Against All Odds: Mazda 323 (1999)

September 29,1999

Mazda is known to most motoring enthusiasts as a technologically innovative Japanese car company. In fact, in the last ten years or so, Mazda has shown some great advancements which, quite frankly, other manufacturers couldn’t even seem to grasp correctly. For instance, winning the 24-hours of Le Mans, a feat that hasn’t been duplicated by ANY other Japanese manufacturer so far. Another good example is the exotic RX7, powered by a twin-turbocharged Wankel-rotary engine. Lastly, is the infamous MX5 Miata, which, after only eight years, has already received cult status amongst other cars such as the Ferrari 355 and the McLaren F1.

However, life isn’t as sweet for Mazda when it comes to their more ‘normal’ car line-up. Its line-up has always been filled with cars which border more on mediocrity and obscurity rather than being in the standout crowd. In fact, in the Philippines alone, Mazda has deserved a reputation far lesser than other manufacturers such as Honda, Mitsubishi and even Mazda’s parent company, Ford, when it comes to ‘sport and badge value’.

But, as you know, the best way to find the truth is to find out for yourself, and that’s exactly what I did. Let me present the Mazda 323 GLX.

The Mazda 323 GLX is Mazda’s answer to other 1.6-liter cars such as the Toyota Corolla, Nissan Sentra, Mitsubishi Lancer and the Honda Civic. On exterior styling alone, the 323 deserve the honors. It is far better styled than the Sentra or the Corolla in the sense that the 323 tries to break from the norm of economy sedans. The 323 has a short hood and overhangs which denote sportiness, which all other 1.6-liter cars, except the Honda Civic, lack. Also the GLXi also presents an exterior which tries to show the roominess of the car, an effect usually reserved for the cars on the higher end of the buyer market.

On the downside, the 323 exterior gives a rather easy indication when it comes to age-guessing this car. The lamps for instance give away that the 323 was designed way back even before the creation of clear headlights and 3D-effect rear tail lamps. Another easy indicator is the mags, which really don’t fit this car. The mags give a confusing signal as to the real image of this car: is it a pseudo-luxury car or is it a sporty-economy sedan. Mazda should have employed a five-spoke mag to match the car’s sporty looks.

The exterior isn’t as well finished and built as the Civic. For instance, the paint doesn’t have the same mirror-like sheen associated with the Honda line-up. The paint finish is rather dull (and it’s not the color, mind you). At the same time, the doors and the trunk don’t close with the same level of solidity as the other 1.6-liter cars. In fact, the only thing that does not close with a tinny sound with the 323 is the fuel cover!

The interior basically tells the same story. The instrumentation binnacle is very easy to read with large warning lamps (too large for my tastes, even). Though we wanted the tachometer to be at the center of the instrumentation, its layout is quite sufficient. The instrumentation reminds me of the Honda Civic, with separated circular warning lights and three large indicators. The main difference is that the 323’s is larger and has these one-of-a-kind labeling below the icon. Don’t know that the ‘exclamation point in the circle’ stands for handbrake activated? Then the 323 is the car for you!

The center console, which includes the air conditioner and the radio, does not have the same precision arrangement unlike the instrumentation. The controls still rely on old, slide-type switches, which feel like they were lubricated with molasses! The center switches such as the defogger, vent switches has a sense of substance. The radio on the other hand is very hard to reach and gets in the way of the gear lever. What’s more is that we’ve seen this particular brand just a few months ago…yes it’s the same brand of radio used in the Honda City.

Our car was equipped with standard 4-speaker system and a 6-disc CD changer. Unfortunately, this combination is by far, the worst system combination I have ever heard! The speakers sound tinny, and even a CD sounds like it came from a FM radio station and an AM station sounds like short wave! What’s worse is that the CD changer has the tendency to skip music at even the smallest of road bumps.

