Mazda CX-3 Maxx FWD diesel auto 2016 review

Mazda’s CX-3 was the no-brainer addition to an SUV range that has helped Australia’s Japanese darling to record big sales figures over the past few years.

Big brother CX-5 has conquered all before it with its svelte looks, impressive equipment levels and competitive pricing. The CX-3 follows the same formula, in a smaller package.

Here in the middle of the huge CX-3 range sits the Maxx diesel. That badge is the highest seller in the range, so we grabbed one for a week to see what’s so appealing.

Value

The CX-3 range is a big, wide one, starting at just $19,990 for the no-frills Neo Manual front-wheel drive and dancing all the way up to the $35,290 Akari AWD. In the middle are a bunch of Maxx-badged models, available with petrol and diesel engines. Choosing petrol gives you the option of both manual and auto while the diesel is auto-only.

Our Ceramic white Maxx front-wheel-drive diesel auto comes in at a middle-of-the-range $26,790. For that you get 16-inch alloys, fabric trim, a six-speaker stereo with USB and Bluetooth, six-inch touchscreen, air-conditioning, body-colour door handles and mirrors, reversing camera, rear-parking sensors, keyless entry and start, cruise control, satnav, leather steering wheel and gearknob and power windows and mirrors.

One of the CX-3’s shining lights is the combination of super-keen steering and relatively light weight.

As for options, the only boxes to tick are the $1,030 safety pack (blind-spot sensors, collision mitigation, rear cross traffic alert) and the unusually cheap Soul Red Metallic for $250 (many companies charge $1000 more than that, at least). Our car had neither.

Design

The CX-3 is a chunky little thing, lower slung than most of the SUV crowd and looking a little like an overgrown hatchback. The stepped window line, dark glass and cool lighting front and rear make it the most stylish of the small SUVs. The alloys on the Maxx aren’t especially good looking close up, and the Neo’s steels are probably slightly better visually.

The cabin is not the roomiest of the pack, but there’s plenty of headroom for taller passengers, even if those in the rear might find leg and knee room a little rugged. There’s also no armrest front or rear. Up front there’s plenty of shoulder and head room.

The dash is slathered in a lot of black plastic, and largely lifted from the Mazda2, but it sits atop a band of what looks like stitched leather, which is a neat trick to lift its appearance. There are also circular air-con vents, a lonely rectangular slot for a third vent and plenty of grey.

The instruments are also lifted from the Mazda2, meaning a big hole in the dash with too-small instruments and cheap-looking LCD figures to squint at. Those failings are made more noticeable by the excellent central screen, which is well-designed with high-resolution graphics that look more expensive than what’s in front of you. Go figure. Hopefully Mazda ditches this terrible setup soon.

There are just two cupholders in the cabin – in the central console, but reachable from the rear – while each door is listed is having a bottle holder, but you’ll want to keep the bottles small. The boot swallows 264 litres (just eight litres bigger than the dinky Mazda2) but does expand to 1174 when you flop both sections of the split-fold seats forward. There’s also a clever false-floor for hiding valuables.

Safety

Six airbags, brake assist, stability and traction controls, ABS, and hill holder. The CX-3 scored a maximum five stars from ANCAP.

Features

The seven-inch touchscreen MZD Connect sits proud in the middle of the dash like a German screen. You can use it as a touchscreen at rest or use the rotary dial controller on the console while you’re on the move.

The six-speaker stereo errs on the side of tinny, but a quick twiddle of the bass setting sorts that out. The smartphone integration is top-notch and MZD is far and away the best Japanese in-car system.

Engine and Transmission

The Maxx is carried along by a 1.5-litre four-cylinder diesel producing 77kW and 270Nm. Power reaches the road via a six-speed automatic which drives the front wheels. Mazda claims a combined cycle consumption figure of just 4.8L/100km.

While those figures sound a bit skinny, it’s partly because the CX-3 weighs just 1262kg, only around 40kg more than the petrol.

For fairly obvious reasons, Mazda doesn’t provide a claimed 0-100km/h time but let’s just say it’s not a rocket. We averaged 6.1L/100km in purely city driving.

Driving

One of the CX-3’s shining lights – and the 2’s, if we’re being fair – is the combination of super-keen steering and relatively light weight. The Mazda is the best handling mini-SUV by some margin, with terrific grip even in this two-wheel-drive version.

There’s a slight trade-off for those dynamics in that it’s got a reasonably firm ride. It’s not a spine-cracker but it isn’t as soft (or roly-poly) as the slightly bigger Honda HR-V or taller Holden Trax.

The 1.5-litre turbodiesel is quite good, too, revving willingly (if noisily) and letting you wring out every last bit of performance. There’s also a bit of noise from the front suspension, but nothing like Mazda’s older cars, which sounded like they were coming apart every time you went over a speed bump.

The stop-start system on Mazdas is irritating, though. Dubbed i-Stop, it should be called u-Stop, because when you come to a halt a green light flashes at you and demands a firmer push of the brake pedal to stop the engine. Just about every other car on the road ensures that start/stop is something you don’t have to think about, so this seems an unusual oversight for a clever brand like Mazda.