2021 Mazda3 X20 Astina review

Sam JeremicThe West Australian
Camera IconMazda3 X20 Astina

As far as sales pitches go, the Mazda3 X20 Astina is pretty tempting: the driving fun of a petrol, with the frugality of a diesel.

In fact, thanks to Mazda’s unique new Skyactiv X engine, the X20 Astina not only sits figuratively between petrol and diesel, but uses tech taken from both.

Unfortunately, to actually explain how it does this to the Average Joe may be a harder sell.

To sum it up succinctly, the engine uses compression and heat to ignite fuel, like a diesel engine ... when it’s able to do so, that is.

Because petrol’s ability to combust can be affected by a variety of factors, the Skyactiv X has spark plugs, like a normal petrol engine, to help ignite the fuel as needed.

Read more...
Camera IconMazda3.

There are other complexities at play — a supercharger, different zones in combustion chambers, a 24-volt mild hybrid system — but we’ve discussed the engine in detail before and were keen to see what difference it actually makes on the road.

To be honest, we didn’t notice much to separate it from the rest of the Mazda3 range.

It’s happy to rev out, and the infotainment system displaying how the engine is driving showed the Skyactiv X drove without spark plug assistance far more often than expected.

But while it’s the most frugal variant available in the Mazda3 range, it’s only by 0.6-1.0L/100km compared with the other engines.

As Mazda has fallen into the same trap as other car makers in making its most frugal powertrain only available in top-spec, it means the $3000 premium over the G25 Astina won’t be recouped in fuel savings for a long time.

This is especially true given we returned about 7.5L/100km in our week in the car.

Camera IconInside the Astina.

Our fuel use was higher due to the other side of the X20 Astina equation — that fun, perky petrol driving experience — but this also raises questions about the X20 Astina’s value proposition: it offers 7kW and 28Nm less than the G25 Astina’s 2.5-litre petrol engine.

Where the X20 Astina may be worth it — and may be why Mazda only offers it as a range-topper — is its refinement.

This is a quiet engine which rarely sounds troubled, which fits in very nicely to the other aspects of the Mazda3 range.

Mazda’s vehicles have been pitched up-market for some time and in Astina grade, the Mazda3 is about as well fitted out as a small car gets at any price.

An engine such as this only enhances its premium credentials — however, we’re not sure it’s worth paying $3000 for.

VERDICT

The Mazda3 X20 Astina isn’t quite the magical combination of performance and frugality its engine’s technological innovation would suggest, but it’s more refined than the rest of the range. Just be sure to drive other Mazda3 variants to make sure you think the difference is worth the extra cash.

2021 MAZDA3 X20 ASTINA SPECIFICATIONS

  • Price $41,590
  • Engine 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol
  • Outputs 132kW/224Nm
  • Transmission Six-speed automatic
  • Fuel economy 5.5L/100km

Get the latest news from thewest.com.au in your inbox.

Sign up for our emails