Topic: Test Drive: 2018 Mazda CX-3 GX

[AutoTrader.ca]

I love this thing from any angle.

Full article.

[Weels]

CX-3 is a fun little thing.
I enjoyed the GT we tested last year - it was an eager puppy with the automatic. Swapping that out for a manual would make it a grin machine like the MX-5,  but it still wins because RWD, and drop top.  It is noisy though.. tons & tons of road/tire noise.

... I did run into some issues on occasion trying to make the 2–3 shift smoothly. I found it to be grumpy in that particular transition ...

I have the same thing on MX-5,  but there it is the 1-2 shift.

[z973]

CX-3 is a fun little thing.
I enjoyed the GT we tested last year - it was an eager puppy with the automatic. Swapping that out for a manual would make it a grin machine like the MX-5,  but it still wins because RWD, and drop top.  It is noisy though.. tons & tons of road/tire noise.

... I did run into some issues on occasion trying to make the 2–3 shift smoothly. I found it to be grumpy in that particular transition ...

I have the same thing on MX-5,  but there it is the 1-2 shift.

(My biggest complaint in the previous-generation CX-3 was the price you had to pay for the outstanding handling ability – and that was the rough and noisy ride. Mazda has done a great job addressing both – noise, vibration, and harshness levels have been noticeably reduced, and ride quality has improved significantly. That makes for a much more refined experience behind the wheel, and it makes a huge difference overall. The bonus is that the handling hasn’t been compromised at all and remains at the top of the class. Mazda now includes a new G-Vectoring control system to aid in this department as well.)

[Niklasky]

It's a shame they didn't find a way to add a center armrest. Otherwise this is a pretty nice package.

[dirtyjeffer]

Technically, the vehicle is more or less a hatchback car with some extra ground clearance, but visually it will pass as a crossover.

but it doesn't really have any extra ground clearance (it does, but it's marginal)...the CX-3 has 6.2 inches of ground clearance...the Mazda3 (sedan) has 6.1 inches of ground clearance...i know, i know...blame the marketing department.

[conwelpic]

nice to see a review on a base model, but really cheap oversight on no console armrest.  I can relate to the back seat room that was referenced to in the article as I am 5'-11", it's pretty poor, that was definitely a deal breaker for me when I looked at one.

Surprising how bad this sells in relation to Canada when you take into the fact the US population is almost 10 times more.

2017 sales
US - 16,355 (18,557 for 2016)
Canada - 10,938 (9.354 for 2016)

[z973]

nice to see a review on a base model, but really cheap oversight on no console armrest.  I can relate to the back seat room that was referenced to in the article as I am 5'-11", it's pretty poor, that was definitely a deal breaker for me when I looked at one.

Surprising how bad this sells in relation to Canada when you take into the fact the US population is almost 10 times more.

2017 sales
US - 16,355 (18,557 for 2016)
Canada - 10,938 (9.354 for 2016)

from those numbers about 50% are in Quebec (8 millions )
the American don't fit in the CX3 they are too big to be polite

[dkaz]

Canadians like small cars. I think our high fuel prices have something to do with it, and Quebec's European narrow roads and parking stalls.

[Minou]

My comment from below the article:
I'm currently looking for a second car and am currently set on buying a new Mazda 3 GS sedan 6M (the 3 HB is 1K dearer). With current incentives, I have it down to approx. 1K cheaper OTD than this CX3 GX and I can finance the whole package for 5 years at 0%. Overall, the 3 is a much better car and platform wiith 13 cm more wheelbase, +9 HP, better mileage and bigger gas tank, IRS vs torsion beam, full length center console and armrest plus all the equipment the GS has over the GX. A huge no brainer unless you really need AWD.

[Noto]

A huge no brainer unless you really needwant AWD.

There's not much of a "need", but that doesn't discount one's preference for AWD - it certainly isn't a "useless" feature.  The vehicle tested, however, was FWD in any event.

Behind it is some basic instrumentation – a large central speedometer, a trip computer on the right, and an electronic tach on the left.

Interesting to see that Mazda changed the central gauge to a speedo instead of the previous tach.  I guess folks kept trying to get out of traffic tickets by suggesting they were only going 2,500rpm in a 50km/h zone, Officer.

