Mazda CX-3 updated again

Mazda unveiled a revised CX-3 SUV at last week's New York motor show, introducing minor changes less than 12 months after the CX-3 was last upgraded.

Although the previous model year marked a significant specification change for the Mazda CX-3, this latest update looks subtle, on the face of it. In the press release issued by Mazda in the US, there is little in the way of specifics, the statement merely mentioning minor changes, among them the transition from a lever-type handbrake to an electronic parking brake. This has liberated more room in the centre console for additional storage.

The press release also notes that Mazda has redesigned the seats, improved noise suppression within the cabin and refined the 2.0-litre SKYACTIV-G petrol engine for quieter running. All the changes are on the inside, it seems, but Mazda in the US has supplied just one image of the updated CX-3 – a side profile that could actually be a snap of the current model.

All these changes listed in the press release specifically apply to the American market CX-3. According to Mazda Australia, the revised Mazda CX-3 will arrive here towards the end of the year. Other than that, the importer is keeping very tight-lipped about the extent of the changes, but if the petrol engine for the American market has been refined, changes for the diesel in Australia are likely on the cards too.

Until the fourth quarter of this year, however, we just won't know how extensive those changes will be.

"We're not really able to announce exactly what our CX-3 update will look like, but... it [will] be a raft of different things..." explained Sonia Singh, Senior Manager for Public Relations at Mazda Australia, speaking with motoring.com.au earlier today.

"We hope to share further information by Q4," Ms Singh said.