The infotainment system is both touchscreen and accessible via HMI knob, which spins to scroll down lists, and can be pressed to enter a selection, with further options accessed by pushing it to the cardinal points. Around it are fixed buttons to shortcut to audio, navigation, home screen, and a dial for volume, as well as a back button and customizable favourites button. Base cars come with straightforward manual HVAC controls, and top-spec GTs get auto climate control.
The base audio has six speakers, and the GT adds a Bose system with an extra speaker, though it takes the fully loaded GT with Technology package to add satellite radio. However, as even base cars have Bluetooth and twin USB ports, you will have easy access to your personal music collection if you keep it on a phone or portable music player. Audio performance was sufficient during our time in it, though nothing out of the ordinary.
While opinions may vary I’ll weigh in briefly on styling before signing off. Mazda’s signature Kodo design language combines excellent forms with sharp creases for a modern, sporty yet tasteful look for such a small vehicle. This segment features some dorky little trucklets, and then there is the Juke, so in this company, the CX-3 is the belle of the ball, the proportions mostly pleasing (the hood looks strangely long and awkward from certain angles), a low, wide stance with the wheels close to the corners and touches of metallic trim finishing everything off with a bit of class.
The crossover market continues to grow at an unprecedented pace, with more and more people jumping into small utility vehicles than ever before. Customers looking for easy access, all-season usability, practicality and a broad selection to choose from are finding that the crossover market is full of great options high on value.
While the CX-3 might poach some customers considering the Mazda3 Sport hatchback, the CX-3 should also draw shoppers to the brand looking for a small crossover and Mazda’s sporty image.
Is it a Miata on stilts? Not for me, it’s not. While it is fun to drive, it is a car that allows incidental excitement, whereas the MX-5 begs that quest for adventure, be it a track day, an on-ramp revelation, or the perfect excuse to tackle that Bucket List Drive. Then again, this is a car into which I could squeeze my family of four, ready to take on the grandest adventures together. In this class of practicality and easy to live with squeezed into the smallest possible footprint, the Mazda CX-3 flies out of the gate with interior quality that makes it an instant leader, fuel efficiency with the best in the segment, unparalleled driving dynamics for a short little crossover and all the basic utility people look for in a small crossover.
The Mazda CX-3 will arrive in dealerships in late May to early June.
Pricing: 2016 Mazda CX-3
GX FWD: $20,695
GX AWD: $22,695
GS FWD: $22,695
GS AWD: $24,695
GT AWD: $28,995
Options:
(GS) Luxury Package: $1,500 – leatherette upholstery, power moonroof
(GX) Technology Package: $1,500 – Smart City Brake Support (SCBS), Blind Spot Monitoring (BSM), Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA), Lane Departure Warning System (LDWS), High Beam Control (HBC), SiriusXM Satellite Radio
Freight: $1,895
NRCan Fuel Consumption Estimate(L/100km city/hwy):
FWD: 8.2/6.7
AWD: 8.8/7.3
