fleet news golf 150704

July 15, 2004 FLEET NEWS 13

IF you were expecting theMazda3 to be a smaller versionof the Mazda6, then you wouldprobably be disappointed.

It doesnt have the cleanstyling of the 6 and even thesporty details like the angled C-pillar and rear light clusterscant draw attention away froman overall appearance that isjust a little clumsy.

Inside, the Mazda3 continuesits sporty theme with its cowleddials and red LED KnightRider illuminations on theaudio system.

While the interior seemsdrab in black do Japanese carinteriors ever stray from blackand dark grey tones? it is allvery well assembled.

The diesel engine in theMazda does the most with theleast in one sense. It produces107bhp, but the 16-valve unitat 1.6 litres is the smallest ofthe three on test. It is also thequietest. Weve become used tothe Volkswagen pumpe duseclatter and the Mazdas engineseems much quieter underacceleration and does notsound anywhere near as brashas the Vauxhall.

Sitting on the motorway at asteady 70mph is a stress-freeexperience with the enginewhirring away quietly in thebackground and, when drivingaway from the main roads, itonly becomes intrusive aboveabout 3,000rpm.

AT A GLANCE

Fuelling Britains fleet industry www.bpplus.com

n Engine refinementn Well equippedn Fuel economy

n Smallest bootn Interior too darkn Awkward styling details

3366

n MAZDA3 1.6 D TS

WHAT a transformation. Withbold yet conventional styling,the new Astra is comfortablythe best-looking vehicle on thistest. The large headlamps, neattailgate and attention to detailshows Vauxhall was aiming togive the new Astra the samelevel of perceived quality as theVolkswagen Golf.

The solid feel continuesinside with well-chosenmaterials, a robust feel andmeticulous fit and finish.

The Astra has the measure ofthe Volkswagen for interiorfinish and is probably slightlybetter. There seem to be fewerareas where cost might havebeen surreptitiously strippedout and the result is a pleasant

and stylish interior.It comes with the same

indicator/windscreen wiperfunctions as the Vectra andSignum, which we know howto operate but still cant see thepoint of.

More importantly, the newAstra comes with a range ofEuro IV-compliant common-rail turbodieselengines and the 100bhp 1.7CDTi tested here performswell, as well as beingcompetitive on running costs.

Its a shame it is the noisiestby some margin from inside thecabin. It rattles like diesels ofold, making the whole carvibrate. Vauxhall can do betterthan this the Vectra diesels

are as quiet and refined asanything in their class.

The Astra makes up for theengines rudeness by beingenjoyable to drive. The oldAstra was never that bad, butwas overshadowed by the morepurposeful Ford Focus. Thenew Astra needed to be as good

as the Ford Focus, the long-time class benchmark for rideand handling.

It is impressive enough toedge out the other two cars ontest, good though they are, withbetter steering than the Golfand a better ride than theMazda3. SH

AT A GLANCEn Smart stylingn Quality feeln Good to drive

n Poor depreciationn Noisy enginen Those indicator stalks

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n VAUXHALL ASTRA 1.7 CDTi CLUB 100

WHILE the Volkswagen Golfhas stood head and shouldersabove rivals on running costs inrecent years, the bread-and-butter models could never bedescribed as fun to drive.

The latest model changes allthat. Still set up with a comfortbias, but with far moreinvolving handling, gettingbehind the wheel of the Golf isnow an enticing proposition.

The 1.9-litre pumpe dusediesel in its latest incarnation isEuro IV compliant and whileits 105bhp might be a few lessthan the Mazda3, its more thanthe Astra and its 184lb-ft isahead of both rivals. It endowsthe Golf with more thanadequate performance for

relaxed motorway cruising or asudden burst of speed forovertaking.

All three feel pretty evenlymatched benchmark figuressuggest the Mazda does the 0-62mph dash 0.2 seconds slowerthan the Golf and Astra andwhile the Astra is probably themost satisfying car to drive, itisnt by much.

The Golfs electro-mechanical steering does offeran artificial feel in the way itchanges weight and resistancewith speed, but using it infavour of an electrohydraulicsystem saves fuel. It can alsoperform clever tricks likecompensating for the camber ofthe road.Steering aside, the

AT A GLANCEn Peerless residualsn Classy imagen Dependable feel

n No standard air-conn Highest fuel consumptionn Not a class apart any more

n VOLKSWAGEN GOLF 1.9 TDI SGolf is pleasant to drive inmost conditions.

The Golfs usual dependablequality is apparent inside andout, but where it used to be theclass leader many of its rivalshave caught up.

Both the Mazda3 and Astra

cabins seem well screwedtogether, with some expensive-feeling materials, so its nolonger the case that other carsarent built as well as aVolkswagen. It feels solidinside, but at 15,000 it should.

SH

1 2 3

VERDICT

FROM the drivers perspective, all three cars areclosely matched, but there can be only one overallwinner. The Golfs 1,000 running cost advantage overthe Astra puts it in an unassailable position. TheMazda3 carries a wholelife cost benefit of nearly 400over the Vauxhall. We like the Astra. It is thoroughlycompetent on the road, but it is let down by residualsthat are uncompetitive against its two rivals. Choosing itmakes more sense if you can get a significant discount.n WINNER: Volkswagen Golf 1.9 TDI S

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The Mazda3 has exemplaryroad manners, reacting quicklyand precisely to steering inputs,and only unruly use of thethrottle prompts the front tyresto temporarily lose tractionwith the road surface.

