Mazda CX-3

This CX-3 is one of the most affordable Mazda SUVs. It's also one of the oldest. We find out if it's still worth consideration

We review the entry-level 2021 Mazda CX-3 in automatic and front-wheel drive guise. It's a popular small SUV that's great for couples.

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When it comes to spending time in a small and affordable SUV, a week with the 2015 Mazda CX-3 isn’t a bad way to go...

We’re happy to report the findings of a question that our household has had about the CX3 for some time, that others may find useful too. Could it fit either our large or medium Samsonite hard-shell suitcases? And could it even fit both at the same time? We have been interested in the Mazda CX3 for a while now, especially with myself being a bit of a fan of Mazda vehicles. Our 2009 Mazda3 is getting on in years and we have been looking at replacements, for sometime in the future. But we were also acutely aware that they are not exactly known for being hugely endowed with boot space, all 264 litres of it. We’re lucky enough to have another car that has a bigger boot. But being a city sized car, which would be handy for picking up and dropping off family visiting the Melbourne CBD, a bit of suitcase lugging ability would still be handy. We were handed the keys to a Mazda CX3 Maxx Sport courtesy car recently, when we dropped our 2013 CX5 diesel off for a recall check and service. At home we have our two regular suitcases: A large, 81cm Samsonite ‘Cosmolite’ suitcase A medium, 75cm Samsonite ‘Liteshock’ suitcase And we were pleasantly surprised to learn that; 1. If you remove the floating floor panel in the boot 2. Stack the largest suitcase on the bottom, and the medium one on top 3. And if you remove the luggage security shelf….you can JUST fit both of these cases in, and close the boot door. 4. All this, without the top case touching the rear windscreen, and with the rear seats still up. When I saw both cases stacked in the boot, I thought “no way” (would the door close), but “what the hell, let’s try it”. And they ACTUALLY FIT! For all those person’s out there, wondering if their city sized Mazda CX3 is up to swallowing a large and medium suitcase in the boot, (of similar dimensions to ours), then it quite possibly can! If both the luggage shelf, and the partition floor are in place, you can still fit the biggest suitcase, but only just. This aside we enjoyed its nimble handling, interior presentation and its slightly-higher-than-a-regular-car ride height. The engine was actually noisier than I expected when pressed, and surprisingly so when compared to our older 2009 Mazda 3 2.0L manual, which is a notoriously noisy car. The rest of the car, including tyre and cabin noise was more muted though. The handling at suburban speeds was also a little more doughy than I thought it would be, expecting it to be razor sharp like our previous ‘go-kart’, a previous generation 2013 Mazda2. But on the open road the supple ride more than compensated. Unfortunately we had to hand the keys back that afternoon when our own car became available. As a second car, where outright space isn’t as crucial to us, we would give it serious thought. Being a household that mostly travels on the freeway, sometimes very early during winter mornings where black ice and heavy rain can be an issue, the option of AWD is hugely appealing too. Minor quibbles? Proximity entry as found in the base model Subaru XV and Nissan Qashqai models would be nice, as would longer service intervals of 15,000km instead of 10,000km. But all up, we found that the CX3 was fun to drive, felt solid, had good forward visibility (over the shoulder visibility was a bit average), good fuel economy and the host of standard safety features also offers great peace of mind.

Hey guys this the fist time I wrote a review so please be generous and forgiving, thanks. We bought this Mazda CX-3 in August 2017 from an old lady who barely ever drove the car after buying it new. We were looking for a car for my mum; one that would be practical for a family of four, suit the needs of a busy female doctor, while also having a modern appeal through both technology and design. The CX-3 seemed like a perfect choice thanks to its beautiful design, standard of technology and value for money, which were all corroborated by positive reviews from journalists and owners. When we bought the car, it only had 8,500 km on the odometer. Being two years old at the time, we considered it was never put under tremendous pressure and was only driven occasionally. It felt like it was brand new when we first drove it, and by we I mean my dad, mum and me. So we have a family of four; two adults and two children, although both of the children are taller than 170 centimetres. I am also the tallest member of the family at 182 cm, and, being a kid, I often have to sit at the backseats. For me, the space is a little cramped but comfortable. However that is when there is no one sitting in the middle. We only once took the car out with five people onboard, and it was a bit of a nightmare for those in the rear seats. I was one of them. The situation was so bad that we could barely buckle our seatbelts and sit normally. Unsurprisingly we never took out five people again. Another issue is the boot, which, at 264 litres, is not the best for airport luggages. It was a short flight for us four with small carry on luggages. The car just managed to fit all four bags. Even though it’s labeled SUV, the ride height is quite low. This meant the issue was that it would often hit a kerb. The issue was not significant since this only happened a couple of times since ownership. Lastly, the road noise on the car can get a bit loud at times, however, it’s only a minor issue since we get used to it. The ride is very comfortable even at low speeds of around 20 to 30 km/h. It can get slightly bumpy when going over imperfections on the road, such as potholes and kerbs, but we get used to that too. The comfort is aided by the level of technology available on this car, but more on that later. The best things about the CX-3 were always enough to overlook the negatives. The steering is smooth, light and accurate, and acceleration from the 2 litre Petrol engine is potent enough to make you smile. However, if that wasn’t enough, the car comes equipped with a ‘sport mode’. This allows for sportier steering, increased engine noise and quicker acceleration. That being said, the car was never really driven on the freeway, and the highest speed we ever hit was 80 km/h on the main road of town. The car handles beautifully around twisty roads thanks to its small wheelbase, which also allows for a small turning circle. The value for money is made better by the level of technology at this price. The CX-3 Maxx comes with a touchscreen interface with Mazda’s MZD Connect software. The features are easy to navigate through and can be used through the touchscreen or with a swivel knob, something that is usually found in premium brand cars. The features include Bluetooth connectivity with smartphones, strereo, radio and satellite navigation, a feature that isn’t usually available at this pricepoint. The screen also displays the reverse camera and parking sensors when the car is put into reverse. Mum found this technology quite helpful since she didn’t have to rely on mirrors or twist and turn her head to look behind. Last but not least, what really attracted us to the CX-3 was its design. As a car design enthusiasts, Dad and I found the proportions were near perfect for an SUV/hatchback vehicle. We were big fans of Mazda’s Kodo design language and found the CX-3 particularly complementary. Not just the exterior, but also the interior. The leather trim on the dashboard and steering wheel along with the round air vents with red details that are connected with a flowing silver lining really spruce up the interior. There are a fair few bits of plastics here and there, but that should be expected at this price point. For the exterior, we installed some daytime running LED lights on the front bumper to add to the design. We also love the dual exhaust system in the rear, which adds symmetry to an already good looking vehicle. Overall, we really love our CX-3, and it would upset us let it go. We have received positive feedback from people who have seen our car. My uncle approved of the decision, he’s a bit of a car enthusiast himself. One of mum’s patients said she would love to buy one if you could afford it, and one of my dad coworkers even went out and bought one herself after she had a look at our car. However, with the number of family members increasing in the near future, we are looking to upgrade to the CX-8 or CX-9. This means we are left with no other choice but to sell the CX-3. We have chosen to stick to Mazda to not lose the benefits of the CX-3, but regrettably it is time to let it go. It has been a very pleasant 13 months, but our most loved car has to go. If you or someone you know are interested, then please, without hesitation consider our CX-3. Our price is negotiable and you can have the personalised plates. It would be awesome if someone from the CarAdvice community took ownership of our CX-3. Link to Carsales: https://www.carsales.com.au/private/details/Mazda-CX-3-2015/SSE-AD-5596932

