2022 Mazda 3 Review: Shocking, Astonishing, Luxurious!
EVERYONE HYPE'S the 2022 Mazda 3 for being the #1 hatchback you can buy... and frankly, I struggle to disagree.
Today we take a look at the 4th generation Mazda3, an affordable hatchback that feels more BMW than Mazda. Is it really that much better than the Hyundai i30, Kia Cerato or Toyota Corolla especially with this Mazda3 having a hybrid engine? Let's talk about it!
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• Hyundai i30 N DCT 2022...
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Timestamps
00:00 Intro
00:34 Sponsor: CarTopia
01:10 Exterior
03:02 Interior
05:43 Rear Seats
06:04 Boot Space
07:19 Engine Specs
08:20 0-100km/h test
09:11 On-Road Test
13:00 Final Thoughts
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Here on Matt Brand Cars, I review every new car on the market. We are a community of sauce givers and we'd love for you to subscribe and join our community!
I give every car "the sauce", test their 0-100km/h, and see whether or not they are worth purchasing and spending your hard-earned cash on.
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Chairman not found.. FAIL.
I don't see moving away from touch screens in cars as a regression. In fact quite the opposite, why? Well, our fingers are amazing at identifying things without having to look at something. For example, when you get a car with physical buttons for Heating\cooling, Volume, Music selection, Call answering, and even sat nav, after a short learning period you can instinctively find those controls without having to take your eyes off the road. Touch screens and haptic controls in vehicles don't make it easy for your fingers/brain to build up a recognition system which means you will nearly always have to look where to place your hand over and over again. Great review btw, I especially like your consistent intros :)
It’s great. Only issue is car play. It becomes counter intuitive when using car play. Especially for the apps
i 100% always look at what im touching on screens. idk, maybe some can no look that, but i doubt many do....
Great review boys! I was looking forward to this review ever since your humble beginnings! 👍
Excellent review lads, great fun and good banter. Picking my new Mazda 3 up in 2 weeks time, cannot wait.
Another awesome review Matt and I'm loving the new sponsor congratulations
Great review Luka Doncic. This car is awesome, full stop. Happy owner of a 2022 Mazda 3 G25 Astina in polymetal grey with red leather interior, Kuroi body kit and welcome illumination (blue light emanating in the footwell upon entry). This thing is just sick, a pleasure to use. The driving dynamics of the 2.5L Petrol engine is great, I don't need turbo levels of speed in Australia and it's punchy enough to be fun, and the turning is great. I love that Mazda does not use small engines with turbos slapped on, but rather just a good 2.5L engine. The features and luxury are what set it apart though. The red leather interior is just a treat, feels like I'm sitting in a Burberry red leather handbag. The 360 camera, sunroof, adaptive LED headlights that turn side to side and up and down depending on the situation is awesome. The control for infotainment is superior to a touch scree, the knob is amazing once you are used to it. The kuroi kit just adds a new dimension to the car and makes it much more sporty and aggresive, but the default look is very nice anyway. Legit for 45k I could either get what I got (described above) or a 2015/16 mercedes with the exact same features. And I would go the newer Mazda all day any day. No other Japanese/Korean equivalent can get close to the feature set and luxury of this model of the mazda 3 - the corollo, i30, cerato, or even euros like the golf, can match the feeling of this Mazda 3. Only thing I hate is iStop but I turn it off every drive - part of muscle memory haha.
Great review Matt. I am not quite as astonished as you because a friend of mine has a Mazda 6 wagon which has the 2.5 turbo and its really a very fast and comfortable car, so I was kind of already pre-astonished when watching this review. I prefer a sporty wagon to an SUV any day but they are getting harder to find as everyone jumps on the SUV bandwagon. Keep up the reviews, you are doing a great job. So is Jacob but don't tell him because you are the star LOL.
