2018 Suzuki Vitara vs Mazda CX-3

What's the difference?

Long before small SUVs reached their current epic popularity in Australia there was the Suzuki Vitara. If you believed the 1989 launch TV ads, it was the small off-roader for occasionally adventurous people prone to spontaneous drives on the beach, who still wanted a bit of luxury like power windows.

The Vitara is still here nearly 30 years later, but it’s been joined by some excellent new rivals such as Honda’s HR-V, Toyota’s C-HR, Hyundai’s Kona and Mazda’s CX-3.

So how does it stack up now? And why might it be a good idea to wait just one more year before buying a Vitara? 

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.