Mazda CX-3 2018 Review - Australia

The Mazda CX-3 was always a trendy little runabout and although the interior of the updated model doesn’t look particularly different, the added convenience features are like a plump tax return… Surprisingly welcome.

For me, the most appealing change to the cabin of the Mazda CX-3 is the addition of a push-button park brake across all model grades – even the cheapies.

It may not sound exciting but together with an ‘auto-hold’ function that applies the park brake when stopped, then disengages when you tickle the throttle (which is awesome in traffic), the change de-clutters the space between the driver and front passenger.

It means a central armrest is now standard too, which means your left arm can relax when cruising. It also facilitates the addition of a small storage area. It’s not massive but will fit a small clutch, wallet or man bag.

Otherwise the Mazda CX-3’s incidental storage is average for this class - I think the Hyundai Kona and Honda HR-V are slightly better in this respect. There are in-door bottle holders front and rear in the CX-3 and it’s good to see the size and depth of the two central cup holders has increased to fit large and smaller sized beverages.

The axing of the old school park brake lever means you can’t do wild hand-brake turns on the dirt but you get a bigger, prettier scroll wheel for the Mazda MZD Connect infotainment system. It’s not a bad system and it has touchscreen functionality when the car is stationary, but for the time being there’s no Apple CarPlay, nor Android Auto.

Mazda Australia execs confirmed there’s a retrofit system coming before the end of the year (2018) that will add Apple Carplay and Android Auto… But it’ll cost you a few hundred bucks and requires a few hours in the dealership.

All Mazda CX-3 models have a stylish instrument cluster with a large central tachometer and digital info either side (such as fuel economy and all that jazz).

The overall layout of the interior is well thought-out and visually appealing and I really like the faux suede on the dash and doors of the most expensive Akari model. But I would rename it Atari, videogame trademarks be damned!

Some of the hard plastics on the interior take away from the primo feel but the leather steering wheel feels great (with just the right amount of audio, cruise and trip computer controls) and is standard on every model except the base grade Neo Sport.

The Mazda CX-3’s front seats get new foam cushioning and are really comfortable but the rear seats are cramped and the boot is tiny. With just 264 litres of space, it’s good enough for an average grocery shop and little else. Forget a pram and definitely no mountain bikes in here! Family buyers may prefer the extra room of the Mitsubishi ASX.

That said, the boot expands to 1174 litres with the back seats folded which is helpful and there are also ISOFIX and top tether child seat anchorages.

Eight colours are available to choose from and all model grades (including the el-cheapo Neo Sport), come standard with a neat 7.0-inch colour touchscreen with digital radio, six speakers, one USB and Aux port, Bluetooth streaming, a reverse camera, rear parking sensors, six airbags, push button engine start and autonomous emergency braking.

The mid-spec Mazda CX-3 Maxx Sport will account for the lion’s share of sales and adds some really useful urban driving aids like blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert and satellite navigation. It also gets 16-inch alloy wheels (up from the steelies on the base), automatic climate control and automatic headlights and wipers.

The Mazda CX-3 sTouring models add premium faux leather seats, front parking sensors, driver attention alert, and traffic sign recognition. Once the domain of expensive Euro machinery this feature is pretty cool, reading and displaying the current speed limit in the trip computer.

CX-3 sTouring models also add a head-up display, and self-dimming rear view mirror, auto-folding and heated mirrors, 18-inch alloy wheels, and more LEDs than a bush doof. That means LED fog and daytime running lights, LED headlights and very sassy new circular LED brake lights.

The range-topping Akari models get a 360-degree parking monitor and while it’s useful in tight carparks, it’s nothing to write home about with average image quality. Radar (autonomous) cruise is a nice touch on the most expensive Mazda CX-3 and it works pretty well on highways and in traffic, with proper stop-and-go functionality.

Top-shelf Mazda CX-3 Akari versions also get surprisingly supple power-adjustable and heated leather seats with lumbar adjust. Lane departure warning, adaptive LED headlights and power sunroof are also lumped in to the circa-$40K models.

In total there are four model grades, two gearboxes (six-speed manual and six-speed auto), two engines, petrol or turbo-diesel and two drivelines, front or all-wheel drive. See below for the model rundown.

