Whilst Mazda are fairly reliable (petrol engines) they will not match the level of Toyota/Lexus or Honda.

In the past this was partly due to Ford's involvement. You have to remember that a couple of years ago Mazda were really struggling financially. It's likely they came up with a solution that has worked very well for European brands, that being to make the car more appealing by way of looks and interior but spend a little less on the 'oily bits'. Build the car so that its pretty reliable in the warranty period but don't over engineer components as Japanese manufacturers tend to do.

The above formula has clearly worked for them as they have been on the up now for a couple of years. No doubt they are still more reliable than the vast majority of European manufacturers, with the exception of course the previous issues with their diesels.

People will disagree because their one or two VW's/BMW's have been reliable but when you look at larger samples its pretty impossible to deny the blatant facts. From any given Japanese manufacturer you will find variability in build quality depending on where the car is assembled. Honda for example had issues with the 8G civic because of Swindon. A UK workforce will never be as precise or meticulous as a Japanese workforce due to our work ethic, or lack thereof.

Thanks everyone for your posts.

Engineer Andy, I was tempted by the Leon too - looks tidy and good value but I was put off a bit by Seat's overall ratings from the Auto Express and JD Power surveys, and historically they've hardly been known for reliability. Having said all of that... the Leon MkIII does actually get a really good score from Auto Express and Which magazine. But I'm hesitant about the whole VW thing too, which has also put me off the Skoda options I was considering. I've read about far too many problems with VAG components (usually serious/expensive) in the HJ/DT columns, and although they are nearly the biggest manufacturer in the world, you don't read the same stuff about Toyotas (still biggest I think), and I just get the feeling they cut corners and rush stuff out without testing it. Gives me the feeling they're overrated and makes it hard to trust them, and now this whole emissions cheating malarkey too.

Balleballe, I'm sure some people would bristle at that comment about the UK workforce, but you're entitled to say it and you may well have a point that cultural factors and work ethic could influence the overall quality of the build. That aside, origin of parts is a factor too, as I remember HJ saying that springs made in the Far East are usually properly finished, unlike those from Europe, and thus they're less prone to corrosion. You've got me thinking now though, as despite having had a Japanese-built Corolla (remarkably reliable), if I bought an Auris today, chances are it would be from Derby, but if I go for the Mazda, I expect that would be from Japan. Would that offset the fact that Toyota's reliability record is a bit better in general terms? Who knows. Doesn't change the fact that I'd get an extra 2 yrs warranty from Toyota though.

Davecooper - you're right, I suppose the price is fair given that the base model is well-specced and quality is good overall. And in terms of the parking sensors, I gather they can be added as a dealer-fit option. Not sure how that works though, and at well north of 300 quid I'd want it looking like something that was done in the factory, not an obvious aftermarket add-on. The more I think about the running costs for the 2.0 petrol, the more I think it's actually pretty good, and £30 tax band is an achievement. And no turbo to go wrong at a later date. Good to know there are some decent dealers out there too, just need to find the best one near me (more on that in a minute). Thanks for the info about DAB, sort of makes sense but yes, not everyone (me included) has unlimited data so still a slightly frustrating decision/assumption on Mazda's part. I do like the long nose of the car too, but that's heart speaking, whereas head just says it's more car to try and squeeze into on-street parking spaces. Anyway, sounds like you're very happy with your decision and with good reason. Still strikes me as a generally well-thought-out car that manages to tick most boxes.

BTW, I've now driven a Mazda 3 and a Toyota Auris, and have mixed impressions of both. The Mazda was certainly a nice drive, but the Auris wasn't too shabby either, certainly better than the reviews let me to expect. The Auris felt a little more refined in some ways and was a relaxing drive, but the Mazda felt nicer inside and just a good balance overall. But the salesmen... eugh. Old-school pushy types (two that I dealt with) who will tell you anything and generally treat you like a bit of an imbecile. Whereas the ones at Toyota (x2 again) were capable of intelligent conversation and absolultely no pressure. But I suppose the sale comes and goes, and it's the car I have to live with (and it's perhaps unfair to judge the dealer's service dept by the sales dept).

So, thoroughly confused now - I suppose I just need to see what comes up for sale as used new-shape Mazda 3s are few and far between round here and I've not seen one at a price or spec to suit yet... feels like it's going to be a waiting game.

