PRINCE OF PLOUGHS
The Mazda CX-3 makes farm noises under a beautiful hood
The gorgeous Mazda CX-3 could be the rock star of its class — shame about the farmyard engine, though. By Thomas Falkiner
NEW MX-5 Roadster aside, it has been ages since I’ve been impressed by something wearing a Mazda badge. Just like one of my favourite rock bands, Weezer. Ever since the brilliant Blue Album and Pinkerton dropped when I was an optimistic youth, this Californian four-piece has been churning out nothing but mediocrity. Frustrating, because, as with Mazda, I knew they could do a hell of a lot better. So imagine my surprise when both a brand-new Weezer album and an all-new Mazda introduced themselves to me in pretty much the same week. My hopes were suddenly catapulted to an all-year high.
Especially with regards to the Mazda because it happens to be an utterly superb piece of automotive sculpture. If the Nissan Juke is the Quasimodo of the compact crossover class, then this CX-3 is a ramp model with 7.4 million Instagram followers. With its creased sheet metal, narrow glasshouse and contrasting wheel-arch cladding, it’s one of those cars you park right outside your favourite coffee bar so you can gaze at it lovingly while sipping your espresso.
Good job, Mazda. In fact good job on the interior, too. There are some cheap plastics here and there (inevitable in a Japanese car of this ilk) but on the whole the cabin is a properly pleasant place in which to kill time. A merging of MX-5 with Mazda 2, it feels downright sporty with its aggressively angled dashboard and centrally mounted tachometer.
Don’t for a minute think that comfort suffers as a result. The seats are cushy yet supportive. The driving position is excellent and all controls fit conveniently to hand. Sweetening the deal on this top-ofthe-range Individual model is a Bose sound system plus an intuitive infotainment system with satellite navigation.
So far so great. Being a cynical bastard I was kind of expecting everything to unravel once I pushed the start button and exited the parking garage. Fortunately this didn’t happen. From behind the steering wheel this Mazda continues to impress. Sure, the ride may be noticeably firmer than any of its rivals — not ideal on crappy stretches of tarmac — but the trade-off is fine handling. For a compact crossover (or whatever other dumbass marketing label you prefer), the CX-3 really is a fun thing to thrash across town and country.
Performance? Well, the two-litre Skyactiv motor is brisk enough off the mark, for what it is. It’s also an obliging highway cruiser. Despite being normally aspirated it will return decent fuel economy should you treat the throttle with restraint. But this just isn’t a very nice engine. It sounds harsh at high revs, and at idle — thanks to the high compression ratio — it clatters like something you’d find on a farm.
This (and to an extent the sixspeed automatic gearbox — rather go for the manual) is probably the only flaw in this machine’s otherwise silk-smooth portfolio. It’s by no means a deal breaker: you could happily live with the powerplant in question for many a motoring year. I just wish we had the choice of the 1.5 turbodiesel engine that’s available in the UK and Europe. This would turn a very good car into a truly great one.
And as for Weezer, well, their new White Album (no relation to The Beatles) proves to be a welcome return to form with lots of crunching guitar riffs and Beach Boys-esque harmonies. If you’re a fan go out and buy it. As with the Mazda CX-3, you won’t be disappointed. LS