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Watch the Mazda3 Hatchback Race Dogs for Fun in Britain

The Mazda3 might not have a hot hatch version yet, unlike most of its German rivals. However, it's still one of our favorite compact hatchbacks and a very honest machine with good connection to the driver. Favorite part? The one where Mazda's engineers tell us downsizing doesn't work and offer only larger engines with updated technology instead.
Mazda3 races a dog 1 photo
Photo: screenshot from Youtube
Globally speaking, the 3 is the best selling Mazda at the moment. However, the bulk of demand comes from Japan and the US. This is probably why UK dealers are getting a helping hand from the unlikeliest of places: the animal world.

The company has put together a whole heap of funny videos where the all-new Mazda3 and four breeds of dogs (Greyhound, Collie, Mastiff and Labrador) go head to head over set courses. The aim is to show natural agility and complex electronics locked in battle for traction and cornering speeds. It quite entertaining stuff and thankfully, Mazda made no less than six of these videos. Plus, Mazda owners are known dog lovers and animal videos on Youtube are more popular than car ones anyway.

Where Did Mazda Ever Get the Idea?

If somebody at Mazda UK marketing ever said "I've got a 100% original idea for a commercial", then he/she was lying. It's actually been done before. Top Gear fans will of course remember that Richard Hammond raced an MX-5 against a dog in series 7, episode 6, which according to the BBC aired on Saturday 6th October, 2007.

The dog actually won because it was specifically bred to race on a dirt oval while the car didn't have enough traction. The dog has the second-fastest acceleration in the animal world, which is more than we can say about this little roadster. As far as we remember, the MX-5 was actually named Top Gear car of the year right after the greyhound race.

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About the author: Mihnea Radu
Mihnea Radu profile photo

Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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