A garage-clearing trip to the skip has demonstrated why Japanese manufacturer Mazda opted not to produce a 3 estate.

With the rear seat backrests flipped easily forward, the rear hatch consumed all manner of previously indispensable stuff, which has now been dispensed with.

Visual evidence of this practical application of the nominal 1360-litre capacity is, however, unavailable because the high-tech dump’s resident jobsworth insisted that taking photographs was verboten on health and safety grounds.

Mazda 3 2.2d 150PS Sport 5-door manual
Mileage 8109
Claimed combined
consumption		 52.3mpg
Our average consumption 45.0mpg
P11D price £18,260
Model price range £13,500 -£21,500
CO2 (tax) 144g/km/19%
BIK 20/40% per month £58/£116
Service interval 12,500mls
Insurance group 10E
Warranty 3yrs/60,000mls
Boot space (min/max) 300/1360 litres
Engine size/power 2184cc/150PS
Top speed/0-62mph 127mph/9.2secs
Why we’re running it Can it step up to its
class mark like the 6?
Positive Stops as well as it goes
Negative Badly placed handbrake

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