Mazda3 Sportsedan road test: from Caen to Frankfurt

Back in Normandy is where we spent the night on our way to Frankfurt aboard the Mazda3 Sportsedan with the 2.2 Skyactiv-D 150 CV diesel engine. Today we reach the midpoint of the route upon arriving in Frankfurt, but we will pass through Luxembourg and several charming villages where we can stop. The route starts with a certain wartime flavour and ends with the adrenaline of driving on an autobahn. For organisational reasons we have done this route in two days, but since the second day covered the shorter distance, we have combined it here. Without further ado, let’s go!

Caen – Frankfurt [950 km]

Route completed over two days

We spent the night near Caen, though not exactly in this northern French city; just 50 km north of Caen lies Omaha Beach, that is, the beach of the Normandy Landings. Known as “D-Day”, on 6 June 1944 the famous “Normandy Landings” took place in France, an event that would lay the first stone in changing the history of Europe. Allied troops landed on Omaha Beach to fight against the advance of the German dictator. Today, only a couple of monuments remain (one on the sand and another on dry land) along with a series of historical images from the period.

Monument on Omaha Beach – Normandy Landings Beach

After visiting Omaha Beach we set course for Rouen. This time, despite the insistence of the satnav, we avoided driving through Paris due to the nuisance of all its traffic, hence the detour around the north of the City of Light. On the way, passing industrial estates and farmland, we noticed Lisieux, for its cathedral (dating from the 6th century, though rebuilt in 1160) and its castle (two monuments that survived the bombing in 1944).

Mid-morning it was time for lunch, and once again bar windows displayed moules (mussels) despite being more than 100 km from the coast. We opted for a simple place offering a “plat du jour” for just 9 euros (very good value for France). After the brief meal we continued on our way, and the landscape began to change completely, with large expanses of fields and cows grazing in green meadows. The houses also changed, notably a typical construction with a steeply pitched, double-sloped roof. Amid this scenery we passed through Brionne, a village on the river with a reservoir and traditional architecture.

The satnav directed us towards a village on the banks of the River Seine, indicating that we should take a ferry. At first we were a little worried there might be a charge, but the ferry arrived and it was completely free (quite rare for anything to be free in France). In just 10 minutes we crossed to the French town of Sahurs , continuing our journey through lush green forests.

The city of Rouen itself does not have much to see; we passed through because the route required it, but it is an industrial city with little of interest beyond the centre and two or three buildings. On the open plain heading towards Reims we saw a huge military cemetery: the “Nécropole Militaire du Bois Robert à Ambleny” holds more than 10,000 military graves, the grave of a Russian soldier, that of a Danish soldier and those of 17 French civilian victims.

Entrance to the Ambleny Necropolis

By nightfall we arrived in Reims and would spend the night nearby. The next day the route was short, only about three hours. As always, a good café au lait to start the day and a croissant or a pain au chocolat. With our batteries recharged we set off for Luxembourg. It is a very small country and its capital is a city that combines the best of a big city with the practicality of its small size. Luxembourg has all kinds of luxury shops, several typical pedestrian streets for shopping or enjoying a beer on a terrace, and at the same time several wooded areas surrounding the city where Luxembourgers usually go to exercise and run.

Luxembourg

From Luxembourg to Frankfurt, inexplicably there is no direct motorway, so we were obliged to drive for about 90 km on German roads surrounded by green areas and houses. In Germany, unlike France, national roads generally do not cut through the centres of villages but skirt around them. Shortly before reaching Frankfurt we had the chance to join a stretch of the famous autobahn, those German motorways with sections where there is no maximum speed limit. We will tell you more about the autobahn in the next part, but today it is time to take the “Ausfahrt” (exit) from the motorway to reach our destination.

Driving impressions

For several days we have been talking about the Mazda 3 and especially its good performance through bends (or rather roundabouts) and its dynamism, although there is another important detail we liked. On our route, on stretches of complicated roads full of bends, the seats offer good lateral support. The driving position is low and comfortable, the driver’s seat has lumbar adjustment, and frontal and side visibility stands out especially (partly thanks to its mirrors, which include blind-spot warning technology).

Taking this look at interior roominess, we cannot overlook the rear seats, where there is more than enough space for legs and head room. Three people would be a tight fit, but two will travel comfortably. The middle seat is the most uncomfortable (as is usual) with a harder backrest and less legroom due to the central tunnel (it has a rear armrest with two cup holders).

In Germany we drove for about 100 km on wet roads that were not as straight as one might expect from the land of the autobahn. Even so, the Mazda remained stable, except that the tyres on our unit were not the best in terms of wet grip (Dunlop SP Sport Maxx), a shame because it reduced the effectiveness of a car that stands out for its agility. Moreover, the low weight of this Mazda 3 is noticeable (just 1,385 kg).

As night fell, the lighting of the adaptive bixenon headlights stood out again, offering excellent illumination in almost any situation, from a complicated country road to the motorway. Another curious detail of the satnav is the information about upcoming motorway exits, indicating whether they have a café, a petrol station, or are simply a rest area (very useful). We were also surprised that it maps ferries and that they are free, which is not usually the case.

As for fuel consumption, on the open road is where we achieved the best figures. Even during a test driving efficiently, we managed to drop below 5 litres, although ultimately on the motorway and at high speeds consumption hovered around 5.5–5.8 litres per 100 km, with a total average of 5.4 litres per 100 km by the end of the route.

In the next instalment of the route, we begin the journey home but via Switzerland, continuing at the wheel of the Mazda 3 over all kinds of roads and highways, this time with a different landscape.

Photos | Test team