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Rating

Verdict Really quite disappointing

Mazda has always been a left-field choice for those wanting a Jap-o-box. They were just as reliable as the equivalent Toyotas and Nissans but somehow they were never quite as dreary. And there’s another good omen too. Because the Mazda3 is based on the Ford Focus, I figured it would be a blast.

Well, it isn’t. I mean, why, for instance, base a car on the Ford Focus – which has independent rear suspension – and then not fit independent rear suspension?

And why do the brakes have to be operated with a switch? Sometimes you just want to slow down a bit, but the Mazda can’t do that. You’re either going along normally, or you’re stationary with your face all squidged on the windscreen.

It’s the same deal with all the controls, actually. There’s no finesse to the gearbox, the clutch or the steering. Mazda describes the middle-order 1.6 as “highly balanced”. A more accurate word is perhaps “asthmatic”.

With 103bhp on tap, power is right in the standard 1.6 litre ballpark, but somewhere between the engine and the road it all seems to escape.

I have said in the past that those wanting a car of this type should choose between the Golf, the Focus and the Renault Mégane. Nothing has changed.

Current price £14,290

Price when tested (Mar 2004) £13,600

Engine 1598cc, four cylinders

Power 103bhp @ 6000rpm

Torque 107 lb ft @ 4000rpm

Transmission Five-speed manual

Fuel/CO2 39.2mpg (combined) / 172g/km

0-62mph 11.0sec

Top speed 114mph