A week after the first pictures of the new Mazda3 sedan leaked onto the leaky interwebs, Mazda is doing the full disclosure act on what is arguably a better looker than the recently revealed Mazda3 hatchback .
Sporting a strong family resemblance to the new Mazda6, the four-door 3 is set to add some visual zest to the often drab rental and company car catwalk. Armed with a sloping roofline and stubby boot, Mazda is even going as far as calling its new sedan a 'fastback'.
Its 120mm stretch over the hatchback model not only liberates some style - but also an extra 69 litres of boot capacity for a total capacity of 419 litres. That's enough for three 67cm suitcases, although that kitchen sink might be a bit of a stretch.
Mechanically identical to its five-door counterpart, the saloon incorporates Mazda's latest suite of Skyactiv components that make it lighter and more rigid than its predecessor. In fact the slimmest Mazda3 tips the scales at just 1196kg.
The European market gets to choose between three Skyactiv-G naturally aspirated petrol engines and one Skyactiv-D turbodiesel. All versions aim to be economy champions and come fitted with idle stop technology.
The petrol range kicks off with a new 1.5-litre unit credited with 74kW and Mazda claims a combined consumption figure of just 5.0 litres per 100km.
Next up is a 2-litre unit that's available in two output levels - 88kW and 121kW. The two versions consume 5.1 and 5.5 l/100km respectively.
Most frugal of them all is the 2-litre turbodiesel, offering 110kW, 380Nm and a 3.9 l/100km combined cycle thirst.
As with the on-sale date, the South African engine line-up has yet to be confirmed.