2019 Mazda CX-3 pricing:
Neo Sport petrol FWD auto $25,990 (manual $23,990)
Maxx Sport petrol FWD auto $27,490 (manual $25,490)
Maxx Sport petrol AWD auto $29,490
Maxx Sport diesel FWD auto $29,990
sTOURING petrol FWD auto $30,740 (manual $28,740)
sTOURING petrol AWD auto $32,740
sTOURING diesel AWD auto $35,240
Akari petrol FWD auto $35,990 (manual $33,990)
Akari petrol AWD auto $37,490
Akari diesel AWD auto $40,490

There’s something to be said of how Mazda engineers its cars. While the CX-3 absolutely tromps it home around town and in the suburbs (its compact size, sharp steering and clear sight lines all contribute), it’s the way it handles bumpy country roads, hills and corners that is the icing on the cake.

For such a little tacker it feels planted and confident in a wide range of situations. This makes this city-SUV great for a weekend getaway to the snow, visiting family out in Woop-woop, or just heading out to a frightfully large shopping centre to hunt down some bargain-priced apparel.

Subtle changes to the latest Mazda CX-3’s suspension (new front dampers and springs) improve ride comfort on choppy, undulating country roads. Indeed, the car soaks up bumps and crumbling edges rather nicely.

The CX-3 is a good open road cruiser but the recalibrated suspension doesn’t take away the Mazda CX-3’s spirited feeling either. Thrown into a handful of corners, the baby Mazda SUV felt surprisingly agile and satisfying. You can have fun in this car, for sure.

We only had a chance to drive high-grade 2.0-litre petrol models with all-wheel drive and the six-speed automatic. Alas, both variants (Maxx Sport and Akari) although spritely, and quiet at regular speeds, proved noisy at full throttle.

Small Mazda cars have a history of being a bit noisy and the company claims to have paid a lot of attention to making them quieter. The latest changes include thicker rear side window glass and outer door panels. To be honest the claimed one decibel reduction is hard to pick. When you nail the accelerator, it’s not what I’d call discreet.

The steering has been tweaked slightly to deliver better fingertip response – which also helps in the urban jungle. Speaking of which, the Mazda CX-3 is right at home in the suburbs and city, its slightly elevated ride height improves vision and entry and exit. Sure, it’s not the tallest SUV going round with just 160mm of ground clearance but it still offers a better view than most passenger cars.

We didn’t take the new Mazda CX-3 off-road but based on our previous tests in the Simpson Desert and in New Zealand, its clever all-wheel-drive system does a bang up job on loose surfaces.

Fuel economy has been improved by about one per cent with petrol engine, rated at 6.3L/100km with the six-speed auto and front-wheel drive. My driving resulted in 9L/100km but that was giving it a bit of stick.

The carryover 2.0-litre petrol engine (111Kw/195Nm) has a bit more squirt now, up 1kW and 3Nm, while the 1.5-litre turbo-diesel has been replaced by a bigger 1.8-litre unit (85Kw/270Nm) which has 8kW more power, the same torque but slightly lower fuel consumption of 4.7L/100km with the FWD model.

What’s the new diesel like? We don’t know because they weren’t available to drive.

An engine idle stop-start system is now standard on all CX-3 models which helps save fuel in town and all models gets a space-saver spare tyre.

Running costs are okay but it’s good to see Mazda has upped its warranty to five years, unlimited kilometres. Roadside assistance is not coupled in with that (the excuse given is “our customers don’t request it”) and capped price servicing intervals have also improved, although service costs are not as competitive as Toyota or Hyundai.

Mazda has moved to 12-month or 10,000km service intervals and a CX-3 Sport Maxx, FWD, with automatic transmission costs $289, $317, $289, $317 and $289 for the first five services, which means you’ll pay around $1500 in service costs for the first five years if you don’t ding it up too much.

The CX-3 has a five-star ANCAP safety rating but that test was conducted in 2015 when the regulations weren't as strict as today.

Overall, I quite like the changes Mazda has made to the CX-3. There’s more convenience, more technology and the push-button park brake is good feature.

The CX-3’s back seat is super tight, the petrol engine can get noisy and the lack of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto from the get-go are negatives but given the way the Mazda CX-3 drives – and more importantly how it looks – I don’t reckon too many customers will walk away without signing on the dotted line.

How much does the 2018 Mazda CX-3 Maxx Sport FWD cost?
Price: $27,490 (drive-away)
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol
Output: 111kW/195Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel: 6.3L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 146g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP (2015)