I own a Mazda 626 Sedan in Prestige Silver Metallic colour, 1990 model ... bought brand new in Melbourne as a gift from my father for my 18th birthday (plus as a bribe to go to Uni! Lol). He paid about $32,000 Australian dollars for it back then! It's now 32 years old, has done 500,000 kilometres !!!! (310,000 miles!) and l continue to drive it daily. Has never failed me. Unbelievable car. I cannot part with it. My first and so far, only car ...!! It still looks, feels and drives like new and has always been outside for its entire 32 years, so far. Have religiously taken it for servicing every 6 months without fail, in its 32 year life. It even has the famous, iconic oscillating vents!! People cant believe it! In March, l purchased the 2022 Mazda 3 Sedan in Sonic Silver Metallic. It hit the production line last week in Japan and today l was advised by email, it has been built! Yippee. Now the wait for it to arrive in Melbourne. Have had to wait since March for it ... So, wait time is currently about 5 - 6 months! I am keeping my beloved 1990 Mazda 626 and will absolutely never ever part with it and intend to drive both cars. So excited!
Hope you enjoy the new sedan! Best looking sedan for me.
@@Venakis1 Thankyou so very much for your kind comment. Warmest regards and best wishes to you from Melbourne. 🇭🇲
I bought mine in december last year with 5km and now I have 7000km and I love it. I have the 2021 with the "old" skyactive X with all packages FWD.
Love the vids! Please do a mazda 2 and mazda cx3 please thankyou
I have the 2020 version with AWD but no hybrid system at the same trim and love it. The base 2.5L engine has more pep than it sometimes on paper and performs very lovely in real conditions. The AWD off-road capabilities is let down by the low clearance but handles snow and ice better than many nominal 'SUV's and 'Crossovers' that I have driven and ridden in.
What engine do you have? As far as I know, all Mazda 3 since 2019 (this model)) has mild hybrid. Eskyactive is just a newer version.
@@BenBensen293 In Australia, where this video was filmed, we only have one mild hybrid engine :)
Completely charming Lads and very different from other reviews. Would have liked a manual 2.5L review though. Great to watch.
Wife and I love Mazda Had two Mazda 3 And today have two CX5
Awesome review - loving this channel. I’ve had my 2022 Mazda 3 G25 Astina (hatchback, white Pearl, manual 😉) since late January, and it’s been 1,400km of utter bliss. Love the luxurious feel on the cabin, the NVH levels are quieter than pretty much any car in the class and rival the Audi Q5 and Jaguar F-Pace I drive on a regular basis. This car may not be the absolute sportiest in its class, especially when compared to the Cerato GT (my previous car), however it inspires so much confidence every, single, time I drive it. And considering the tippity-top model is only $43,000(ish) for the manual hatch, it’s a bargain for the equipment on offer and the quality of the product. It was between this and a Golf 8 when I was shopping, but the Mazda outshines the Golf on every level for me (especially because of the stupid, un-illuminated touch controls that plague the quite cut-price interior). I love my Mazda 3!
Great read Ben! Glad to hear the Mazda3 has been going great for you 😊
Only 1,400km since January? Do you work from home???, lol. I do get to work from home a day or 2 some times and still got 2,500km already (Picked mine in May, Black G25 GT manual)
@@danielrenault - ‘fraid so 😂. I only venture into the office once a week which is like a 10 minute drive away lol.
Two friends have purchased Mazdas, a 6 and a 3. Both have been very happy with them and as you said the interiors are great, the engine is nothing special performance wise but it has enough go to do a perfectly acceptable job and the tech packages on them are very good for the money.
Summarised it very well!
The autos can be a bit hit and miss too. I did look at Mazda 6 and Mazda 3 but ended up getting a Lexus Coupe instead 5 years ago and i don't regret my decision and not looking to get rid of the car anytime soon as it's such a great car. However i would still pick a Mazda over anything Korean.
I can confirm that the 18" alloys completely ruin the low speed ride. I replaced them on my G25 with Enkei 16" alloys and Pirelli P7 tyres. Problem solved as long I keep the pressures at 32psi but at a cost $1600! Still the best hatch out there but it's quite shocking that Mazda specs the 18s as standard. I came from an ND MX5 and was horrified at the crashiness as standard.
