Mazda 3 e-SkyActiv X GT Sport 2021 UK review

Engine revisions build on the strengths of a very handsome hatchback with a nicely understated dynamic edge. A little pricey, perhaps; but well worth considering. This is Mazda’s handsome family hatchback, the 3, updated for 2021. But for the addition of a standard-fit sunroof on higher trim-level versions, that update is concerned mainly with what’s under the bonnet.The car offers a choice of two petrol engines, both with a pretty simple 24v, belt-driven, mild-hybrid assistance system. The cheaper, lower-level conventional 2.0-litre ‘e-SkyActiv G’ unit now features cylinder shutdown, while the upper-level e-SkyActiv X unit has had even wider technical revisions, with both modification programs aimed chiefly at boosting fuel efficiency.Running Mazda’s innovative switchable Spark-Controlled Compression Ignition system (SPCCI), the more powerful 2.0-litre option was only introduced with the current 3 hatchback in 2019. New pistons and a new intake camshaft, along with recalibrated combustion control- and hybrid system control software, have reduced the engine’s compression ratio slightly, but improved both power and torque output, as well as reducing lab-test CO2 by between 5- and 11g/km depending on model.The 3’s model hierarchy remains made up of five derivative tiers, starting with SE-L and ending up with GT Sport Tech. A six-speed automatic gearbox can be had as an alternative to the standard-fit six-speed manual on all but entry-level versions. Also, if you want a four-door saloon body (with a shinier radiator grille) instead of an upper-level ‘e-SkyActiv X’ hatchback, you can have one here - and for no extra cost.For reasons best-known to Mazda and uncommunicated to the rest of us, the range-topping all-wheel drive version of the car that appeared as part of the 2019 offering has now been removed from the showroom range. We tested an upper-middle-trim, higher-output petrol hatchback.