Motivating the CX-3 is a 2.0L four-cylinder shunting 146 hp and 146 lb-ft of torque through a six-speed automatic gearbox. No, no manual is offered – yet. We’re told Mazda Canada is fighting the good fight, but it will be hard to convince the higher-ups to bring a manual when customer demand is so low. The engine is willing and the automatic can be controlled with both the gear lever (which is set up correctly with forward for down, back for up) and paddle shifters. The paddles call up downshifts and upshifts rapidly, allowing me to change down even high up in the 6,500 rpm redline. Like every other Mazda review ever written (excepting some few on the Mazdaspeed3) I think more power would be welcome here, but time will tell if the performance is livable or not.

Dodging construction in downtown Toronto had me squealing with delight, a CUV of any derivation has no right feeling this engaging. The steering is firm, perfectly weighted and communicative. It’s as direct as the Minis I adore and really feels razor sharp. Senior Editor Jonathan Yarkony noted in his first drive that the suspension setup is mundane on paper: “Front suspension is the fairly standard MacPherson strut with coil spring and antiroll bar, while the rear suspension is a simple torsion beam,” he noted. And yet it provides the sort of responsiveness and agility usually reserved for more complex double-wishbone set ups.

Official EPA ratings were just released, 8.1/6.7/7.6 L/100 km city/highway/combined for the FWD models and 9.4/6.9/8.1 for AWDs. This is bang on the numbers produced by the HR-V, in fact the CX-3 beats it by the smallest margin possible in city driving with FWD machines. This one is brand new so we’ll need the engine to bed in to find a proper average, but we’re looking forward to seeing that one play out.

I’m already enamoured by the driving dynamics but will be paying special attention to NVH. In the 3 I noted high wind noise (or rather, my daughter did) and a flimsy feeling to the doors. The CX-3 is beefier and that seems to have improved sound insulation, even hard bumps in the road aren’t as audible in the cabin. Panel gaps and interior fit seem strong on first impression, but again it’s something we’ll be looking out for over the course of this test.

I’ve mentioned the gorgeous seats, and can report that in the short stint I’ve had in them they’re supportive and comfortable. We’ll be sure to hit up some road trips and get quality time in them. I have already noticed a tight back seat without much legroom, however, so I’ll also report on the seat’s ability to absorb and mitigate the kicks of an impatient four-year-old. “Are we there yet?”

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