Small Car, Tall Order
It’s a warm evening, the sun is setting and the sky breaks into colour. Beneath that, a little Mazda crosses kilometres of country roads. I’m in the cabin, taking in the spectrum of orange and pink, giving way to notes of purple and blues in the rear view mirror. Visibility out of the CX-3 makes it easy to take it all in as the little 2.0 Skyactiv-G engine propels us along.
The pure white leather seats are both supportive and comfortable and the simple but elegant interior is quite striking given the vehicle's price point. In the front seats it’s easy to forget how little the CX-3 really is as it feels roomy and somewhat spacious. The rear seats are comfortable, though a bit lacking on headroom, but it seems likely that adults riding in the rear would be a rare event. The rear headrests are designed in a way that makes visibility better for the driver by sitting lower in the seat than most. This causes them to be quiet uncomfortable for a brief moment before you effortlessly slide them up into a proper position.
It’s not a big vehicle and you are reminded of that with the trunk, which isn’t much larger than a few bags of groceries. It’s also not a quiet ride, not so much from the road noise but from the engine, which, from any kind of effort, like most accelerating, sounds like it’s maxing out, when in reality it’s closer to only 3000rpm. The CX-3 works to get to speed, the little 2.0 engine produces 148 horsepower to pull 1,355kg. The engine is powerful enough for everyday use but it won’t rush about in how it gets around.
The CX-3 would be a solid city car, or for a mature woman. Small, nimble, and decent visibility all around. The trunk space would make it so it wouldn’t be suitable for someone who regularly needs to carry more than the usual grocery supply, like cottagers with all their extra luggage needs.
Mazda has a solid offering with the CX-3, and if there isn’t the need for trunk space the CX-3 would be a great car to have, especially in the GT spec. That being said, I don’t think I could go on without saying that the Mazda3 should be considered. In many ways you get more with the Mazda3 for the same price. If the preference stays with the CX-3, then you can be happy with your decision as you drive away in a great little Mazda.
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