Australian New Car Buyer – June 2019

AUSTRALIAN NEW CAR & SUV BUYER’S GUIDE | 97

T

he CX-3 gives Mazda an

offering in the hotly contested

compact SUV segment.

With a choice of two

four-cylinder engines —

85kW/270Nm 1.8-litre

turbodiesel or 111kW/ 195Nm

2.0-litre naturally aspirated

petrol — the CX-3 is up against

more than 20 contenders

including Honda’s HRV,

Nissan’s Qashqai and the

Renault Captur.

Depending on spec, the CX-3

also offers the option of front- or

all-wheel drive (the latter being

a true rarity at this end of the

market), as well as the choice of

six-speed manual or six-speed

automatic transmissions.

There are four petrol powered

spec levels — base Neo Sport,

Maxx Sport, premium sTouring

and top-shelf Akari. Prices kick

off at $22,260 for the Neo Sport

front wheel drive manual; the

auto adds $2000 and the all

wheel drive option in Maxx Sport

and STouring another $2000.

Diesels start at $28,600 for

the Maxx Sport front-wheel

drive auto, ranging up to

$39,900 for the top-spec Akari

diesel AWD automatic.

All models include a camera

and autonomous emergency

braking from low speeds. On

Maxx grade and up, blind-spot

monitoring and rear cross-traffi c

alert are also standard.

Top spec Akari adds 360

degree camera coverage and

adaptive cruise control with stop

and go, which can automatically

control your progress in heavy

stop/start traffi c.

Interior space is generous

by class standards, with more

than adequate rear leg and head

room for two full-size adults.

Three back there is tight in

the extreme, but the CX-3 is

unashamedly pitched at young

singles and pre-child couples, so

that rear-room-for-three issue

— and a relatively modest cargo

volume of 264 litres with rear

seats up, growing to 1174 litres

with the (60/40 split-fold) second

row folded — is bang on brief.

Mazda says special attention

has been paid to the interior

design, right down to the choice

of materials and fi nishes, to

deliver a clean, premium feel.

There’s no doubt that objective

has been achieved.

There is better-than-average

storage space around the cabin,

including clever oddment trays in

the front console, big bottle bins

in the doors (front and rear) plus

large seat pockets.

The seating position has been

designed to hit the sweet spot

between the commanding vision

of a traditional, high-riding SUV

and the impressive handling

dynamics of a hatch with a

lower centre of gravity.

The CX-3 design team has hit

the target: the car combines great

visibility with agile dynamics and a

fi rmly planted road feel.

Mazda’s naturally aspirated,

high-compression Skyactiv petrol

engines are certainly fuel effi cient

but performance is not a strong

point and more grunt would

defi nitely be welcome, but the

payoff is excellent fuel effi ciency

— on regular unleaded, too.

Driving several spec, engine

and drivetrain variants, we

were especially impressed by

the diesel’s refi nement and

low noise levels but found

petrol AWD models to be the

pick of the bunch, with slightly

less weight over the front axle

delivering more nimble handling

and drive to the rear, resulting

in greater composure from the

chassis when cornering.

Keenly priced, beautifully

designed, thoroughly engineered

and dynamically excellent, the

CX-3 is one of the front runners

in compact SUVs. Test drive it

with Toyota’s C-HR, Honda’s

HRV, Subaru’s XV (the class

leader) and the Kia Sportage.

THINGS WE LIKE

 Outstanding quality

 Comfortable, stylish interior

 Outstanding fuel effi ciency

 Excellent value for money

THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT LIKE

Both engines are a bit gutless

18-inch alloys on top-spec models

compromise ride comfort

No rear camera in base Neo

No rear-seat air vents

SPEX (2.0 Neo auto)

Made in Japan

2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol/six-

speed manual/front-wheel drive

110kW of power at 6000rpm and

195Nm of torque at 2800rpm

0–100km/h in 10.0 seconds (est.)

Warranty: Five years/unlimited

kilometres

Max towing weight: 1200kg

5.5L/100km highway; 7.7L/100km

city; 91 octane. CO 2 emissions

are 146g/km; fuel tank is 48 litres

Standard: Six airbags, stability

control, low speed AEB, camera,

Bluetooth rear parking sensors,

16-inch steel wheels

Maxx adds 16-inch alloys, blind

spot monitoring, navigation, touch

screen. sTouring adds 18-inch

alloys while Akari includes leather

trim and a sunroof

Redbook future values: 3yr: 55%;

5yr: 44%

MAZDA CX-3 FROM $22,260

Safety

ANCAP

Green Vehicle Guide

Performance

Handling

Quality, reliability

Comfort and refi nement

Value for money

Overall

STARS

S

compare with ...

Honda HRV, Kia Sportage, Subaru

XV, Toyota CH-R, Suzuki Vitara