Stripped Bare
This all-new Mazda3 survived a tortuous 15,000 kilometer (10,000 mile) odyssey from Hofu, Japan, to Frankfurt, Germany, to test its endurance. That was the easy bit…
In August 2013, Zoom-Zoom set off on an epic journey – a six-week, 15,000 kilometer (10,000 mile) continent-crushing trek from Japan to Germany to research the durability of the all-new Mazda3.
The punishing Route3 drive may have been tough on the cars, but the vehicular post-mortem would be tougher.
Five of the cars were shipped back to Mazda’s Hiroshima headquarters, thrashed around Mazda’s Miyoshi Proving Ground, stripped down and examined in microscopic detail by the engineers of Mazda’s Vehicle Research and Development departments.
“The aim of the driving tests was to find out whether there had been any degradation in the joints and fastening components, engine mounts and rubber suspension bushes, and any compromise in the wheel alignment,” explains Seiji Tanabe of Mazda’s Vehicle Reliability, Testing and Research group.
Amazingly, none of the Mazda3s had any problems when it came to acceleration, gear changes, braking or high-speed stability. There were no rattles, vibrations or noise from the steering, brakes, body or suspension. The wheel alignment of all five cars was still within the original standard.
The results of the mechanical deconstruction also proved to be more than impressive. None of the five cars had suffered any significant damage at all, working as well on their return to Hiroshima as the day they left Mazda’s Hofu factory at the start of their arduous journey.
And this incredible feat is largely thanks to the dedication and hard work of our engineers, who won't be retiring anytime soon!
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