I'm hoping to get my Mazda 3 G20 Touring next week. Got it in Machine Grey with window tinting, paint protection and interior protection for those leather seats. Honestly can't wait as at the moment I have a 2006 Mazda 6 Sport that is just getting old. Great thing is the 3 is about the same size as the old 6's so in terms of space I'm getting the same and the engines even fairly similar because Mazda has kept the same style of 2.0L naturally aspirated engines which is great because my 6 has almost 200k/km on it and the engine has never once had any problems.
Great review boys. A back to back comparison with a top spec Mazda 3 Astina hatch and the new Honda Civic hatch would be interesting. Battle of the Japanese hatch backs.
Can already tell you that the Civic's interior is of lower quality. I actually love the design of the new interior for the Civic but material quality is poor. Only just above Toyota and I'd never buy one of those.
I have the CX30 in this exact evolve trim on my short list, simply because it's basically this car but with room for my two dogs in the back.
We ordered a Mazda3 sedan S trim model (taking delivery today) love the styling etc
The trick on the gravel road is to drive faster. It actually smooths out superbly well.
In the US, I have the 2021 Mazda 3 Turbo in Red (Hatchback) we are very lucky to have the Turbo option. It gets 250HP, 320LBs torque.
Very lucky indeed :Here in S.Africa we’re deprived of such, as our premium gas doesn’t have the 98 octane option.
Mine got delayed by the dealer again, got a g25 Astina on the way with the burgundy leather hopefully it gets here soon
I bought the Sedan version of Mazda 3, i am so happy with it. Such an awesome car.
I'm in the UK with a 2ltr SkyActive X powered model with automatic transmission. With fuel prices through the roof here (approx £1.90/ltr) I'm still clocking between 47 and 50 miles to the gallon. Other things I like which never seem to be mentioned; the "distance to empty" fuel gauge which changes dependent on how you drive. I've started trips with 300 miles showing and with reasonably driving have ended with 320 miles left, i.e. a very light foot. There's no rooftop clutter; radio antenna or GPS sharks fin as the antennae are incorporated in the rear window beneath the spoiler cowling. Similarly, the windscreen wipers are beneath the bonnet (hood),/windscreen level so a very aerodynamic car! Using cruise control on a motorway can be scary if someone overtakes you and cuts in in front... The car slams on the breaks to maintain a safe distance between you and the overtaker, Good for safety but annoying when it can then apply max throttle to get back up to speed. I believe the infotainment display won some sort of safety award recently as it's NOT touch screen and set well away from arms length. All the Aircon controls, etc, are tactile and operable without the need to look (OK, you have to learn where they are, but then you can find them by touch, not needing to take your eyes off the road.) The Heads Up display reinforces this. All very clever... Love it!
Impressive narration, Thanks...
Great review. As you guys say, "I'm impressed."
I got my 2022 G20 Evolve for 29K. Absolutely love this car.
New taillights for 2022! Fading indicators (like cx30) front back and mirrors. Lower models get nicer brake lights. Still only one ring in taillights when headlights are on, 2 for astina.
im waiting for my 2022 mazda 3 sedan. coming late september. watching reviews to hype myself up/make the time go by faster.
Looks like our cars will be sharing a boat ⛵
I love the looks of Mazda 3 sedan!
I just noticed that the glove box is an entire bin that falls down for you rhd Mazda 3 drivers. The left hand driven 3s have a drop down glove box door and a flat space inside.
I get savage geese vibes from this guy. “With that, let’s get to the final thoughts”.
A very saucy review by you two Car Review comedians. Had me learning and laughing at the same time. Quite like this little Mazda. Other reviews are also positive. I'd love to have two bobble heads on my dash: one of you and one of Jacob. Would be an astonishing extra to an already shocking and luxurious interior. Zoom, zoom, mates! A bonzer review!
This chap is pretty comical. Subscribed!
I drive a 2.5 fwd 2022 2.5 premium and love the car, thank god no CVT, solid, quiet, flawless, I would like a touchscreen and the usb ports should be be near the pad for your phone,. my car was built in Japan and it shows I would have prefeed the hatch however a lot of blind spots due to styling . If you see one available and need a new car snatch it up they are few and far between In the USA BTW my third Mazda
Hey Brand ya tight ass - why don’t you spring Jacob a hoodie for all his hard work and efforts. Your boy needs more than hard fist to keep him happy 😂 👊. PS. Love your work and the channel - thank you for the great content.
