For many people, cars are nothing more than useful devices for autonomously getting from A to B. It stands to reason then that the majority of cars are - and there's no nicer way to put this - white goods. Difficult as petrolheads may find it to accept, many car buyers get no more excited about purchasing their next car than they would a new dishwasher.
Read the specification sheet of the new Mazda3 saloon and you'd be forgiven for thinking it's one of those cars.
Under the bonnet is a 1.6L petrol engine with four not-so-exotic cylinders hammering up and down. They do manage to send 105hp to the front wheels, along with 145Nm of torque, but no doubt a lot of that gets soaked up in the four-speed automatic gearbox on the way there.
Then there's the layout. It's essentially a compact four-door Japanese saloon. Asleep yet? I'm guessing your eyes strayed to the image of the car in question a few times during the last few paragraphs, as the Mazda3's looks are far more arresting than my description and what lies underneath its bonnet. Is there a better-looking small car on the road today? I'm not sure there is. And Mazda has done this without resorting to gimmicks, so it gains universal approval.
Mazda gave its 3 a modest update for 2012 and the exterior styling, though only tweaked, looks better than ever, taking plenty of cues from the company's acclaimed concept cars. That's thanks to a more muscular front end, a new rear bumper to complement it and tasty alloy wheels, especially on the Sport model tested.
The interior received an upgrade, too, and while there's a dearth of soft-touch plastics, the materials used do seem of good quality and the gear stick is notably tactile to use. Mazda also offers new materials and colours on the 2012 model, though it's a shame that the leather covering the steering wheel is so hard and shiny, but at least it fashionably holds a load of easy-to-reach buttons for the phone, audio and cruise control systems.
It's probably best to stick to the sort of roads on which cruise control is useful in this car. The engine is willing enough, but the gearbox saps all the life and fun out of it. That's disappointing as the chassis itself is quite agile, turning quickly and with no hint of inertia. The steering is direct and well-weighted as well and, overall, the car feels lightweight and nimble.
Once you're not expecting the Mazda3 to transport a grown-up family of five and their luggage too often you'll not be disappointed with its accommodation. Head and legroom are acceptable enough (and the boot is big), but if you put a child seat or two in the rear it really illustrates how small this car is. You'll find rivals at the same price with more space, if not the same level of quality.
Thankfully, where it matters - behind the steering wheel - the car is comfortable. There's plenty of adjustment of the wheel and seat and all-round visibility is good. The Mazda3's agility doesn't seem to lead to too much of a compromise on ride comfort either. Only poorly surfaced urban roads upset its composure.
And that's all anyone demands of a car of this size and price. It is expected to be utterly reliable, easy to drive, easy to live with, comfortable enough, fast enough to not get in the way and, well, innocuous. The new Mazda3 is most of those things but it distances itself from a host of other humdrum machines in this sector with standout styling.
Having a unique selling point in a crowded marketplace is a good thing, so long as you don't rely solely on that asset. Mazda doesn't. The new 3 isn't exciting but we like to think that its new owners will regularly steal an extra glance at it over their shoulders as they park up and walk away. I don't imagine they'll ever do that with a microwave oven.
Base price not available
Engine 1.6L four-cylinder
Gearbox Four-speed automatic
Power 105hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 145Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 7.6L/100km
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMaly%20Tech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Mo%20Ibrahim%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%20International%20Financial%20Centre%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%241.6%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2015%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPre-seed%2C%20planning%20first%20seed%20round%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20GCC-based%20angel%20investors%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Zayed Sustainability Prize
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Akeed
Based: Muscat
Launch year: 2018
Number of employees: 40
Sector: Online food delivery
Funding: Raised $3.2m since inception
Mobile phone packages comparison
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
UAE WARRIORS RESULTS
Featherweight
Azouz Anwar (EGY) beat Marcelo Pontes (BRA)
TKO round 2
Catchweight 90kg
Moustafa Rashid Nada (KSA) beat Imad Al Howayeck (LEB)
Split points decision
Welterweight
Gimbat Ismailov (RUS) beat Mohammed Al Khatib (JOR)
TKO round 1
Flyweight (women)
Lucie Bertaud (FRA) beat Kelig Pinson (BEL)
Unanimous points decision
Lightweight
Alexandru Chitoran (ROU) beat Regelo Enumerables Jr (PHI)
TKO round 1
Catchweight 100kg
Marc Vleiger (NED) beat Mohamed Ali (EGY)
Rear neck choke round 1
Featherweight
James Bishop (NZ) beat Mark Valerio (PHI)
TKO round 2
Welterweight
Abdelghani Saber (EGY) beat Gerson Carvalho (BRA)
TKO round 1
Middleweight
Bakhtiyar Abbasov (AZE) beat Igor Litoshik (BLR)
Unanimous points decision
Bantamweight
Fabio Mello (BRA) beat Mark Alcoba (PHI)
Unanimous points decision
Welterweight
Ahmed Labban (LEB) v Magomedsultan Magomedsultanov (RUS)
TKO round 1
Bantamweight
Trent Girdham (AUS) beat Jayson Margallo (PHI)
TKO round 3
Lightweight
Usman Nurmagomedov (RUS) beat Roman Golovinov (UKR)
TKO round 1
Middleweight
Tarek Suleiman (SYR) beat Steve Kennedy (AUS)
Submission round 2
Lightweight
Dan Moret (USA) v Anton Kuivanen (FIN)
TKO round 2
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