I found the CX-3’s rear seating to be one of the tightest I’ve tested in a four-door vehicle.

Agreed.  The wife and I get very car-sick back there when the FIL drives us around (well, he doesn't in the CX-3 since he got the Ghibli...but when he had the 996 Turbo, all winter we were stuck in the back of the CX-3).

Frau will agree that this vehicle is not meant to have rear-seat passengers frequently, but excels at being a 1-2 person car.

The 452 L trunk is not huge but it has a nice  load floor

Low?

I quite like the CX-3, and so does my MIL - I tried to persuade her to look at the Volvo XC40 and she said, "no.  It's simple - I walk into Mazda, I get a new car.  Done."

[z973]

A huge no brainer unless you really needwant AWD.

There's not much of a "need", but that doesn't discount one's preference for AWD - it certainly isn't a "useless" feature.  The vehicle tested, however, was FWD in any event.

Behind it is some basic instrumentation – a large central speedometer, a trip computer on the right, and an electronic tach on the left.

Interesting to see that Mazda changed the central gauge to a speedo instead of the previous tach.  I guess folks kept trying to get out of traffic tickets by suggesting they were only going 2,500rpm in a 50km/h zone, Officer.

I found the CX-3’s rear seating to be one of the tightest I’ve tested in a four-door vehicle.

Agreed.  The wife and I get very car-sick back there when the FIL drives us around (well, he doesn't in the CX-3 since he got the Ghibli...but when he had the 996 Turbo, all winter we were stuck in the back of the CX-3).

Frau will agree that this vehicle is not meant to have rear-seat passengers frequently, but excels at being a 1-2 person car.

The 452 L trunk is not huge but it has a nice  load floor

Low?

I quite like the CX-3, and so does my MIL - I tried to persuade her to look at the Volvo XC40 and she said, "no.  It's simple - I walk into Mazda, I get a new car.  Done."

the GX and GS have the speedo and the GT has the big tach and head up display nothing changed

[Brig]

I love my AWD Peanut!   

What does the G-Vectoring control system do?

[dkaz]

Interesting to see that Mazda changed the central gauge to a speedo instead of the previous tach.  I guess folks kept trying to get out of traffic tickets by suggesting they were only going 2,500rpm in a 50km/h zone, Officer.

Only the high trim models with the Mazda Active Driving Display (their HUD) has a big tach in the middle, with digital speed displayed in the tach as well as the HUD. So that'd be the GS with i-Activsense package and GT. The GX and base GS has speedometer in the middle and tiny digital tach on the left side.

[Solstice2006]

I find it interesting how interiors have changed.  Push button start, dials to change gears, 7"-10" touch screen display screens.  With the car companies saying this is what the public wants.  So why do we have analog gauges for the tach, speedo, and fuel gauge.  Why isn't everything digital readout?  1800 RPM, 105km/h, 40L of fuel remaining?  Faster to read than analog dials.  It certainly would match fine with the 10" touchscreen displays like in the RAM...

[Great_Big_Abyss]

I find it interesting how interiors have changed.  Push button start, dials to change gears, 7"-10" touch screen display screens.  With the car companies saying this is what the public wants.  So why do we have analog gauges for the tach, speedo, and fuel gauge.  Why isn't everything digital readout?  1800 RPM, 105km/h, 40L of fuel remaining?  Faster to read than analog dials.  It certainly would match fine with the 10" touchscreen displays like in the RAM...

I actually thing analog works better.  You can get information by just seeing visually where a needle is.  Once you're used to a car, and what the locations of the needles mean, you can get information at a glance without actually reading anything.

With a number, you need to read it, and then think about it briefly to comprehend what it means.

[Solstice2006]

I find it interesting how interiors have changed.  Push button start, dials to change gears, 7"-10" touch screen display screens.  With the car companies saying this is what the public wants.  So why do we have analog gauges for the tach, speedo, and fuel gauge.  Why isn't everything digital readout?  1800 RPM, 105km/h, 40L of fuel remaining?  Faster to read than analog dials.  It certainly would match fine with the 10" touchscreen displays like in the RAM...

I actually thing analog works better.  You can get information by just seeing visually where a needle is.  Once you're used to a car, and what the locations of the needles mean, you can get information at a glance without actually reading anything.

