MAZDA has been supplying Australians with class-competitive – and occasionally segment-leading – small cars since the 1960s, so it is no surprise that the Mazda3 is one of our top-selling private purchases. Even from before the days of the old 323, this has been a classic case of ‘if you are on a good thing, stick to it’. Now, Mazda seems to have taken that mantra to heart, because the new-generation, BL-series Mazda3 is simply more of the same, but (mostly) better. Here it is, tested in volume-selling base-model Neo guise.