2017 Mazda CX-3 vs Mazda CX-5

What's the difference?

It might be among the smallest of the growing mini-SUV crowd, but the CX-3 is a very strong contender. While the diesel edition might be priced close-ish to the petrol-powered Countryman and Q2, those cars can't match the Akari's safety package and overall feature set. The devil might be in the detail, but the CX-3 has a long spec list.

Unless you need the extra space of its rivals from Nissan and Honda, the CX-3 remains the best of the segment. The Akari might only make up one in 10 CX-3 sales, and the diesel a small chunk of that, but it's a terrific car. I'm just not entirely sure about the price...

The new CX-5 has certainly picked up where the old one left off, and is better in every way. The new diesel is a cracker and the safety package belongs on a much more expensive car. 

Mazda has lead the way for so long and the CX-5 was such an accomplished car, a face-lift barely seemed necessary. While it's not all-new from the ground up, this is the kind of thing Mazda has taken to doing really well - every time we drive a freshened-up machine, it's those little details that add up to the feeling a lot of work has gone on to build on a solid base.

And with this diesel engine, the big wheels and those sharp looks, the CX-5 has something for pretty much everyone.

While only two years old, the CX-3 is still fresh. It looks terrific on the road, hugging close to the deck, and the 18-inch wheels are attractive units. The LED lighting also distinguishes the Akari from lesser spec cars.

Inside, it's all very much a lift from the Mazda2 this car is based on, with the same excellent design of the interior to maximise what little space is available. The materials are all quite dark, with rich red flashes thrown in to help lift the mood a little. The leather-like material seems pretty hardy and the fake suede very comfortable and especially warm in winter, while not butt-searing in summer.

The CX-3 does also suffer the silly instrument pack from the 2, but it has been fixed up a bit with clearer dials. The head-up display is much better, too, with high-res graphics that are much easier on the eye.

If the first CX-5 impressed with its understated good looks, the new one goes further by being a very pretty car. Mazda's 'Kodo' design language looks good at just about any size, but this latest evolution puts the CX-5 in genuinely beautiful territory.

The slimmer headlights work well with a longer-looking nose and a body that looks more pulled down over the wheels. Despite bearing more than a passing resemblance to the old car, all the panels are new and that's partly because a shift of the A-pillars of just 35mm was enough to make everything move.

The cabin has come in for a much bigger change. There wasn't a great deal wrong with the old one, but it was feeling a bit old, and some of the materials weren't quite there. As ever, the CX-5's first generation launched into a completely different, rather more sparse segment. With competition from all sides, the new interior had to deliver a more premium feel.

With improved plastics and fittings, a more cohesive design (something simple like consistent fonts go a long, long way to giving that impression) and the sort of detail improvements I've come to expect from Mazda, the new interior is lighter, feels better, and looks better. Job done.

Having said all of that, I can't really recommend the white leather. It looked pretty good with the red exterior and well-judged interior materials, but it's unlikely kids will be kind to it.

The CX-3 is not the biggest car in the segment and that's reflected in the rear-seat space and the small boot. If you're over 152cm (five foot) you're in strife in the back, with further drama if you want a drink, because there's no armrest or cupholders. Or vents. Having said that, it's comfortable, and the cabin is small enough for the air-conditioning to quickly sort out the temperature. And there are bottle holders in the doors.

Front passengers enjoy the use of a pair of cupholders and bottle holders in the doors as well.

The boot is the smallest in class at 264 litres, which is just a bit more than the Mazda2 it's sitting on. There is a clever false floor for hiding valuables or expanding space and with the 60/40 split fold seats down, the boot expands to 1174 litres.

Never a class-leader in the spaciousness department, this CX-5 is still at the rear of the pack, but it hardly seems to matter. Boot space is up by 39 litres to 442 (VDA) with the seats up, tripling to 1342 litres with the seats down. The seatback is split 40/20/40 and you can drop each section individually, which is unusually generous.

The CX-5 has four cupholders (a pair up front and a pair in the rear centre armrest), a tray for your phone, bottle holders in each door and vents for the rear seat. Courtesy of a new higher centre console, the storage bin is deeper and also hides two USB ports.

The new car isn't any bigger, so the rear door aperture is still on the tight side compared to, say, Volkswagen's Tiguan or Hyundai's Tucson. It doesn't seem to bother owners I've spoken to, but it's worth noting. 

Once you're in, there is plenty of leg and headroom for rear passengers, providing the driver or front passenger isn't a Canadian Redwood.

The GT sits towards the top of a typically complex Mazda range that includes front or all-wheel drive, petrol and diesel engines, and a choice of manual gearbox or auto transmission.

Only the fully-loaded Akera is pricier. Kicking off at $44,390 for the petrol auto, the price rises $3000 to $47,390 for the diesel we had over Christmas.

Standard for your money is a 10-speaker Bose-branded stereo with digital radio, 19-inch alloy wheels, dual-zone climate control, reversing camera, keyless entry and start, a whopper of a safety package, front and rear parking sensors, cruise control, electric front seats, LED foglights, active automatic LED headlights, sat nav, auto wipers, head-up display, leather trim, electric tailgate, powered and heated folding mirrors, power windows, a sunroof and space saver spare tyre.

Few things are missing in this spec, but the lack of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is frustrating (although not uncommon in the segment). Mazda's 'MZD Connect' multimedia is reasonably good, however, and with 10 speakers and basic-but-useful smartphone integration, you should get by. 

