New Mazda 3 sedan arrives in Australia in six grades

Hot on the heels of its hatchback sibling, the 2019 Mazda 3 sedan has launched in Australia this week. A six-strong range mirrors that of the hatchback, with minimal specification differences between the four- and five-door options in the popular Mazda small car.

Pricing is identical between the hatch and sedan – a hallmark of the Mazda 3’s history in Australia – allowing buyers to choose a form factor without a cost penalty. We’ve reviewed the hatch here.

The Mazda 3 sedan does carve out its own persona for the fourth-generation ‘BP’, however, with a notable increase in length over the outgoing shape: the new sedan is eight centimetres longer, edging the Mazda 3 four-door closer to a Mazda 6 in stature.

As such, cargo capacity is a more capacious 408 litres, and back seat space is significantly increased over the hatchback form, as we highlighted at the global debut of the vehicle in late 2018.

Inside, the sedan carries the same new-generation Mazda cabin design language as the hatch, with an uptick in premium surfacing. The sedan also adopts new infotainment, with an 8.8-inch command display presenting standard navigation, DAB digital radio, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto.

At launch, two engines will be offered – a pair of naturally-aspirated Skyactiv-G petrol four-cylinder engines. The base two-litre makes 114kW/200Nm, while the larger 2.5-litre produces 139kW/252Nm.

Later, a supercharged Skyactiv-X engine will be offered as a premium power plant, generating significantly more low-end torque.

Standard equipment on the various trim levels mirrors that of the hatch – and we’ll recap that here. Keep in mind, automatic gearboxes add $1,000 to the price – we’ve listed the cost of the manual at each spec level.

The 2019 Mazda 3 range opens with the G20 Pure ($24,990), which is fitted with the two-litre and a good safety suite including AEB in forward/reverse, adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, rear cross traffic alert, and blind spot monitoring. The Pure also has navigation, digital radio and smartphone mirroring, plus 16-inch alloys, auto lights, and auto wipers. Pure drivers have to make do with a plastic steering wheel and shifter, however.

The step to the G20 Evolve ($26,690) adds leather to the wheel and shifter, plus 18-inch wheels, paddle shifters for the auto, and dual-zone climate control with rear vents.

The next level – the G20 Touring ($28,990) – brings black leather seating, full keyless entry and start, and 10-way power adjustment for the driver’s seat with two-position memory.

The first 2.5-litre grade sees spec step back to Evolve standard ($29,490), which takes seating back to cloth but keeps the power adjustment and full keyless system of the G20 Touring.

The G25 GT is the second-from-top grade ($33,490) and brings more lush features like Bose audio, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, and a sunglasses holder.

Finally, the flagship G25 Astina ($36,990) adds an adaptive system to the LED headlights, a 360-degree camera, front cross traffic alert, a sunroof, driver fatigue detection, and optional pure white leather.

2019 Mazda 3 sedan Australian prices

Mazda 3 G20 Pure sedan manual: $24,990

Mazda 3 G20 Pure sedan automatic: $25,990

Mazda 3 G20 Evolve sedan manual: $26,690

Mazda 3 G20 Evolve sedan automatic: $27,690

Mazda 3 G20 Touring sedan manual: $28,990

Mazda 3 G20 Touring sedan automatic: $29,990

Mazda 3 G25 Evolve sedan manual: $29,490

Mazda 3 G25 Evolve sedan automatic: $30,490

Mazda 3 G25 GT sedan manual: $33,490

Mazda 3 G25 GT sedan automatic: 34,490

Mazda 3 G25 Astina sedan manual: $36,990

Mazda 3 G25 Astina sedan automatic: 37,990

2019 Mazda 3 sedan options

Vision Technology (all grades other than G25 Astina): $1,500

Premium paint (Soul Red Crystal and Machine Grey): $495