The CX-5 was one of the earlier SUVs on the market so has always done well in the UK where SUVs are still the fashion.
A medium hatch such as the Mazda 3 has to have a USP to sell well, and I don't see an obvious one. People go for the Focus (good to drive and big discounts), Golf or A3 (perceived quality so hold their value well), Astra (huge fleet discounts), Octavia (lots of room for people and luggage), Civic (reliable and looks funky) or Corolla/Auris (reliable and doesn't look funky).
The 3 will have to show that it has something the others don't have.
The 3 used to sell well when the mk1 came out, as it had the same floorpan and shared some other underpinnings with the excellent Focus mkII. The second-gen car wasn't as well received, not because it was a bad car, but probably because it was barely any different under the skin, whereas other makes were moving on, especially in the engine department.
To me, those 'happy smiley face' front ends of the gen-2 Mazda3 weren't the best, and the interiors were very plasticky, especially the use of the obviously 'fake aluminium' silver paint. I don't think it helped that around that time they divorced from Ford and started to get lots of problems associated with the diesel engines (both the 1.6 and 2.0, later the 2.2 and, to a lesser extent, the modified 1.5) which they'd REALLY pushed hard in the sales of the mk1 and mk2 cars. It's noticeable that almost all the mk1s still on the road are 1.6 N/A petrols - very few diesels around older than 10yo.
The global financial crisis hit sales around the same time and the number of Mazdas sold generally in the UK slumped, only recovering to a degree because of the CX-5 becoming popular. The 3rd gen 3 hasn't sold anywhere near as many as the mk2 or especially the mk1 - as we see in this forum, the car's 'nice', but because the 2.0 petrol SA-G engine is tuned and geared towards mpg and is normally aspirated, it just doesn't compete with the better small-capacity petrol turbos on the market, not helped when the best one, the VAG 1.4 TSi is available in so many competitor cars.
As you say Avant, it does everything reasonably well, but I think because of the lack of performance in the petrol engines, it can't say it's a real driver's car, despite being as good as the Focus on the handling front. I don't think it helps that many people who bought mk1s (especially diesel variant owners) then found out how poor many of the main dealers (IMHO) can be - Mazda owners clubs and forums are littered with rants and complaints about the post-sales experience.
To me, it's rather like Ford and Vauxhall - hit and miss, and, IMHO, more of the latter I'm sad to say. In other countries, e.g. Australia, the US and Canada, the dealership experience seems to be better and sales far higher, especially for the 3 (even in hatch form) - I think it's the 2nd highest seller Down Under after the Corolla (Auris) and Mazda sales generally there are actually higher than in the UK. I think it helps that all of those countries offer the current 3, 6 and CX-5 with a (still fuel efficient) 2.5L N/A petrol (185PS), and some models now come with a turbocharged 2.5L petrol, and in 4WD and auto across the engine range, not just one or two models or trim levels.
The lack of choice in that department was one of the reasons I didn't buy a CX-3 two years ago. I also think that customer baulk when tyres have to be replaced because Mazda, in their infinite wisdom, specced odd-sized (rare) tyres which are relatively expensive (e.g. £90 - £115 for 16in tyres on low and mid-specced models, and £130 - £160 for the 18in ones) compared to the 'standard' (read widely available and cheap as other makes and models of car also have them fitted) ones on the mk1 and 2 (15in - 17in) that cost 30-50% less and the best tyres are available in those sizes. The same goes for the spare wheel rip-off and reduction in boot space if one is fitted. Small choices that cause people big headaches.
The number of over-the-phone rants I've heard when waiting for my car to be serviced at my local dealership about this issue ('how much for one tyre?') for 'Skyactiv-generation car owners astonishes me. Parts prices are not cheap either, fine if you've got a lower-specced petrol engined car and you don't have any dings, not so good if its a diesel or Sport model.
Mazdas are almost fine cars, let down by some poor choices upstairs and not enough quality control on the customer care in the UK. I may buy another, but I'm now wary given the above. A real shame, as the driving experience has been excellent and reliability very good. They'll have to be careful now that Toyota has, in addition to Honda, upped their game on the new Corolla, including a very nice looking saloon version. That SCCI engine has to be brilliant or sales won't get much better.
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