While the car industry is trying to tempt motorists south of the border with weird, wacky and wonderful designs, the frugal Scots know that if your going to reach into your sporan and part with your cash, it needs to be a safe bet.
That safe bet comes in the form of the Mazda 3. A car that for the past 5 years has scooped the ‘Best Family Car’ category at The Association of Scottish Motoring Writers (ASMW) Scottish Car of the Year Awards 2009, held in the golfing playground of St Andrews on Friday 13th November.
Now in its 12th year, the Scottish Car of the Year is judged by members of the AMSW, comparing in the region of 60 different models launched between September 2008 and September 2009 across eight categories.
The all-new Mazda 3 impressed judges with its quality, style and driving experience tipping it ahead of its rivals including the Volkswagen Golf and Skoda Yeti in the family car category.
But it’s not only the judges that have been impressed. Owners of the previous Mazda 3 have flocked into the showrooms to trade in their old models proving that Mazda commands brand loyalty. In fact 16 European countries exceeded their sales projections in September, resulting in a European retail volume that was 8 per cent above objective which was primarily down to the success of the all new Mazda 3 range.
All-new Mazda 3 is offered with a choice of four petrol and three diesel powertrains, all fine‑tuned to use less fuel. The 20-strong model line-up (16 hatchback and four saloon cars) is available in a choice of nine body colours and five equipment levels; S, TS, TS2, Sport and Sports Luxury. Each highly specified and includes Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) and an Emergency Stop Signalling (ESS) System as standard on all models.
I love the little Mazda 3. Especially the hatch version. I am a little undecided on the smile bumper though.