Small crossover catches the eye
Leaves a great impression with dynamic design
Crossovers and subcompacts are rarely praised for having enjoyable driving dynamics and gorgeous styling, but Mazda bucks that trend thoroughly with the 2018 Mazda CX-3.
A small crossover that’s built to compete with the likes of the Honda HR-V, Toyota CH-R, Chevy Trax and Nissan Juke, the Mazda delivers the best aspects of each of those cars all while maintaining its own identity and style.
Speaking of style, the CX-3 leaves a very good impression with its design. The competition ranges from the extreme styling of the Toyota and Nissan and the conservative styling of the Chevy and Honda, but the Mazda is neither extreme nor conservative — it manages to be eye-catching without being gaudy.
Mixing that sheet metal with the premium metallic red paint finish is a winning combination, leaving this basic Sport trim-level model looking like something more expensive and high end.
It helps that our tester features 17-inch wheels as well, which looks great with Mazda’s design language and makes the car look big despite its diminutive size. Buyers can even opt for 18-inchers on this vehicle, which will really increase the sporty appeal.
Besides the car’s styling enhancements, no changes have been made to the overall package, platform or dimensions for this model year. That means at 4,274 millimetres long, 1,765 mm wide, 3,914 centimetres tall and less than 1,250 kilograms in weight, the CX-3 definitely qualifies as a subcompact crossover in today’s market.
Its small size is a double-edged sword — it’s easy to park in tight places, but this car’s size means interior space is tight.
Up front, the driver and passenger will feel OK with the available space, but rear-seat passengers will find things frustratingly snug.
The cargo bay is also light on space with just 452 litres of storage, a figure that’s almost 300 L less than what’s found in the Honda HR-V and about 200 L less than what you get in the Toyota CH-R. Kick out the back-seat complainers and fold the 60/40 split rear seats down, and the car offers 1,528 L of volume, measured up to the ceiling. Now the crossover oneups its Toyota rival, but still falls behind the Honda offering.
At least the quality and features inside are above and beyond what is expected in this class and at this price tag. The cloth seats are well bolstered and supportive, bringing to mind Mazda’s sporty MX-5. While there isn’t a lot of soft, squishy materials found throughout the cabin, the harder plastics are resistant to scuffs and some look interesting with a carbon fiber-like, textured design.
Standard equipment on this base-level model includes air conditioning, power windows and locks, cruise control, Bluetooth connectivity and a pushbutton start.
There’s also a rearview camera and a seven-inch touchscreen that can also be controlled with a rotary knob.
Our tester included a dealer-installed navigation system, which worked as well as any I’ve used. There was another port-installed accessory, an armrest that also included a handy smartphone holder.
Our Canadian-spec model arrived with one significant difference from U.S. models: the transmission. While base models in both countries come with front-wheel drive, Canucks get a six-speed manual shifter, while Americans will get a sixspeed automatic.
Canadian buyers can upgrade to the auto and opt for an all-wheel drive CX-3 that includes that transmission, but after testing this manual model, I’d wonder why anyone would get the automatic when the stick is so good. Gates are well defined and the clutch is well weighted. The gearing on the manual is also superb, making this small car feel peppy and fun to drive. I can’t emphasize this enough: this CX-3 was so much fun to wring out and enjoy in every driving situation.
If there’s one disadvantage to the manual, it’s slightly less fuel efficient. Overall, the car didn’t exactly surprise or disappoint in terms of fuel economy.
It was on par with what a compact car should deliver.
Under the hood, there’s a 2.0-litre, fourcylinder engine that makes 146 horsepower and 146 pound-feet of torque. Due to the fantastic gearing, the car never felt underpowered or slow. In comparison to its naturally aspirated, non-turbo rivals, the CX-3 feels much better equipped in the powertrain department.
Handling is also a huge advantage for the CX-3. The 2018 model-year vehicles come with Mazda’s new G-Vectoring Control, which will reduce engine torque to put more weight on the front wheels and improve the handling feel and confidence of the vehicle.
Truthfully, the car never feels like it’s cutting power, but the responsiveness and handling capabilities felt class leading. Anyone who puts driving enjoyment at the top of their priority list when searching for a new subcompact crossover should be strongly considering the new CX-3. The high marks in handling, however, lead to a slightly stiffer and noisier ride than expected.
While the model tested was the $21,890 GX, higher trim-level models come with much more premium features and technology.
Stepping into the $24,590 GS model, buyers will be greeted with niceties such as leatherette upholstery, blind-spot monitoring, automatic climate control, heated seats, automatic headlights and rain-sensing windshield wipers.
The top trim-level GT will swing in at $29,890 and will add things such as a head-up display, paddle shifters, navigation and can even be optioned up to include features such as radar cruise control, lane-departure warning and automatic emergency braking. All-wheel drive can be added to any of these models for an additional $2,000. The spiffy metallic paint costs an extra $300. The verdict At the end of the day, the 2018 Mazda CX-3 emerges as one of my favourite picks in this class due to its styling, driving performance and pricing. It suffers a bit in terms of practicality, but if that was a huge priority, buyers may be better off finding a compact crossover instead.