All-new Mazda3 named 2019 Scottish Car of the Year

Mazda is celebrating a winning performance at the 2019 Scottish Car of the Year Awards, claiming both the coveted overall Car of the Year and the Family Car of the Year titles with the all-new Mazda3. The 28-model all-new Mazda3 range features hatchback and saloon body styles with a choice of two mild-hybrid equipped petrol engines.

Matched exclusively to front-wheel drive hatchbacks, the 122ps Skyactiv-G petrol engine features both Mazda M Hybrid and cylinder deactivation, while the award-winning 181ps Skyactiv-X Spark Controlled Combustion Ignition (SPCCI) petrol engine is offered in both front and all-wheel-drive hatchbacks. Visually distinct from the sporty hatch, the elegant Mazda3 Saloon joined the range in October and has the mature and stylish look you’d expect of a premium compact saloon. Exclusively offered with the Skyactiv-X engine and front wheel drive, it adds an attractive stand out model to the award-winning all-new Mazda3 range.

Commenting on the Mazda3’s success, President of the ASMW John Murdoch said: “the Mazda3 was a clear winner in our Family Car of the Year category and went on to be voted our overall Scottish Car of the Year. We selected the Mazda because it looks fantastic, drives brilliantly and rides superbly. It also provides premium cabin quality at a reasonable price and comes in two appealing body styles, saloon or hatchback”.

“On top of that, it features ground-breaking engine technology that offers strong performance with great economy, while it also comes with lots of kit and plenty of standard safety equipment. Most importantly, you simply won’t get tired of driving this car”.

Coming a year after Mazda’s Skyactiv-X engine technology took the Innovation Award in the 2018 SCOTY Awards; the all-new Mazda3 takes the overall Car of the Year title as the first car to be powered by the Skyactiv-X engine. This 2.0-litre four-cylinder 180ps engine features the highest compression ratio of any production petrol engine in the world and is also the first production petrol engine to exploit the benefits of compression ignition. Providing drivers with the free-revving performance of a petrol engine, its lean burn capabilities combined with the Mazda M Hybrid mild-hybrid system ensure outstanding fuel economy and low emissions.

Mazda UK Managing Director, Jeremy Thomson said: “the all-new Mazda3 is already winning over customers with its quality, style and driver engagement, so recognition by the members of the Association of Scottish Motoring Writers is fantastic. In a year that has seen the launch of lots of great cars across many sectors, it’s a real testament to the all-new Mazda3 that it’s taken the coveted overall Car of the Year title. I’m also very excited about the acknowledgement of the Skyactiv-X engine; this is another example of Mazda’s convention defying powertrain innovation. Offering our customers a truly unique blend of fuel economy, low emissions and performance from a petrol engine, I’m also sure Scottish customers will be pleased that we have, with the Skyactiv-X AWD Mazda3 hatch, added the all-weather security of a four-wheel drive car in this sector for the first time in decades.”

Adding, “it’s great that this award honours the Mazda3 saloon, which is a stylish and distinctive compact executive saloon that will appeal to both fleet and private customers. With 2.5 percent market share in Scotland, our 12 Scottish dealers do a fantastic job, so I’m also happy for them that the all-new Mazda3 has taken the most prestigious motoring award in the country.”  

Full details of the all-new Mazda3 range can be found here: https://mazdamediapacks.com/en/mazda3/home.html