Presumably, the lowish-res 7.0-inch touchscreen is part of the reason Apple and Android aren't along for the ride.

The only option is the gorgeous 'Soul Red' paint finish of our test car, an entirely reasonable $300.

The Akari's diesel engine is Mazda's own 1.5-litre 'SkyActiv-D'. Available only with a six-speed automatic but with a choice of front- or AWD, the four-cylinder turbo unit delivers 77kW and a more impressive 270Nm (considerably more than the petrol).

The 2017 iteration of this engine has had a thorough re-working to improve responsiveness and refinement. Successfully, as it happens.

The CX-3 can tow 1200kg braked and 800kg unbraked.

The 2.2-litre 'SkyActiv' diesel is the only turbo in the range, for now at least. Developing 129kW and a very decent 420Nm, it has a portly 1744kg to move. Power reaches the road through all four wheels via a traditional six-speed automatic.

The diesel is also fitted with technology to reduce the clatter reaching the cabin, start-stop tech and Mazda's 'G-Vectoring Control'.

Towing capacity is rated at 1800kg for braked trailers and 750kg unbraked.

Mazda claims the diesel AWD returns 5.1L/100km, 0.3L/100km higher than the front-wheel drive. I got 5.9L/100km in a mix of high-speed highway running and bashing about in suburban and urban traffic; a pretty good effort.

The sticker on the windscreen reckons you'll get 6.0L/100km on the combined cycle while exhaling 158g/km of CO2. With a 58-litre tank, that suggests a range just short of 1000km. And you know what? You might be able to do that if you don't spend too much time in traffic.

Mazda's 'i-stop' technology meant that over three weeks, we averaged 7.8L/100km in mostly urban and suburban driving. While that's a bit above the combined figure, it's not far off the urban number, 7.0L/100km.

As is Mazda's wont, the changes for 2017 are tweaks. The CX-3 was already a good machine, but had a couple of refinement issues, including road noise. In the case of the diesel, it was a bit clattery and not exactly the smoothest engine available.

Both of those have been attended to, which is pretty good going given the CX-3's relative youth. It's still not as quiet as a Nissan Qashqai, nor as stable on the rough stuff (the CX-3 makes do with cheaper torsion beam rear suspension) but it more than makes up for it with a tauter, more interesting chassis and better steering. The steering is further improved - although not as obviously as in the bigger 3 - with Mazda's 'G-Vectoring' tech, which helps the car feel more planted in the corners.

Part of the noise abatement is down to thicker glass and more under-carpet insulation, but the engine itself is far better than I remember. With a plucky 77kW, it's much more responsive to a floored throttle, but it's still no rocket off the line. 

The 270Nm of torque makes it a very relaxed highway cruiser, sailing along in sixth gear, barely above idle, and overtaking is as impressive as ever.

The bottom line is, it's still plenty of fun and will compare well with more expensive European rivals while showing most of its Japanese competition the way.

The CX-5 has always been at or near the top of the medium SUV heap when it comes to the drive. The same couldn't be said for overall refinement. The old car suffered quite a bit from a classic (and fading) Mazda fault - cabin noise. The front suspension was the worst offender, with every bump, thunk and pop reaching your ears, along with tyre roar. 

It wasn't insurmountable - you could just turn up the stereo - but around town you got used to a cacophony of noise.

The new CX-5 - as with most major updates - has changed all that. While the underbits have barely changed (testament to the popularity of the car and the quality of its fundamentals), every spare gap has been filled with noise deadening materials, there's more carpet and just more stuff to reduce the racket. While it's not exactly silent, it's not far off the Tiguan, which is arguably the class benchmark.

As before, it's a lovely thing to drive. Easy-going but accurate steering, a firm but compliant ride (this car is not intended for off-roading) and a responsive transmission all combine to make life very relaxed behind the wheel.

The star of this car is the 2.2 diesel. Quiet, smooth and distinctly un-diesel in its aural character (inside at least), it makes the CX-5 a proper all-rounder. It cruises at speed in sixth, overtakes with just a little bit of toe pressure and is quite frugal, coming reasonably close to matching its claimed figures. Around town there is little lag to deal with and the power comes on nice and smooth.

The only complaint we had was that the blind spot monitor is perhaps a little over-enthusiastic, seemingly beeping every time we used the indicator to change lanes.

To achieve a five star ANCAP safety rating, Mazda fits six airbags, ABS, stability and traction controls, reversing camera, blind spot monitoring, reverse cross traffic alert, front and rear auto emergency braking (AEB) and speed sign recognition (which is easily fooled by, a) school zone signs, and, b) the appalling sign placements on Sydney's South Dowling Street).

Further to that package is a pair of ISOFIX points and three top-tether anchors.

The CX-5 earned its five star rating in September 2017. If you want lane keep assist and active cruise, you'll have to step up to the Akera.

The CX-3 is offered with Mazda's three-year/100,000km warranty package with optional roadside assist at $68.10 per year.

Service pricing is capped and you're expected to visit every 12 months or 10,000km.

Mazda's three-year/unlimited kilometre warranty is part of the CX-5 package, along with capped price servicing. Roadside assist is offered at $68.10 per year.

Your dealer will expect to see you every six months or 10,000km and will charge you between $317 on three of the five scheduled services, $387 for the second and $359 for the fourth. Extra items include $69 for the cabin air filter (every 40,000km) and $64 for brake fluid every 40,000km or two years.