By Paul Gover.
The old-fashioned internal-combustion engine is a long way from dead, as Mazda proves with its newest technical innovation.
It’s not a turbo or a battery-electric power-plant, but an engine which combines the historical best of both petrol and diesel.
And it also has a mild-hybrid system that harvests braking energy for re-starting and a mild kick under acceleration.
The landmark package is tucked away in the new flagship of the Mazda3 range, carrying a complicated new title – Mazda3 X20 Astina Skyactiv-X M Hybrid – but with no other giveaways beyond one tiny badge.
It’s deliberately positioned at the top of the Mazda3 range, because it’s cashed-up early adopters who are most likely to want one.
As a car, it’s almost impossible to pick the X-hybrid car from any other Mazda3 Astina. There is an extra level to the infotainment screen so you can monitor the hidden workings of the system, and marvel at a car which routinely has economy better than 5.0 litres/100km, but the rest is the same.
That means excellent design work, classy finishing and everything you could want from a compact car, including nice alloys, automatic aircon, leather trim, a heads-up display and Bose sound.
As a drive, the most impressive think about the Skyactiv-X package is the refinement.
The combustion engine is, without any doubt, the smoothest non-rotary engine in the history of Mazda. It is sweet and responsive, without any harshness or buzz, and can be tweaked through the Power button and flappy paddles for the automatic gearbox to deliver really enjoyable performance and excellent overtaking.
The workings of the engine are complicated, and best left to the interweb, but take lean-burn efficiency to a new level.
The bottom line is the pricing, because a regular Astina is $38,590 and the X20 comes in at $41,590. For an extra $3000 its an enjoyable upgrade, but working on Mazda’s own figures the economy of the engine is likely to only save around $200 a year for someone travelling at the Australian average of 13,000 kilometres a year.
So it’s not as ground-breaking as a Toyota Corolla Hybrid, but it is more enjoyable to drive and the waiting list for the Corolla – like almost every Toyota hybrid in 2020 – stretches some way into 2021.
The Mazda package is efficient and green, and the company needs to get more credit for what it has achieved.
It’s not nearly enough for me and, had I been making the decisions in Japan, I would have injected the new engine into the brilliant little MX-5 sports car to create some real cut-through with keen customers.
THE BASICS
Mazda3 X20 Astina Skyactiv-X M Hybrid.
Price: from $41,590
Power: 132W/224Nm
Transmission: 6-speed auto, front-wheel drive
Position: techno-landmark hatch
Plus: smooth, frugal
Minus: hard to get your money back
THE TICK: yes, the nicest Mazda3
Score: 8/10
