Anyway, worse things could have happened, but fortunately, they did not. You see, apart from that mild bout with Zoomatism, Mazda Philippines commemorated a very successful year of doing business in this, ahh, interesting country by sending us with a whole fleet of Mazda3 sedans and hatchbacks for a day of thrashing at the Batangas Racing Circuit.
A little over a year ago, that same company brought us over to the Tagaytay Highlands with fresh-from-the-factory Mazda3 sedans of the 1.6 and 2.0-liter variety. We could hardly contain our excitement for the cars because, as seductively styled as they were and comprehensively specc’ed, they were also a joy to drive. And, of course, they hit the figurative bull’s eye with price tags highly competitive with established front-runners like the Toyota Corolla Altis and Honda Civic.
Fast forward a year later and it seems our initial impressions were correct. Drive almost any road in Metro Manila and you’ll see 3’s by the dozen. A year after its launch, there’s still a waiting list for the car, and we are as impressed by the overall package as we were a year ago. In our opinion, the Mazda6 needs more muscle, the Tribute SUV needs more character, but the Mazda3 is just right. Okay, okay, we’ve bitched on record about the 1.6-liter’s anemic performance at the limit, but one can hardly complain about 9 kilometers to a liter of fuel economy, right?
Neither could we complain about a few hours of track time to get re-acquainted with the cars’ stellar driving dynamics. With a series of driving exercises managed by the Tuason Racing School, we got to try out the Mazda3’s handling and braking on BRC’s sinuous pavement. A healthy dose of rain only made the day more interesting as two overly enthusiastic drivers spun out during the paced run around the circuit. It’s not every day you can spin out and end up facing the car that was behind you. Good thing all the cars have ABS! Driving boo-boos aside, the rest of the day was an enjoyable experience in mildly chaperoned driving, letting us enjoy the car’s BMW-like steering precision, solid braking response, and solid ride.
Did we mention the car still looks absolutely fabulous inside and out, and we’re using such superlative adjectives for an erstwhile mainstream, family car? Just for a little fun, and possibly to simulate a hyper-frenetic dash to a prized parking slot during Midnight Madness, Mazda also held an autocross contest at BRC’s main straight: a series of tight chicanes capped with an improbably tight parallel parking "finish". Anjo Perez (no relation to the former comedian turned politician) of Manila Bulletin convincingly won with zero cone penalties. We Philippine Star writers hit more than a few cones, so you readers had better watch out for us when the next big sale hits the mall.
We suspect most Mazda3s will never really get their fair share of exercise at the hands of real owners, condemned to a life of urban commuting and parking lot maneuvering, and that’s a shame. If you ever buy one, drive it as it’s meant to be driven; far and fast. Just don’t hum that ‘zoom-zoom’ song whenever we’re around, okay?