Thanks to my eco driving training late last year I have been able to really benefit from driving our Mazda 3. Not only is it responsive on the road and comfortable, the excellent fuel economy has been a blessing with all the recent fuel increases.

And our TS2 Nav car is so generously equipped, much of time that, all drivers have to think about is changing the gears and turning the wheel.

Everything is automatic: automatic lights and windscreen wipers, rear parking sensors, fitted satellite navigation. With the heated windscreen, you can even sit in the car and wait for the ice to thaw in seconds while watching your neighbour scrape the car. Our long termer seems to tick all the boxes and you have a sense of complete safety while driving it.

Although it is fitted with all the mod-cons and is arguably one of the best value for money hatchbacks on the market, I have a couple of mild complaints.

The satellite navigation has such a small screen and is so far away, it risks going unseen if it wasn’t for the lady’s voice, whose frequent repetition of instructions on a long journey, can begin to really grate. The compartment behind the handbrake where you can supposedly fit your MP3 player is so large and roomy but the connection cable is difficult to reach.

But these are only small faults, the overall package is an appealing one from Mazda. It looks great, handles well and is comfortable to drive.

Author: Debbie Wood