With a number, you need to read it, and then think about it briefly to comprehend what it means.

As a example with the CX-3.  When you glance at the tachometer, with a quick glance, you can't tell if your doing 1600 RPM or 1800 RPM, if it was a digital readout, the information would be instant. 

For the most part, we have digital readouts of the clock, how is that any different?

Some have the speedometer just digital, so they are testing the market I guess.

[dirtyjeffer]

I find it interesting how interiors have changed.  Push button start, dials to change gears, 7"-10" touch screen display screens.  With the car companies saying this is what the public wants.  So why do we have analog gauges for the tach, speedo, and fuel gauge.  Why isn't everything digital readout?  1800 RPM, 105km/h, 40L of fuel remaining?  Faster to read than analog dials.  It certainly would match fine with the 10" touchscreen displays like in the RAM...

I actually thing analog works better.  You can get information by just seeing visually where a needle is.  Once you're used to a car, and what the locations of the needles mean, you can get information at a glance without actually reading anything.

With a number, you need to read it, and then think about it briefly to comprehend what it means.

that makes no sense...if you had a regular clock with dials, and a digital clock, and I asked you exactly what time it is, you would need to process the dial clock, but could tell me instantly what time it was on the digital clock...you can see the clock says "11:18"...you are simply reciting it...for the analog clock, you need to examine the hands, where they are in relation to the hours and minutes, and figure out the time...yes, we can all likely do that in 1-2 seconds, but we can answer the question on a digital clock instantly.

[Solstice2006]

I find it interesting how interiors have changed.  Push button start, dials to change gears, 7"-10" touch screen display screens.  With the car companies saying this is what the public wants.  So why do we have analog gauges for the tach, speedo, and fuel gauge.  Why isn't everything digital readout?  1800 RPM, 105km/h, 40L of fuel remaining?  Faster to read than analog dials.  It certainly would match fine with the 10" touchscreen displays like in the RAM...

I actually thing analog works better.  You can get information by just seeing visually where a needle is.  Once you're used to a car, and what the locations of the needles mean, you can get information at a glance without actually reading anything.

With a number, you need to read it, and then think about it briefly to comprehend what it means.

that makes no sense...if you had a regular clock with dials, and a digital clock, and I asked you exactly what time it is, you would need to process the dial clock, but could tell me instantly what time it was on the digital clock...you can see the clock says "11:18"...you are simply reciting it...for the analog clock, you need to examine the hands, where they are in relation to the hours and minutes, and figure out the time...yes, we can all likely do that in 1-2 seconds, but we can answer the question on a digital clock instantly.

 

[Seafoam]

From my experience of driving a civic with the digital speedometer for 6 years i prefer the analog.
I am now used to it however,have adapted.  You really notice it at highway speeds where you must try to keep a constant cruising speed.
I wouldn't buy a car without cruise control that had  a digital speedometer. I guess that is a moot point now in that most cars have cruise.

[Noto]

the GX and GS have the speedo and the GT has the big tach and head up display nothing changed

Ah...my MIL always has had the GT, and the comparo we did was also a GT - I've never been in a non-GT CX-3.
http://www.autos.ca/car-comparisons/comparison-test-subcompact-crossovers-suvs/?all=1

Pricing: 2016 Mazda CX-3 GT with Technology Package
Base Price (GX): $20,695
Base Price (GT): $28,995
Options: Technology Package (Techology Package: Blind Spot Monitoring, Rear Cross-Traffic Alert, Lane Departure Warning and satellite radio) – $1,500
A/C Tax: $100
Freight and PDI: $1,895
Price as Tested: $32,490

I typically don't care for a digital speedometer.  Yes, you can see your "exact" speed (assuming the readout is perfectly accurate...) at a moment's glance, but then you can't really see your relative speed.  That is, it's easier to see the needle and whether it's "about" in the right area.

Jetskis have digital tachometers, which I think are effing useless.  I don't care whether I'm doing 1,656rpm or 1,872rpm. I think it's better to see a needle thrust up at 6,500ish-rpm to know that something ain't right with my automatic (or I should stop flooring it ).

Same thing - what good would a digital oil temp be without proper reference ranges?