and the Mazda really wins...people that dont "accept" this video are stuck with the classic "german car cliche"...the reality is that the german cars arent half as good as people think they are, and double the price of cars that happen to be much better...and YES, german cars now a days DO LACK QUALITY! as a test driver for german brands (in germany) i know this very well...every test driver colleague of mine is driving either a mazda, a toyota or a honda...those are the only brands with true quality for your money now a days...and again, i work with quality for a living...

Here in New Zealand the BMW 118d (yes, not the 116d as it's not available) costs 57k (NZ dollars). Audi A3 2.0 TDI sportback is 56k these are the base models with no options. I've just bought the top of the line Mazda 3 for 47K. That's difference of 10k!!!!! Would you pay 10k more for a slower, less well equipped, less (objectively) "premium" car? It's a no brainer.

Mazda powa ! i sold my Audi A4 and bought à Mazda 6. i don't regret one second about my choice. Audi is boring, expensive

Had my Mazda 3 for 6 weeks and agree with the review, test drove all of these plus vw and skoda, the Mazda wins hands down.

no matter how i look at it Mazda's design has left the other two premium brands by miles,it's cheaper but it looks more premium,i love it's kodo design

Yes! Finally no automatic win for the Germans :) Very refreshing to see a European journalist so open to other models ;D

This guy went into some pretty good detail which I find lacking in most other auto reviews. Good job!

Great review! Very informative and to the point. I'd like to see more comparison tests like this.

Very impressed by the Mazda.... German cars are becoming less and less great as other competitors are catching up....

Your video editing skills have improved significantly. good job AE.

The Mazda 3's torque is amazing... No other segment car can beat it...

Love this fair, price matched test

Research the previous reviews ; and any intelligent person can tell if this was sponsored or not.. I believe it is authentic ! These type of shenanigans tend to be more prevalent with US reviews . But if you know the history and follow a US publication called consumer reports; you will see that Mazda is a dedicated focused engineering company.With a rich history of automotive advancement and sports sucess. They truly stand their accomplishments ..A small company like mazda has the luxury and talent to focus on a passion to bring a car that can compete and beat most luxury cars by driver pleasure and reliability ,and do it by outright dedication to a philosophy that sees the car and driver as one.

I am german and i bought the Mazda 3 2.2 Skyactiv D in january and i love it!

mazda 3 👍👍👍

Had Skoda Octavia 2004, Passat 2006, Peugeot 407, Skoda Superb Mk2 2012, Skoda Superb 2016. Now happy owner of Mazda 3, Sport NAV 2.0 Petrol. What a lovely car!

Zoom zoom bitches. Mazda really knocked the ball off the park with the new 3/6/CX series. I think this Mazda 3 will hold its value come resale time. Its Japanese, so more reliable and lesser repair costs once warranty expires.

it is great to see non Luxury brand compete with true Luxury powerhouses ... Yes Audi and BMW should be winning these tests as a luxury brands and in some ways 1 series and A3 are clearly better but fact that Mazda can beat them overall is great for car buyers ... nothing better than competition .

This A3 has been exactly the same for what feels like a century. And the BMW looks like a box. I'd buy an Astra, or better yet an A class.

Mazda 3 all the way to the bank.

It amazes me how biased the British are towards Euro cars. Every Mazda/Honda/Toyota review gets a predictable rain of hatred in the comments!

Is it worth changing my 2018 Mazda3 Sport Nav for 2019 model.

Anyone looking at the Mazda3 should go for the bulletproof 2.0 petrol as the diesel's haven't got the best reliability record. Petrols come in two states of tune, 118bhp and 165bhp. 165 gets a higher spec interior but the 118 has longer gears so better for motorways. They have also been proven to be outputting a real world 135 to 140bhp. If that isn't enough they can be easily mapped/derestricted to 170/180bhp for about £300. Pre 2017 also benefit from £30 a year tax.