Thank you! And I did!! That grey hoodie used to have the Matt Brand Cars logo on it, but it’s such sh*t quality it came off - need to find a new supplier 🫣
What's stopping the back passengers from charging from the dual USB slots in the centre console?
Do you not get the 2.5T option from Mazda???
Do they have the eSkyactiv-x in Aus? I’ve ordered the 3-saloon for delivery in a couple of weeks and it has that engine. It has a bit more grunt than the G and has the super-nerdy spark controlled ignition system. I got 50 (imperial) MPG on a mixed test drive over motorway, country roads and nasty snarled industrial estate. Glad you liked the seats, I’ve not seen a review of the cloth ones yet and that’s the spec I’ve ordered, so nice to know I won’t miss the leather!
Where’re you locate? Here in Australia the SkyX is only available in top spec and is more expensive than the 2.5NA version. The cloth seat in the Mazda 3 feels great btw, kind of better than the fake leather lol.
As an ex-owner of the BL series Mazda3 for almost 10y, the generations after have the smallest doors of any hatch ever. It's also the reason why i have a Cerato GT instead of another Mazda... Thats their only downpoint IMO, but not a problem for shorter folk (not so good for 6foot 1+ persons like myself) --- i love the simplicity of the mazda interiors compared to the ipad spec displays of most modern cars (do not want!!!!) ~
It's a similar problem with the Mazda 6. The 2012 versions on have smaller front door openings into the cabin. I think it's because Mazda sloped the windscreen on the newer models to more of an angle for aerodynamics, but it causes the space for the top of the door to shrink horizontally, as they didn't move the cabin and front seats further back. This is what is noticeable when you are tall and trying to climb in and out of the car.
Wow you really traded down to go from Japanese to Korean build quality lol. Good luck .
you drive a kia lmfao
Mazda is perfect only please take the gloss black out and make it carbon the rest perfect
Do the rear seat backs fold down for a flat deck? I put 'em down and leave 'em.
I like your reviews, even tho I brought a car you reviewed and you said it's no good
Looks amazing, but part of me hates that they take these great economy cars, load them up and make them unaffordable to the people who grew up with them and depend on them. There don't seen to be any lower priced replacements for the waiter or the teacher or the everyday guy. Same with the simple Civic, Fit and the Toyota Corolla. I guess you have to buy Mitsubishi, Spark or Hyundai or some other crap if you want that kind car in a lower price range, Still loving our simple 2011 Mazda 3. Making it last to the end, But the days of the 250 or 300,000 mile bulletproof Japanese economy car for everyone seem to be ending.
I love this car but blind spots rear and sides is dangerous backing and when i wind the back window down it verbirates so bad the car shakes also random engine tappet noise and failure of the keyless proximity key door handles
is it worth to get the hybrid one??
This is my ideal car i want to buy although I'm not thrilled with seats showing every speck of dust. I'd rather have leatherette seats. Wipe em down n call it good..
You didn’t mention the transmission. The 3 is thankfully available as a manual pretty much across the range, though maybe not with the mild hybrid. So you save about $6k if you order a G20 Evolve manual compared to the G20e Evolve auto you tested - and you get a more engaging drive!
Has it got Head-Up display?
I bought my Mazda 3 about 18 months ago for just over $30 grand. No issues and such a nice drive. I got the vision pack as an added extra and it’s great. I just wish I got the next level up for the keyless smart entry.
That should be standard. That is crazy it's not.
@@DEVILTAZ35 it’s a pain to try find my keys in my handbag to press the button to open it. That’s one of the regrets I have in not going up a level but wasn’t keen to have leather seats.
@@Lulu-oi9ue My 2008 mazda 6 had keyless smart entry, also locked when you walked away from car. Strange that wasn't standard in a newer generation.
