I've got the current 3 series - a 325d estate. Had it 3 1/2 years, which for me is a miracle, and shows just how good it is. But it's nicely specced, and the fuel economy is reasonable - 50mpg on a long run. I drove from home (North Wales) to Mallaig in the Scottish Highlands (440 miles) in a day a couple of weeks ago, and got out feeling pretty decent at the end of it. Four days later, reversed the trip, and could still function after 8 hours behind the wheel.

No idea on the other 2, sorry. I'd suggest a decent test drive, if possible even arranging to have a car for a weekend and see what it's like for a few hours.

I'd be dubious of the 330e. They're likely to be sold in very small numbers, as the previous 'Active Hybrid' version was.

Edited by SLO76 on 18/05/2017 at 01:02

Personally, I wouldn’t touch a diesel Mazda. There are far too many problems with recent Mazda diesels (oil dilution when the DPF regenerates, or fails to regenerate causing fuel to be dumped in the sump!). Try googling “Mazda diesel problems”. Of course you’ll get complaints about all cars when you google them, but I’ve seen the Mazda diesel issues quite a few times online, when I wasn’t searching for them.

Even although problems may be covered by warranty it’s still a hassle taking the car back and forward to the garage. Worst case scenario is that the manufacturer/ dealer blames your driving style and won’t fix under warranty.

What's your business and private mileage going to be, approximately? Whilst your original post intimates you'll be doing a reasonable mileage, if its under 20k pa then a petrol engined car may still be worth a look as others have said, particularly if most of your annual mileage is business related and they pay for the fuel on business trips. The Mazda3 2ltr petrol would then come into the equation (I agree [sad for me as an owner of a older petrol version for a long time] about the ongoing reliability issues with the Mazda diesels), as would many other similar cars.

If you do more than 20k miles pa and mainly out of town, then diesels are best. I also agree that, if the car is to be bought presumably by your employer and only kept for 3-4 years, then longer-term ownership issues become less of a problem. Look up the 'real mpg' figures on this website for any car you're looking at - a simple calculation should give the difference in fuel costs for your private mileage - it might not be as much as you think, with modern petrol engined cars improving a lot on that score in recent years. Also have a look in the Reviews/Car-by-car section, paying particular attention to the 'Good and Bad' subsection as well as the test drive reports and onwers' reviews.

Best to get the car that is the most comfortable and pleasant to drive, rather than for styling (though I like the Mazda3 fastback [and the exterior styling of the A3 saloon], but I'm biased as I own a mk1 saloon) or sheer performance - go for 'enough' performance: I agree with others that a diesel engine around the 2 litre mark is more than sufficient (2 ltr petrol ok, smaller turbo-petrol engines better for the same power [around 120 - 150bhp mark] as they have higher torque characteristics and are more relaxed for overtaking), but avoid the 'rubber band' tyre models to keep the ride decent.

I would say try for trim models that have preferably wheel and tyre combinations of the following (approximately):

• Preferably 205/55 R16 (the Mazda3 SE-L Nav [best model] now comes with slightly higher profile 205/60 R16 tyres), or;
• 17in (R17) wheels with tyres that are xxx/45 profile and not too wide.

18in versions (likely all of those you've chosen) may seem fine on a test drive of a new car on decent roads, but will soon be uncomfortable when used on poor quality roads and after 6 months heavy usage when the tyre begins to wear. I suspect though that many of the offerings you're looking at (unless you get the more basic models which don't have so many toys, some only basic A/C instead of climate control [ok on the Mazda - its on the SE-L Nav) only come with 18in wheels and tyres. You may be lucky and be able to spec a no-cost option to go down to 17in versions, but it depends on whether the model has larger brakes that may only fit the larger wheels.

I agree with other backroomers who say that a test drive (if you can get as long a one over various types of roads, especially on routes you use a lot, that would be great), maybe an extended one over a few days or weekend, would be good to really get to know each car. Spend a decent amount of time trying to get the seating/driving position to be as good as possible, as it can make a huge difference to the comfort level.

The A3 would be my choice, especially if you're going to be able to chop it in after three years. Unless you're doing over 20,000 miles a year, the quietness, economy and excellent torque of the 1.4 TSI could well be preferable to the diesel. If you do need a diesel, the 2.0 is better than the 1.6 any day.