Land of the rising prices! 2023 Mazda 3 price and specs increase as Toyota Corolla and Hyundai i30 rival gets streamlined

Mazda Australia will launch its revamped and more expensive Mazda3 hatch and sedan line-up from July this year, with the brand now confirming new prices for the range after already announcing the removal of the manual gearbox, mild-hybrid powertrains and its flagship Skyactiv-X petrol option.

This means the new point of entry to the Mazda3 range will be the Pure, now priced at $30,320 before on-road costs (+$2160) for the five-door hatch or four-door sedan, while the better-equipped Pure Vision moves up $2660 to $32,320.

Evolve and Evolve Vision mirror the Pure and Pure Vision price rises and are now $31,870 and $33,870 respectively.

Touring and Touring Vision prices move up $2310 and $2810 each to $34,520 and $36,520 – the latter of which has received the largest jump up in price across the Mazda3 line-up.

All aforementioned grades are powered by a 2.0-litre petrol four-cylinder engine, designated G20 in Mazda’s nomenclature, which outputs 114kW/200Nm to the front wheels via a six-speed automatic transmission.

Moving up the Mazda3 tree, the Evolve SP and Evolve SP Vision are now $34,520 and $36,520, up $1410 and $1910 each, but from here up, the small car features a 2.5-litre petrol engine that ups the ante to 139kW/252Nm.

The GT and GT Vision are next up the ladder, with pricing moving up $1610 for both to $38,420 and $39,920.

Finally, sitting atop the 2023 Mazda3 tree is the Astina that jumps up $2010 to $42,320.

Of note, hatch and sedan prices are at parity across the Mazda3 line-up.

Up until recently, a six-speed manual gearbox was available to all variants of the Mazda3 barring the Vision grades, leaving the i30 the only mainstream small car still offered with three pedals after Toyota also axed the stick-shift Corolla late last year.

However, somewhat justifying the price increases is the addition of new equipment.

For starters, the G20 2.0-litre petrol engine now score cylinder deactivation “and other improvements to the combustion process”, according to Mazda, resulting in lower emissions and a five per cent improvement in fuel economy.

This means the 2023 Mazda3 will return a combined figure of 5.9 litres per 100km, while the sedan is slightly more frugal at 5.8L/100km. This compares to the 6.2L and 6.1L/100km figures of the outgoing car.

The Touring grades and up also score wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a wireless smartphone charger, and USB-C charging ports.

From the GT variants onwards, the Mazda3 receive a larger 10.25-inch multimedia screen cribbed from Mazda’s SUV line-up, which is also available on lower grades via an optional Vision Technlogy pack.

As previously reported, mild-hybrid powertrains and Mazda’s much-vaunted Skyactiv-X petrol engine were discontinued from the line-up in early April.

Pricing listed below refers to both hatches and sedans, which share the same pricing and variance for each variant.

2023 Mazda3 pricing before on-road costs

Keyword: Land of the rising prices! 2023 Mazda 3 price and specs increase as Toyota Corolla and Hyundai i30 rival gets streamlined