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Mazda 3 which engine would you recomend

Helllo John,

I'm interested in Mazda 3 2012 1.6 d (115) bhp 5 door manual 37k £9995 from Mazda main dealer,is this good price?We do short journeys but twice a week do 150 miles.Is this diesel ok for this sort of travel and what sort of DPF has it got. Has it got belt or chain cam.
If not it would have to be 1.6 petrol manual but Mazda reviews says it gut less for long journeys?
Your thoughts please,
thanks Michael McCoy

Asked on 18 October 2014 by pegasus

Answered by Honest John
If you do 150 miles twice a week that will make up for the short runs. I had this same engine in a Mazda 5 for a year and it was excellent. It has a 'coated' DPF not one regenerated by Eolys fluid. It is belt cam because the engine is Ford/PSA's 8v 1.6 115PS diesel as fitted to Fords, Citroens and Peugeots. The 1.6 petrol is chain cam and it's lively enough, but not as gutsy as the diesel because it has far less torque.
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