I find it interesting how depreciation works in Europe; here in the US most luxury cars have a higher depreciation percentage than normal cars, especially the Japanese makes

BMW and Audi are outdated already. Mazda is the better one

I love the way the Mazdas look from the front. We just got the 4 door sedan and it's got really nice lines. Though I can attest that the road noise is a bit much. It will get old on long trips. So passengers bring some noise cancelling headphones.

Today is the 26th February 2021. I'm sure that the Mazda has had far less issues than these two rivals after nearly 7 years!

You are Great Mat, as always! :-)))

Nice review. Thank you. As my next vehicle is a Mazda 3 Se - lux nav.

Mazda was a crisis by capital cooperation cancellation with GM. They challenged technological reform independently to survive. Skyactiv has been developed as first step. This was praised by a car journalist of the world. It's still underestimated, but they're successful.

mazda is coming up ..😊

Nice! I just want them to come out with an AWD Mazdaspeed 3 or AWD 3. I currently have a 2015 Mazda 3 S Touring with the 2.5 L engine.

Thailand price mazda 3 staring from 830,000 baht = 15,074 pound bmw 116i staring from 1,750,000 baht = 31,784 pound Audi A3 staring from 2,000,000 baht = 36,324 pound The price gap here is just unbelievable. btw Mazda 3 and Bmw 116i both are assemble in Thailand guess the gov only wants the rich to drive european cars ..

Mazda fastback or hatchback? Personally I think the fastback looks a lot better but I guess the boot space would be somewhat compromised...

Would you choose better car or premium badge?

Lol the drag test tho

which is the song's name at 0:35 during the drag race?? (Fantastic Mazda!!)

Gee a lot of people can't handle it when someone says they prefer a Japanese car over a European car! FWP? I'll put in my 2 bobs worth after having owned various European (Opel to numerous BMWs) and Japanese cars (Toyota to Mazda). In MY experience they have all been quality cars but that quality shows in DIFFERENT ways. The European cars have a quality 'feel' to them ie solid/refined and have a real depth of engineering. The Japanese cars however 'feel' like their 'just in time' manufacturing process they love so much ie engineered/materials/feel etc are just enough to do the job it was designed to do at the time and nothing more. Where the Japanese 'quailty' comes through is in their reliability. Everything just works and usualy keeps working long after the European cars start having little niggles that just keep getting bigger if you don't keep on top of them. The European cars I have owned, as brilliant as they were to drive with a much more solid 'feel/perceived quality', couldn't get anywhere near the reliability of the Japanese cars over the long term. With the Japanese cars you could just get in and drive day in/day out and they could handle mechanical neglect FAR better than the Europeans. They BOTH have their good and bad points, it just depends on where you priories are. This is just from my PERSONAL experience from around 23 years of car ownership. If only we could have the 'feel' of the European cars with the reliability of the Japanese cars!

Good review!

Audi and BMW with their luxurious roots uses Halogen (yellowish) headlights ( My 20 years old Honda Civic has it as well)- Only the Mazda 3 has HID Xenon low and high beam and at half the price.

Wohoo my car kicks ass! :DPetrol version though, 160hp. Choice made on real price/performance. I placed zero emphasis on brand when making my choice.

And I could only wish that the Skyactive D was available in the USA.

Mazda 3 has the best dash instruments I’ve ever seen.

Also is this a dieselgate Audi emissions rating?

We now live in a world where people think there's a perfect and direct correlation between brand image and performance. This video is about 3 similarly-priced car and looks fair enough but lot you will never in a million years accept the result as all brainwashed to think Germans makes the best car....well may be they only make best overpriced cars compared to other makers

Why not the 2.0 TDI A3 for comparison? Only to make it irrelevant?

I have mazda 3 2014 2 2l diesel , hadn't skipped a beat, touch wood.. I love it

Mazda all the way.

You know what else had Mazda 3 left behind this drag race? Unreliability

The A3 is just a golf with audi badge premium price just buy the golf.