The Mazda will not carry asmuch in the boot as the Golf or

Astra the figures suggest adeficit of about 50 litres withthe rear seats in place butthere is little to choose betweenthe three for passenger space.

But the overall impression isof a car with fine road manners,good performance andexcellent build quality. SH

www.fleetnewsnet.co.uk

GROUP TEST: DIESEL HATCHBACKS

12 FLEET NEWS July 15, 2004

Hatches lock horns in fight for fleets

THIS is the key head-to-head-to-head of new carsin the fleet industry in2004. All three of these dieselhatchbacks came on to themarket this year, with two theAstra and the Golf vital carsin fleet, while the third, theMazda, comes from a firm withbig ambitions in that area.

The Astra has the strongestchance of being voted thesectors best of any mainstreamVauxhall saloon or hatch inyears and now has a range ofcommon-rail diesel engines,while the Mazda3, it is hoped,will follow the same meteoricpath taken by the Mazda6.

The new Golf has been

accused of being too expensive,but in this comparison thatsnot necessarily true, as its BIKprice is only 200 more thanthe Astra. But no doubtspecification is poor? Well,again thats not quite true. Theonly major piece of equipmentit doesnt have is airconditioning, which costs 495.It doesnt have alloy wheels,but for fleets at the cheaper endof the lower-medium spectrum,thats hardly a deal-breaker.

All are well-matched onsafety, with front and rearcurtain airbags and a plethoraof electronic wizardry to keepthe car on the road.

But its the same old story

when it comes to depreciation,where the Golf beats itscompetition to the ground andthen stands on their necks forgood measure.

To those who spend theirlives peering into footwells andtugging at door bins, the latestGolf might have a few wobblyinterior pieces and some of theplastics are not quite up tostandards of the past, but thepublic at large arent seeing itand, even if they do, they dontseem to care.

It should be as popular on thesecondhand market as ever forits robust and classless image,according to our figures,despite the obvious cost-cutting

internally. The Astra, on theother hand, is its match in termsof quality but still loses morethan 2ppm more indepreciation, while the Mazdasits in the middle.

The result is that a figure of13.48ppm sees the Golf lose8,088 over three years/60,000miles while the Mazda3, with afigure of 14.72ppm, loses8,832 and the Astra at 15.67ppm sees 9,402 lopped off itsvalue. Its the only running costarea where any one car getsmuch of a lead over the others.The Mazda3 is marginallybetter on service, maintenanceand repair at 2.12ppm, whilethe Astra is next best at 2.20

and the Golf last at 2.29ppm,but the difference between firstand last is only 102. Much thesame can be said of the fuelcosts, where the Mazda3 andAstra are locked together at7.28ppm while the Golf is ratedat 7.71ppm. Thats a gap of258 over 60,000 miles.

So its no shock that the Golfwins on running costs, which isentirely due to its residualperformance as it comes last inthe other two categories. At23.48ppm it would cost14,088, while the second-placed Mazda3, at 24.12ppm,costs 14,472 and the25.15ppm Astra is third at15,090. For a driver wanting

the lowest possible tax bill, the135g/km Astra and 143g/kmGolf are the clear favourites asthey are Euro IV compliant andtherefore 15% while the138g/km Mazda3 isnt yet andis therefore rated at 18%.

The Astra and the Golfwould cost a 22% taxpayeronly 41 a month in thisfinancial year, while theMazda3 would result in amonthly charge of 48, whichmakes all three pretty goodvalue. But as it isnt severelyhampered by miserlyspecification, wins on runningcosts and has good BIK taxlevels, the Golf wins thissection of the group test. SM

Fuelling Britains fleet industry www.bpplus.com

Delivered price, standard car (P11d value)

14,647CO2 emissions (g/km)

138BIK % of P11D in 2004/05

18%Graduated VED rate

115Insurance group

5Combined mpg

56.5CAP Monitor residual value

5,225/36%

Depreciation 14.72 pence per mile x 60,000

8,832Maintenance 2.12 pence

per mile x 60,000

1,272Fuel 7.28 pence per

mile x 60,000

4,368Wholelife cost 24.12

pence per mile x 60,000

14,472Typical contract hire rate

319 per month

MAZDA3 1.6 dieselTS

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MAZDAS lower-medium challenger hasthe smallest engine ontest, but its the mostpowerful. Well-optionedand cheap P11d makes ita strong competitor.

Delivered price, standard car (P11D value)


135BIK % of P11D in 2004/05


115Insurance group

6Combined mpg


4,700/32%



per mile x 60,000


mile x 60,000




302 per month

VAUXHALL ASTRA 1.7 CTDi CLUB 100THE Astra finally gets a fullrange of common-raildiesels which, alongsidesharp styling, good buildquality and a decentchassis, make the Astra thebest Vauxhall there is.

Delivered price, standard car (P11D value)


143BIK % of P11D in 2004/05


115Insurance group

8Combined mpg


6,375/43%



per mile x 60,000


mile x 60,000




312 per month

VOLKSWAGEN GOLF 1.9 TDI STHE Golf deals in knownquantities: the diesel TDI iswell-proven, the looks areclassic Golf sharpened upand the interior echoesTouran and Polo. Residualsare as strong as ever.

Forget any preconceptions about this trio of hatchbacks. Steve Moody and Simon Harris findout how the new diesels introduced by Mazda, Vauxhall and Volkswagen this year measure up

www.fleetnewsnet.co.uk

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fleet news golf 150704

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