Top Gear Russia outs the 2014 Mazda3 Saloon – probably not coming to the UK

The new Mazda3 saloon has been outed by Top Gear in Russia ahead of an official reveal. But it’s probably not coming to the UK.

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The UK and Europe have eschewed small saloon cars for hatchbacks in recent years. But in other parts of the world its the small saloon that’s big news, so many will be interested in the new Mazda3 saloon, revealed by Top Gear in Russia ahead of an official debut.

Looking exactly like the new 2014 Mazda3 hatch revealed last week (there’s a shock), Mazda has managed to make the translation from hatch to saloon seamless, with proper flowing lines and no sense of a ‘notch’ grafted on the back.

Styling of the 3 saloon  follows that of the new 3 hatch, with it’s ‘Kodo’ styling – inherited from the new Mazda6 – with bold grill, swept back headlights and a beltline that rises and falls before melting in to the boot. It’s a convincing look.

Under the bonnet will almost certainly be the same range of efficient SkyActiv engines as the Mazda3 hatch – a pair of 2.0 litre petrols, a 1.5 litre petrol and 2.2 litre diesel – and the same choice of manual or auto ‘boxes.

We won’t know until Mazda do the official thing on the 3 saloon if the saloon shape has made any difference to interior room – an interior which will be the same as the hatch – but what is certain is that the saloon will have more room for stuff in the boot than the hatch.

Mazda will no doubt make the 3 saloon official shortly, and we expect it will arrive for a public debut at Frankfurt in September before going on sale in early 2014.