2018 Mazda CX-3 vs Mazda 3

What's the difference?

If you're looking for the genesis of the small SUV apocalypse currently decimating small car sales, look no further than Mazda's CX-3.

Sure, others had done small SUVs earlier (the Kia Soul for one, and there were others), but it wasn't until the launch of Mazda's sleek little CX-3 - though don't let the numbers fool you, it's actually based on the Mazda2 - that the segment really got moving. 

Even now, several years after its launch, the CX-3 sits outright-second on the segment sales charts, a whisker behind the Mitsubishi ASX, and miles clear of its third-place rival. Which would normally be a cause for celebration in the Mazda camp. 

But there's a problem. Last year, the CX-3 was outright first. And so earlier this year, Mazda released a nipped-and-tucked version of its popular micro-SUV, presumably to try and improve its sales position by one.

So, we spent a week behind the wheel of the mid-spec (and most popular) CX-3 Maxx to see what's new.

Mazda's indomitable 3 has taken on the feeling of an iPhone release - every year there's something new to add to its already-significant armoury of safety and specification. 

The 2018 Mazda3 is not a huge upgrade to the range, but there are a few little details to make Mazda's attractive small car that little bit more appealing. With two new spec levels and the nice touch of the reversing camera now being standard across the range, it looks like a quiet but measured response to Hyundai's reinvigorated i30 and the oncoming storm of the new Toyota Corolla.