Company Car New Mazda 3 Sport Diesel 150BHP or 185BHP

[MrLock]

Hi All,

Im thinking of getting a Mazda 3 as my next company car, im not entirely sold on it yet but i do have a quandry.

I test drove last week the 150 sport. Engine was smooth and had enough grunt for my daily commute. I chose not to test drive the 185 as i had a feeling that id be blinded by power.

One of the things i wasn't overly keen on on my test drive was the steering, it felt a little rubber bandy at times, and although i got used to it i was wondering if this worked against the 185 version?

I currently drive a 170bhp Seat Leon FR, which is a bit of a brute. Suspension is harder than hard and the engine is brutal rather than smooth but the steering works well and its the only thing i have to compare. Also im only getting 42mpg.

One reason i chose the 150 for the test drive was to improve fuel economy without losing too much in performance. Previous car was a 150 Leon and i loved it. Whilst losing 20bhp wouldn't be an issue, i dont want to discount the 185 based solely on mpg but i wondered if 35bhp more on the mazda 3 sport would be worth it. Some cars i have test droe in the past have suffered from the extra strain.

Also i have a feeling that my company will let me have either of these setups

150 BHP with leather and metalic paint
185 BHP without leather

[Tomoose]

Don't expect the 185 to feel much quicker than a 150 - its not that much in it tbh.

I chose the 185 for my company car, 1mpg isn't what dreams are made of, and thought 35bhp was worth the extra few quid a month.

The 185 feels in no way strained at all!! It feels like a well balanced package.

The steering is a little lacking in feedback, but it is very positive and precise - its quite well thought to be the best steering/chassis in its class at the moment - the new Focus will be based on it.

The 185 won't feel quicker than the 170 Leon either as its MUCH smoother. Expect 42mpg too, so no real difference there either.

Leather is nice, but I wasn't fussed.

[MrLock]

I think one of the reasons The Mazda 3 is still on my list was because of the smoothness overall. Im hopefully testing the Leon next week as they apparently updated the suspension and changed to a Common rail diesel. I have got to try to get a real comparison really. Only other car i have had a look at is the new Astra Sri 160. but is pricey and its a vauxhall.

My wife wants me to get another Leon as she felt the Mazda was too plastic and the rear doors are from a fiesta. 

But that smoothness as stuck in my brain.

The 150 i drove last week was giving 45mpg having only done 2k miles which i thought was a good sign. My Mk1 leon had the 1.9 150bhp VW Diesel engine and was giving me 50mpg. To behonest when all said an done as long as im getting over 40mpg its not an issue. Biggest issue is which car do i feel happier paying tax for

Im not blown away by any cars lately, the Mazda on paper is a great car but something is not quite hitting the spot and i can't put my foot on it. 

[Sammy!]

150 smooth, 185 powerrrr!!!!!! easyest way to describe it!

[kawacol]

I test drove both the 150/185 twice and found the 150 punchier lower down whereas the 185 had more grunt up top.
  Both were very smooth and linear with the power delivery. .I dont think the 150 would feel any strain, it just feels so solid.
  You would notice the steering coming from a Leon,it is softer,but I have got use to it and found it handles great,only loosing a little composure going fast on twisty B roads.
 Know what you mean about not quite hitting the spot,felt the same,but its really grown on me now and I love it!
 I test drove all the competition and although the Leon came a close second(I didnt like the bland dash) the Mazda is the better allround package.
                                                           Col.

[sk4tec]

I think one of the reasons The Mazda 3 is still on my list was because of the smoothness overall. Im hopefully testing the Leon next week as they apparently updated the suspension and changed to a Common rail diesel. I have got to try to get a real comparison really. Only other car i have had a look at is the new Astra Sri 160. but is pricey and its a vauxhall.

My wife wants me to get another Leon as she felt the Mazda was too plastic and the rear doors are from a fiesta. 

But that smoothness as stuck in my brain.

The 150 i drove last week was giving 45mpg having only done 2k miles which i thought was a good sign. My Mk1 leon had the 1.9 150bhp VW Diesel engine and was giving me 50mpg. To behonest when all said an done as long as im getting over 40mpg its not an issue. Biggest issue is which car do i feel happier paying tax for

Im not blown away by any cars lately, the Mazda on paper is a great car but something is not quite hitting the spot and i can't put my foot on it. 

I used to own a Golf mk IV 150 TDI - great car except for all the money I spent fixing it! From what I've read not many new diesels have the 'punch' that these older VAG tdi's have.

One thing I'll say is that the cabin on the current Leon is horrid - I can't stand it. At least they could have pinched an old Audi dash? But that's only my opinion. Certainly the Mazda's don't have such a hardcore focus on cornering like Seat, so it will cruise better.

I do know that the current Mazda unit is state of the art, like the Honda unit was a few years ago. Being Japanese not much will go wrong with it.

I'd only choose a VAG product to have the option of a DSG gearbox, they do go wrong now and again - but I'm guessing you won't be paying for the running costs.

Another car to try is the BMW 120d - its meant to have a great diesel engine and a really nicely balanced chassis.

[Sammy!]

if i were u mate i would go 185d all day long, but only becuase i love it! i would genuinly have one over the mps! no word of a lie i really really would.

[mazdaben]

I went for the 185 for my company car, as there is very little difference in tax penalty and you will notice the extra 35bhp over the 150, plus the extra torque. Off the line, there is little difference, but on the motorway the 185 feels awesome compared to the VAG diesels, plus it is hugely smooth and effortless.

The recent down-turn in spec for the Mazda 3 may help sway your opinion too - the 185 keeps all the toys except free metallic paint (I think?).

I agree the Leon FR has some "feel" built into the steering that makes the Mazda feel light, but actually the better chassis and suspension set-up of the 3, plus the lovely gearbox more than makes up for this. The Mazda rides better too, without compromising in the corners with body-roll - Ford/Mazda/Volvo have really worked their magic on this car. The Leon feels lovely and solid, but the Mazda has an "engineered" feel that inspires confidence.

You'll really like the interior of the Mazda compared to the Leon, especially the seats which are excellent on long business trips.

I narrowed down my final choice to three cars - Audi A4 saloon 170 TDI, Renault Megane Sport Tourer 160 FAP and the Mazda 3 185 Saloon, and like you had my reservations for some reason when I finally signed the docs! Now with 12,000 miles under my belt in the 3, I know I made the right choice!

I hope this helps and you enjoy whatever you choose!

[Sammy!]

lets all be honest the 185d is an amazing engine, the only down side i can think of is that it weights a fair bit when compared to the 1.6 and 2.0 wich does spoil the handleing a tad but still it drives so well in comparison to its sister the focus!