CarWow.....I see Matt Watson is looking young! I have just bought a 66 plate SE-L Nav with this 2.2 skyactive diesel engine and after watching this I can't wait for it to be delivered. Currently in a 2021 Seat Ateca FR Sport DSG that is costing too much to run and pay for so I picked up a nice black one for 9k. I hope i won't be disappointed.

i have the mazda, absolutely love the car, however i'm going to disagree with you on the handling, especially at high speeds, you have to work very hard not to lose the car in tight corners, otherwise, it's an amazing car to drive

I was going to buy a Volkswagen Golf as it seems to still take the edge when it comes to family hatches. However when I first sat foot into the new Mazda 3 I was completely drawn to it and I absolutely forgoten about Volkswagen. It is an simply an amazing car at £21,200. look for the Mazda 3 SE-L 2.2 Diesel as it is fully loaded.

Love my 2017 Mazda 3(Axela)❤️

Just curious, why didn't the mazda 3 diesel in the test car comes with the HUD, sunroof, radar cruise control, blind spot monitoring?

I am so glad that you growing well in other video you were 5.10” and now you are 5.11” 😅😅😅

Wish we got that Mazda 3 diesel in the US so I could try it. sounds interesting

I have the US spec 2.0 Mazda 3. Wish the diesel was available here. Fun car if ur on 18"s

As an Mazda3 2007 owner i would definitely buy a newer Mazda(3 or 6),150.000km and still no issues. But the only thing i don't like on the Mazda 3,is its rear OEM suspension,it's a little bit jumpy

Nice and informative review. Brand snobbishness aside the Mazda is the best value proposition.

I cant find a diesel mazda 3 that gets 69mpg?

This has made me really look again at the Mazda 3

The problem with premium brands is that for the price of well equiped mazda you get naked 1 series. But if you have a bit more money there is a lot more potential in premium brands. Tbh, I was hoping for something a bit more exciting than a compact diesel test...

Mazda is the best! 😍

just my opinion. I do a lot of driving. Can't beat the Japanese Vehicles. Last 4 were: 2 Subaru's, 2 Mazda's Each ONE got over 300K miles, before i got rid of them, and they still ran. I simply got to the point where I wanted something newer. I do all my own repairs. (rarely even needed, considering the miles I put on) and i find them easy to work on as well. my 2nd Mazda I just bought is a 2015 Mazda 3 hatchback. I'm getting 44 mpg (Mazda understates MPGs on this model) and the car handles like a dream.

Hmm, I like new Mazda 3 but when I'm watching this test I have that feeling that This group test was "Sponsored" by Mazda :)

Are these dash mounted infotainment systems legal? They appear to impinge on the windscreen space.

Bro kidnapped the top gear camera operator

I have been driving mazda3 for 5 years and I am having fun out of it.

Mat, Carbuyer isnt the same without you!

2017 2.5L 6spd manual HB. If you're a 'driver,' and can't afford the $40K+ for the A3, you'll love this car. Very premium feel, the G Force Vectoring works a treat where the front wheels pull you around a turn rather than just push you wide. Nothing like it for the deal I got. Under $20K new. The tach sucks and there's no remote rear hatch release either in the car or on the FOB. My main criticisms. Otherwise, imho, this IS a driver's car.

I go for Mazda 3

I don't think there is any bias here, it's a real world scenario of if you have these sort of money and you want a hatchback, which one you will buy, simple.

mazda now worth 9k bmw 116d now worth 10.5k also please bear in mind bmw has been out since 2012 audi is now worth 11k. the cars checked online are all the same age so 2014 and have similar mileage. all figures are in gbp (£) and checked on autotrader.

I own a Audi a4 1.6 petrol for 7 years now. It has 500.000km down, no rust (just a little on the front fender-right), still takes around 7l/100km and everything works so far. It is also a 1996. I have a few other friends with VWs and Audis with simmilar specs. And i have a uncle and a friend that owned Mazdas and sold them in 2 years due to repairing and rust. I dont say german cars are better but i cant imagine getting a better car that would last me longer. And oh....theres the replacement part prices...it doesnt get cheaper than with german cars if you live in Europe. Finaly theres the 4wd you can get with the audi or bmw, which i dont believe Mazda offers in general. my 2 cents.