2016 Mazda CX-3 First Drive and Review

by Benjamin Hunting

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July 29, 2015

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6 min. Reading Time

2016 Mazda CX-3 front 3/4 ・ Photo by Benjamin Hunting

There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come, and judging by the slew of product launches over the course of the past 12 months, it would appear that the current dominant groupthink amongst automakers is the subcompact crossover utility vehicle. The 2016 Mazda CX-3 is the latest such animal to be unleashed on American audiences, joining competitors such as the Nissan Juke, the Chevrolet Trax, the Jeep Renegade, and the Fiat 500X as part of the latest attempt to understand just what, exactly, buyers want when they say they need a practical daily driver.

I spent some quality time with the 2016 CX-3 in southern California, and it quickly became clear to me that Mazda invested significant time and effort into creating an inexpensive little people mover with a distinct personality all its own. This is no cobbled-together mish-mash of existing platforms wrapped in a milquetoast sheet metal: the CX-3 knows exactly who it wants in the driver's seat, and it's not afraid to clink the velvet rope closed in front of the occasional interloper who's not on the guest list.

1. The 2016 Mazda CX-3 Skillfully Walks The Hatchback / Crossover Line

The 2016 Mazda CX-3 took a somewhat unusual path to American shores, starting off alongside the Mazda 2 hatchback on the drawing board where it was co-developed, side-by-side, with the next-generation subcompact hatchback that may or may not eventually go on sale here. This hatch heritage informs the CX-3's relatively modest ground clearance as compared to its larger CX-5 sibling, a hint (along with its untinted rear windows) that the vehicle is classified not as a light truck but actually an automobile by the federal government.

It's an intriguing play by Mazda and one that, despite the threat that the CX-3 poses to sales of the compact Mazda3 hatchback, could indicate a new normal amongst automakers looking to bolster their entry-level offerings with a model that people would actually be willing to buy. Tiny crossovers are hot right now, but subcompact hatches not so much: the Mazda CX-3 may obviate the need for a new Mazda2 altogether.

Photo by Benjamin Hunting

2. The 2016 Mazda CX-3 Offers Perhaps The Purest Interpretation Of Mazda's Styling Language

Another point in the 2016 Mazda CX-3's favor: it's one of the best-looking cute utes you can buy. This is due in large part to the skill with which Mazda designers have managed to incorporate the brand's current 'Kodo' design language, leveraging visual tricks like subtly extending the front fascia to give the impression of a long hood while keeping the rear overhang short and sporty. There are plenty of curves to catch the eye on the new CX-3, which manages to avoid looking like a jacked-up Mazda3 clone and instead presents its own unique visual identity - a feat that will serve it well when vying for attention alongside equally fashion-forward rivals like the Juke and the Renegade.

Photo by Benjamin Hunting

3. The 2016 Mazda CX-3 Features A Frugal Skyactiv Engine

Each and every 2016 Mazda CX-3 comes with a 2.0-liter Skyactiv four-cylinder unit matched with a six-speed automatic gearbox. In order to shoehorn the motor between the CX-3's front fenders, Mazda had to redesign the vehicle's exhaust manifold, which combined with a tune intended to run on regular gas (rather than premium) has seen total output drop from the 155 horsepower found in the identically-engined CX-5 (and MX-5 Miata) to a more modest 146 ponies (with torque matching at 146 lb-ft). The plus side, of course, is strong fuel economy: Mazda is advertising 29-mpg in city driving and 35-mpg on the highway for front-wheel drive models, with only a slight drop when equipped with optional all-wheel drive.

The fact that the Mazda CX-3 weighs in at under 3,000 lbs certainly helps keep the crossover from feeling dog slow, and top-spec CX-3 models come with shift paddles on the steering wheel to let you out-think the fairly intelligent six-speed autobox in more spirited driving. All versions of the Mazda come with a sport setting for the transmission that interprets an array of sensor information to keep the vehicle in the optimal gear for the given situation, and when engaged it provides a dramatically different character for the vehicle.

With only one subcompact crossover capable of delivering anything that could be labeled 'lively' straight-line speed - the turbocharged Nissan Juke - there's no shame in the CX-3's adequate acceleration. If you're really in a hurry, however, you're going to find you foot to the floor in the Mazda more often than you would in a larger, better-endowed utility vehicle.

Photo by Benjamin Hunting

4. The 2016 Mazda CX-3 Out-Handles 90 Percent Of Its Peer Group

Where the 2016 Mazda CX-3 does shine is when you abandon the straight and narrow for the kind of curvy roads that would make a delivery driver recommend using a helicopter to drop off your new refrigerator. Mazda does far more than just pay lip service to the idea that each of its vehicles should offer drivers the most engaging driving experience possible at their price point, and in this respect the CX-3 is nearly without peer. Alongside the Juke, the Mazda CX-3's chassis, steering, and braking are head and shoulders above the rest of the pack, including the pedestrian Honda HR-V and the more rugged Jeep Renegade.