Power window switches feel as if they are going to break each time you command the window to go up and down (though the window motion is very smooth). Daytona USA’s view buttons feel a bit better. On the other hand, the handbrake feels as empty as Humpty Dumpty’s head. In fact, the handbrake engages rather poorly and needs a full length to use it properly. Much like the window switches; you have this fear that they would just fall off.

The steering wheel, the most important tool, is painful?! Yup, the mid-section of this sporty-three spoke steering wheel is too meaty to the point that you can’t use the typical 9:15 hand position, but have to use the 10:10 position. I could go on and on with the dash and the seats, but I won’t because first, it would take too long and second, Mazda might just sue me!

We therefore go to the 323’s driving experience (or the lack thereof). Like all fuel-injected cars, the 323’s 1.6-liter DOHC engine starts up quite satisfactorily. The best thing about this engine, aside from the fact that it’s the same one used in the lower end Mazda MX5 Miata’s, is that unlike other economy sedan engines, this one is silky smooth. There is no amount of hesitation in this engine all the way to its 6,000-rpm redline. Unlike other 1.6-liter cars I have driven so far is that the 323 exhibits a surge of power coupled by a boomy sound (unlike the others which only boom), which is a good thing. Forget the skipping CD changer, this is THE sound! Want to know what a Nascar driver hears as he circles the Charlotte Speedway? Just rev this baby up!

The gear change is quite adequate for an economy sedan as well. The gearshift is relatively smooth, albeit a bit rubbery when engaging from a lower to a higher gear. However, the 323 exhibits some problems when being engaged to lower gears especially from second to first. It’s a shame, because Mazda can make great stick shifts, like the RX7 and the MX5 Miata, and their others cars just doesn’t exhibit the same qualities.

The biggest, most positive aspect of the 323 is its steering. Though the steering feels a bit somewhat numb, it has a great, weighty feel to it. The steering also seems to be geared to twisty roads, because this car handles great. In fact, I have come to notice that this car exhibits a lot less understeer than other cars such as the Honda Accord. It’s fun to drive this car around in small, twisty bits. Confidence in highway overtaking is also assured, because almost no correction and little body roll is detected when shifting from one lane to the next, even at speeds close to 110 km/h.

The suspension seems to compliment the steering by providing a firm, sporty ride. The car’s front MacPherson strut and rear Dual-strut seem to work well, a sign that Mazda is indeed using their performance car expertise on the road. However, if you are the person looking for a highly comfortable ride to absorb Araneta Avenue road holes, then this car is not for you.

Speaking of road holes, the 323 exhibited adequate body rigidity. Not much squeaks and shakes, except maybe for the mysterious sound near the rear seat. Of course, given the fact that the car is 32,500 kilometers old, it’s still good and tight.

We tested the 1997 version of the Mazda 323 GLX. The more recent version has added features such as a driver’s side airbag. Even this ’97 version already had remote-control locking, front fog lamps, dual glove box, CD changer, and four-wheel, four-channel ABS. All for less than the price of a Civic which has none of those! It also has the roomiest interior in the 1.6 class. Now that’s value! However, if given the chance, we’d like Columbia Motors Inc., to sell the all-new Mazda 323 straight from Europe and Japan. Why? Well, this new car delivers relatively the same performance but with a more refined feel and better road connection than the current model. It looks sharper and sportier as well.

However, we are not looking at the future, we are looking at the here and now. Thus, I have to come to the point where I have to place the Mazda 323 GLX somewhere in the heap of 1.6-liter cars available today. With the current choices of the Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, Nissan Sentra and the Mitsubishi Lancer, I have to place the Mazda 323 in third place. The Toyota Corolla still gets first, while the Honda Civic comes in second.

But don’t fret. Mazda is getting their act together. We’ll just have to wait and see how the new Mazda 323 performs.

Editor’s Note: Sadly though, Mazda didn’t come out with a newer version of the Mazda 323 in the Philippines. We personally hope that they do come back to the market in the next few years.

By Ulysses Ang | Photos By Ulysses Ang and Jason Ang
Originally Published in the August 1999 Issue

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