The odd thing is that the 1.2 DIG-T is listed as being nearly 2sec slower to 60mph and having lower real-world mpg than the 2ltr in the Mazda - I suspect that its the mid-range power (i.e. more of the power being available without having to thrash the nuts of it at high revs, a common feature of many Japanese cars over the years) that helps on acceleration but counts against mpg as most people with normally-aspirated engined cars don't actually thrash them all the time.

I suppose you could say the small engined light-pressure turbos have more useful power, but at a cost. The even more powerful 1.6 DIG-T seems to be even better and thus far (as its new, they may not have had many entries yet) the real mpg is holding at a far higher level than the 1.2, coming close to matching the Mazda 2 ltr in the cars (no figures for the Pulsar yet) its in.

As I've mentioned on other threads, other than concerns I have with VAG over the group's general engineering competance (problems with reliability/durability of cars/components), I still have similar concerns over the use of turbos in concert with small petrol engines (small engines that are reasonably and regularly highly stressed compared to Mazda's de-rated 2ltr) - I personally like to not chop and change my car every 2-3 years, generally keeping my cars for much longer (Nissan Micra nearly 8 years/60k miles [bought when it was 2 y.o] and current Mazda3 now nearly 10 years from new and still going fine [though only done 52k miles]), so longevity and reliability is a big issue for me.

The supposed 'lack' of mid-range grunt of the Mazda 2ltr petrol isn't so much of a prblem for me at least as I'm used to even less performance (but still fine for general use) in my own 1.6ltr petrol-engined car. Technically the Mazda3 1.5ltr petrol would have the same (or even slightly better) performance as mine, although I wouldn't consider it as its only available in the SE (no climate control) and is only £300 cheaper (with no improvement in mpg/CO2 emmisions over the 2ltr, though 4 insurance groups lower for the same SE spec) in the same SE spec.

Keeping the car for that long may not be such a concern for the Larches (the OP), but any issues that arise in the small petrol turbo cars (that don't in normally-aspirated ones) after 5+ years may affect the resale value if it means future second-hand buyers having to shell out lots of cash to replace engine components. Time will tell and it'll be very interesting to see how this one pans out.

I also agree with Avant that generally-speaking there should be no difference in build quality between the main Japanese makes built in Japan to the UK, as, unlike some of the continental makes, the Japanese ones seem to make build quality wherever the cars are made a very high priority. My Sunderland-made Micra (1996 'vintage') was just as well made as anything Nissan made in Japan at the time.

I too (as Larches appears to be considering) will be playing a waiting game (my Mazda3 should last another 5 years without too much trouble/expense) until many of the cars I'm considering have had time to bed in/show any inherrant faults, so I can make the most imformed choice I can.

If it helps my 38 year old lad has just bought a Mazda 3.

He prefered it against the Leon to drive, even though i told him the Leon always won the group tests.

He bought the 120 petrol.

I really don't think you need to worry about British-built cars being worse in any way than those built in Japan.

The poor quality of - for example - British Leyland cars in the lasty century was down to bad management, unhappy workers and components which were themselves of poor quality for the same reasons. Current UK car factories owned by Nissan, Honda and Toyota operate on Japanese principles and production methods, and use Japanese-designed components. I know of no evidence of British factory workers being of a lower standard.

When Honda released the 8th gen there were plenty of issues with assembly. Rattles, squeaks, poor fitting of trim. In 2008 Honda realised something was wrong in Swindon with the workforce so they sent some senior technicians in from Japan so sort it out. There is no surprise that all of a sudden the fit and finish of the 8th gen improved. This is from a source at Swindon.

It's a sad state of affairs really as I'd like to believe that we can build them with the best, but the work ethic isn't really there unfortunately. We go to work and do the job required (some will go above and beyond and others will do the bare minimum required). The sense of pride in our work is seldom there. Japanese culture is vastly different and they take an immense amount of pride in their work. If you go to Japan, this is very obvious.

I don't work far from Nissan's Sunderland plant and I often see patients who work for companies supplying parts to Nissan. Whilst some are perfectly normal individuals, others I wouldn't trust to boil me an egg. I had a chap in responsible for QC on some chips supplied to Nissan (can't remember the exact component). He was presbyopic (over 50 years of age) so required a fairly substantial reading prescription. When asked he admitted not being able to see the chips properly the last 9 months! It's totally put me off buying a Nissan.

I have no idea if other manufacturers have this issue, but when you compare Hondas built and assembled in Japan and compare those against Hondas assembled in the UK, the difference is fairly obvious when it comes to fit and finish.