@@WayToManyAssassins yes should be standard now. Oh well. Still a great car.
lots of options to add on a keyless entry either from the dealer or aftermarket so i wouldnt even sweat that detail.
That infotainment screen is horrendous looking with the 2" dead space gaps on either side.
I disagree, 2.5 all the way. I just got the 2.5 iactiv AWD here in Canada and it's well worth the extra gas for the peppy torquy feel of the 2.5. I'm already spending a lot to have a nice car so why not.
and RELIABLE ! Since they got rid of ford a few years ago
Can I search 4 new cars on cartopia?
I have a 2020 G25 GT with the vision package. Why anyone would buy a European car the costs double the money is beyond me. It is hands down the best car I have ever owned. The performance from the 2.5l is more than enough to keep up with the hustle & bustle of Melbourne traffic. Fuel economy is incredible for a big non turbo 4 banger. I can easily get 6.8l per 100km on a run. I have had it since new 60,000kms on the clock it has Never put a foot wrong. I had a previous 2013 Mazda 3 before this one that could have kept going for ever it was also incredibly reliable.
I don't know why you were given a drive away of AUD$37.600 for an auto G20 Evolve, but I got mine middle of MAY, G25 GT manual for AUD$37000 drive away (live in WA). Only 2 left, both manuals, a white Astina and Black GT (I wanted it manual anyways). Loving it so far (coming from an Mitsubishi ASX). Are the prices really up AGAIN?? (Remember the GT is leather seat + BOSE sound systems, auto high beams, led tail lights, sensing entry key, etc...), pretty much fully loaded.
Yes prices are up, especially in W.A and the Mild hybrid he is testing here does include both auto ($1000) and the 24v system. I'm waiting delivery for a G20 Touring W/vision and paid less than $35k though so it's always worth shopping around.
If only the Mazda was rear wheel drive though . There was meant to be a Rear Wheel drive Mazda 6 but sadly it got cancelled.
hell no. rear wheel is dumpster fire trash in rain and snow
Yeh i was always into carsales as my go to, but i recently went to sell my car, and the base 'package' for carsales was $99! Erm, no thanks.
9.78 seconds for 0 - 100 km/h? The 323 Astina SP from 1989 did the same time. That's right, Mazda's equivalent offering 34 years ago had the SAME performance. In small cars, always get the bigger engine, always. It will work less hard and the difference in fuel economy will be marginal.
Wow. I can't even afford affordable cars.
The infotainment not being touchscreen is one of the reasons I got a Mazda 3. Touchscreens are one of the main reasons for accidents on the road. Phones and infotainment alike. Weirdly enough here in germany you have to be stationary with engine turned off by law in order to use your phone but people typing around in the infotainment touchscreen while driving is still perfectly legal. Weird stuff. Btw the back seats are horrible in the Mazda 3. Im having trouble fitting 8 year old kids in those. Its really a 2 seater with emergency seats in the back.
I'll only agree to that if Mazda 3 had better hardware control for Climate Control and Audio Media. I've seen cars with better hardware buttons and dials control to compliment the touch screen. It's just the frequently used controls which should not be touch, still very useful for infotainment data when not driving.
@@Neojhun the controls are the best ive seen in cars since the Touchscreen epidemic has Hit. Few Buttons all high quality in the perfect size and no double functions. The only drawback is that its annoying to type into the Navigation with the rotary. Its by a big margin the best ive seen in basically any class.
i'm 6 foot 2 and the space isn't an issue for me cause the seats and roof have a lot of rooms for my legs and my head :)
U do realize its only touch screen while in idle and then it goes to knob only when driving, ya? I also gotta call b.s. on 'touchscreens are one of the main reasons for accidents on the road". Thats an opinion, not a fact dude. Touchscreens are no different than any other form of distracted driving, whether it be pushing knobs or buttons to text on a phone or the act of holding up a cell phone to your face.
@@srobeck77 nah the old Model had Touch while not driving. The current one does completely away with Touch. Well Tell that to the Studies on which basis laws were made like no phone while driving. At least here in germany youre not even allowed to use your phone at a Red Light. And i think thats a good Thing. But its very hard to do something against Touchscreens on the Infotainment since it can be necessary to use that while driving. Touchscreens are only implemented for a Single reason. Theyre very cheap compared to several knobs and Buttons these days. So mazda for no reason artificially increasing their manufacturing costs would be retarded
This model is a FWD or AWD?