Down graded from 2017.5 CX5 Maxx Sport to the 2018 CX3 AWD Petrol Akari, as personally found the CX5 a little too big for me. Loved the features, driver ride height and comfort though, so thought CX3 Arari would fit the bill, acceptable compromise on driver ride height (seat set at highest setting), but still get comfort, driver assistance features I enjoyed in the CX5and better overall size for me. How wrong could I have been. Initial impression, stunning outside looks, cheap looking inside. Unfortunately discovered after I had already committed to buy, that the CX3 is made in Thailand, not Japan. CX5 info system was easy to use, CX3 looks the same, but is different and difficult to navigate to find what you are after. The supposedly "Lux" leather seats are small, hard and uncomfortable, don't see myself doing any long trips even with lumbar support. Paid extra for centre armrest/storage which improved the interior look, but storage is tiny, waste of $400. Handling is toy like, unless constantly have sport mode on. Take off is sluggish and powering up to overtake has to be worked up to. 3 weeks in, I would have though fuel economy might have improved, but its still on 8.2. I was achieving this rating in my CX5 with 2.5L motor. CX5 would "talk" to me about things like Speed camera's etc and beep if exceeding speed limit. CX3 is all about different toned beeps, which is very distracting while I'm trying to work out why its beeping. Thought I knew how to use things like rain sensing wipers etc, as CX5 also had them, nope CX3 driver assistance items behave totally different, rain sensing takes too long to activate, then take forever to stop, to the point that I had to turn wipers off (yes I turned the sensitivity to minimum). Feeling very ripped off as the majority of things are a substantial downgrade and I forked out $6500 change over for the privilege. Anyone considering CX3, take it for a decent test drive or ideally borrow one for a few days, so you get a real feel for it to determine if right for you. To me, car would suit my 20 year old daughter, but not at $37K. If Mazda put more thought into actual functional design, a little bit bigger/higher, so a pram could fit in the boot and primary school kid can sit comfortably in the back with a child seat (currently seats 5.. really don't see how), Improve vehicle performance.. tweaked to give a little more go and refine Info and driver assistance tech, they would have a small SUV that would be difficult for other brands to beat. As is, even what I have read about 2019 CX3, Mazda have not improved enough and vehicle is overpriced for what one gets. Bite the bullet, find an extra 5K and get the CX5, vastly better SUV and its made in Japan.

Love this car. Easy and comfortable to drive. Diesel very economical, as i do 20-25000 kms a yr cost around $40 a fortnight. Single cd player, but who cares it has bluetooth which connects quickly and starts playing my default music app playlist. Car has in built connectivity to Pandora and Aha music apps also.can push a button and ask to call people in contact list, initially this was a waste of time but it seems to have gotten used to my voice maybe, or i have worked it our properly, lol, easy to contact people all hands free, with great speakers in cabin. Can fit 2 people in the back of average size. Love the heads up display, and touch screen along with steering wheel controls. Auto wipers, auto lights, auto ait con, no excuse but to focus on the road. Heads up dislay fantastic, no excuse to speed, also has navigation system tells you off if you are over speed limit.. can turn it off, lol. This car has no centre console, you can buy one for around 500$, but it has drink holders, deep glove box, i dont miss it. Low profile tyres and black alloys, look great. Would have preferred dark tinted windows , which i can pay to do, car comes with privacy glass however. Can access online mazda site to keep eye on servicing prices, it's comprehensive and helpful. We went for diesel over petrol as we felt it had more pick up and was a bit more gutsy, even though its diesel its quiet in cabin, and outside. Love this car, highly recommend.