Mazda has released the first salvo of images of its second-generation Mazda3 hatchback, and by golly, it’s even better looking than the sedan.
Due to make its global debut at the Bologna Motor Show on December 3, the Mazda3 five-door hatch is virtually identical to its sedan brother from the B-pillar forward. From there back is where it gets interesting however, and the hatchback boasts a rump that’s far more attractive, cohesive and dynamic than the four-door’s be-trunked posterior.
Mechanically, the Mazda3 hatch will likely share the same engine and transmission packages as the sedan. For the European market the hatchback will receive two petrol engines (a 1.6 litre and a 2.0 litre) and two diesels (a 1.6 litre and a 2.2 litre). The 2.2 litre turbodiesel is lifted straight from the Mazda6 and comes in two states of tune: one with 136kW and the other with 110kW. Torque figures have yet to be revealed, but Mazda assures us that the 2.2 litre oil-burning mill boasts “top class output”, as well as improved fuel economy and low CO2 emissions.
There’s no word yet on which engines will find their way to Australia-bound Mazda3s, but that information should be made available (along with more solid stats and pricing) after the hatch’s Bologna unveiling. Stay tuned folks.
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Change the rear window line to a more conventional shape and its more a Sportszwagon than a hatch.
Still hate the rear bumper. Looks like an inbred redneck with a massive underbite…
I am not impressed with the Altezza/IS200 style lights … all the other new cars from Mazda have moved away from them, but they stuck them back to their best selling hatch.
What gives? It’s tacky as.