FWD for this model.
I bought the Cerato GT after test driving the Mazda 3 GT, yeah better interior and amazing bose speakers but it was a boring drive. Needs a turbo that 2.5L is rubbish.
Cerato GT is great! Must say though as a daily the simple nature of the Mazda3 makes it a better highway cruiser IMO
@@CarSauce yeah the only thing that stopped me buying it was that the boot space was small and the 2.5 engine was a bit underwhelming and I hate stop start systems. That bose system though 😍. In the US they have a turbo version, wish we had it here would be awesome.
How does he have 248 message notifications hahaha.
I suck at responding- it’s a genuine issue of mine!
@@CarSauce they're all cartopia notifications right? ...... missed opportunity for sponsor !!! :)
2:19 wait wut?
37000 for a Mazda 3 is shockingly........expensive! Same engine as my 2014 Touring and it only cost me 23000 for a showroom model
Agrre Mazda wants to be seen as more of a premium car now, but with the lower price point but I think recently the prices are going a bit too high and I have one and I love it it's basically one of the best cars I've ever had next to the VW Golf 5
...solid rear axle ...non lsd ..non AWD ...non Turbo Do I need to continue?
@@mezzb Cars sell on expected features in a particular segment. They always have, and always will. Most people will buy any new car they demo drive, purely based on how it drives.
Thank you for having one of the lowest trims, almost all the videos come with the highest spec which basically 90% of people don't buy.
Blurred out Speedo 🤣🤣🤣
Regardless this review was filmed in Mexico 🇲🇽
blurred out Speedo because this is NOT a swimming togs channel
I want one so much. I'll take the hatchback with a manual.
I dont like the look of the hatchback in the rear 1/4 panel area. Looks like the hunchback of Tokyodame. The the rear passenger window sills are too high and the view too restricted because the whole area is wrong. The sedan and the Mazda 2 sedan (both very similar) are much better and have more head room in the back. I prefer my Mazda 2 diesel. More torque, as quick, better fuel economy, cheaper and better looking.
I don't know why i watch this I got a new CX-5
I love the infotainment system!!! Touch screens are ugly and won’t age well at all, this on the other hand will age beautifully!
I sat in one a few weeks ago. Very claustrophobic from the driver's seat, I didn't even take it for a test drive.
It is very claustrophobic. However, as a bigger driver (in both dimensions) and looking for a manual, this car had a very roomy footwell and the seat goes back quite a considerable distance when compared to the other cars I was looking at. So it's quite 'roomy' in that regard. You'll get use to how little there is to see out the windows. Consider reconsidering!
The fuel economy is trash. I'm guessing you didn't mention that.
It's a 2.0L natural aspirated. It's pretty good economy for it's class of engine, being given that they have that unique air/fuel ratio of 13:1/14:1 for skyactiv G and 16:1 for the skyactiv X
I had this car before as a rent car and I am 6 feet 1 its not very spacious specially rear seats are bit cramped. I have old 2015 corolla sedan that has more space than this car.
That’s not the case for this gen Corolla though.
Automatic and electric aren’t the same thing.
I can't stand when they leave the Inside of the window frames exposed with the exterior paint 😡😡that's just not good enough!
Reminds me of an apple review by a fanboy. Mazda are so out of date now and don't include so many functions that others do it's laughable. Wireless charging - nope, big screen infotainment - nope, on and on. Come on guys get some perspective on these reviews.
Well go buy China cars then. Cheap price and got every stupid fancy functions you want. I also suggest go buy the Mercedes A class which has so many ambient lights that make you uncomfortable when driving at night.
@@kenxl288 👏👏👏 you missed the point but good try.
@@seanw5755 Btw BMW’s screens are not big too lol. Big doesn’t mean best:)
Name one car in the same price range that has more standard features?
It's not a smartphone, it's a car.