Mazda officially announced the addition of the sedan variant, or the fastback as they call it, to the new Mazda3 family. More practical and family-oriented than the sporty hatchback, the sedan is said to be just as economical, and as exciting to drive, as the hatchback.

The Mazda3 sedan is 120mm longer than hatchback and it has a 419-litres boot with ability to carry three 67cm suitcases. Both car share a wheelbase of 2700mm, so there is no real difference in terms of interior space.

To further distinguish the sedan over the hatchback models, the Mazda3 Sedan features a different roof, rear window, rear wings and boot lid. Compared to the current sedan, the new model is lower and wider and boasts a much better drag coefficient, which helps with the fuel economy – 0.258 (saloon) and 0.275 (hatchback). Also, at 1,196kg, the car is one of the lightest in its class.

That explains how certain models can achieve 72.4mpg and 104g/km. That rating belongs to the 150ps and 360 Nm SKYACTIV-D clean diesel with manual gearbox.

Other powertrain choices include SKYACTIV-G 2.0-litre petrol engine available in standard (120ps) and high power (165ps) versions, which does 55.3mpg and 119g/km (manual) and 50.4mpg and129g/km (automatic), and the 100ps SKYACTIV-G 1.5-litre petrol engine, that is capable of 56.4mpg (combined cycle) paired with the six-speed SKYACTIV-MT manual gearbox.

Prices and specs for different markets will be announced later.