2016 Mazda 3 (facelift)
The 2016 Mazda 3 (facelift) has been
spied up-close revealing the exact design changes. More images from livedoor
Blog give an even closer look at the facelifted Mazda Axela. The Mazda 3 will
receive a facelift first in Japan, where it is known as the Mazda Axela. The
company released a teaser of the new Mazda Axela in a Japanese newspaper last
month.
Exterior changes are minimal on the
facelifted Mazda3. Up front, the facelift brings the 2016 Mazda CX-9-inspired
headlights with the signature wing grille flowing into it, new foglamps and
turn signals with chrome extensions on its sides and repositioned Mazda logo.
At the sides, Mazda has incorporated new
LED turn indicator strips in the lower portion of the door mirrors. The
rear-end appears to have remained unchanged. As for the interior, spyshots
revealed earlier this year that there’s a mildly redesigned steering wheel and
an electronic parking brake replacing the manual one, and that the Commander
Control unit and gear selector have been repositioned closer to the centre console.
Changes related to the engines, if any,
are unknown as of now. The teaser did mention introduction of the 105 PS 1.5-litre SKYACTIV-D diesel engine in Japan though. The current JDM-spec
Mazda3 is available with the P5-VPS 111 PS 1.5-litre, PE-VPR 155 PS 2.0-litre and SH-VPTR 175 PS 2.2-litre diesel engines in
Japan. There’s also a hybrid variant of the sedan version, consisting of a
combination of the PE-VPH 99 PS)2.0-litre petrol engine and the MG 82 PS electric motor.