Mazda claims that at least some of the credit for the small crossover's agility is due to its available all-wheel drive system, which the company has pushed 'one generation' past the similar design used with the CX-5. After driving front-wheel and all-wheel drive models back-to-back on winding canyon roads, I had a hard time discerning any notable differences between the two from a handling perspective, although it was clear that the front-puller demonstrated more torque steer when accelerating hard with the wheels cocked.

Photo by Benjamin Hunting

5. The 2016 Mazda CX-3 Is Too Tight Inside For Most Families

It's not often that you'll hear a marketing representative rule out an entire group of potential buyers, but Mazda has assured me that the 2016 CX-3 isn't really intended to snag family shoppers (which it would prefer to check out the CX-5). Instead, the CX-3 is aimed at young couples or singles who have outgrown what a small sedan has to offer them, and who are intrigued by the combination of styling, all-wheel drive, and handling offered by the subcompact crossover.

I can think of another reason why families might want to steer clear of the Mazda CX-3: they simply won't fit. Up front there's ample room for driver and passenger, but the second row is claustrophobic for any adult penned up in there for more than 10 minutes at a time. Cargo space is equally restricted, showing as 12.4 cubic feet with a full load of riders, a figure that tops out at 44.5 cubes total with the rear seatback folded flat. That's worlds behind the HR-V, which offers nearly 60 cubic feet total thanks to its Magic Seat feature, and it's also less than what you'll find in some compact hatchbacks like the Volkswagen Golf.

Photo by Benjamin Hunting

6. The 2016 Mazda CX-3 Grasps At Luxury, But Isn't Quite There

As stylish as the 2016 Mazda CX-3 is on the outside, its cabin's charms aren't quite as appealing. There's certainly a pleasing simplicity in the CX-3's dashboard layout, although this is spoiled somewhat by a primitive head-up display screen that rises from atop the cowl in front of the driver on Grand Touring models to show vehicle speed and safety info in the kind of LED font that reminded me of an 80s Casio watch - a match for the similarly behind-the-times readouts for RPM, fuel, etc, on the gauge cluster. The LCD touchscreen infotainment system that is standard with the vehicle offers a seven-inch display, and a rotary dial on the center console becomes the default point of interaction while underway, as touch capability disappears if you're not at a complete stop (because apparently passengers don't exist in Mazda's fight against distracted driving).

Aside from this mixed bag of tech features, it's when the CX-3 tries to reach above its affordable roots that one approaches the point of diminishing returns. There's truly not that much difference between the vinyl leatherette and the pricier, genuine leather offered with the crossover, and while details like red stitching on the dash are nice, they don't do much to disguise that the Mazda is slanted towards affordability. As a result, unless you are dead set on LED headlights, navigation, and a slightly louder stereo system, I'd recommend avoiding the Grand Touring model and instead maximizing value at the crossover's more affordable price points.

Photo by Benjamin Hunting

7. The 2016 Mazda CX-3 Impresses With Active Safety

Unless, of course, you want to take full advantage of the 2016 Mazda CX-3's full suite of advanced safety features, several of which are only available on Grand Touring trim. I am genuinely impressed that an inexpensive, tiny crossover like this one is able to offer a blind spot monitoring system, period, which is why I can forgive it being sold exclusively with mid-tier-and-above models. If you want the rest of the kit and caboodle, however, you'll have to step up to the Grand Touring and then pay more again for the 'GT i-ACTIVESENSE' package, which adds a lane departure warning system, adaptive cruise control, and a low-speed automatic braking system to prevent forward collisions. Automatic high beam control is also included with this bundle, which shows just how far technology has penetrated the lower reaches of the market - and how much harder it's going to be for luxury companies to keep charging a hefty premium for features that can now be had for tens of thousands less from companies like Mazda.

Photo by Benjamin Hunting

8. The 2016 Mazda CX-3's Sub-$20k Starting Price Will Be Tested By Similarly-Affordable CX-5

The 2016 Mazda CX-3 starts at an MSRP of $19,960, and there's a near-$10,000 gap between the entry-level Sport trim and the $28,160 Grand Touring with all-wheel drive that sits perched at the top of the line-up. The Touring, in the middle, will set you back $21,960, and like the Sport it features a $1,250 up-charge if your want all-wheel drive. These numbers are within a few bucks, up and down, of each of its major rivals, although for the ultimate in inexpensive crossovers the base Renegade still leads the pack with its sub-$18k window sticker.

Mazda's pricing of the CX-3, as aggressive as it may be, still runs afoul its larger CX-5 showroom-mate, which starts 10 percent higher at $21,795. Mazda had better be right about the built-in audience for the subcompact offering; otherwise, logic would seem to dictate that it makes more sense to pay similar money for the also-fun, and much-bigger-inside CX-5 and enjoy a level of practicality that the CX-3 simply can't deliver. The upscale Grand Touring model will be the biggest test of Mazda's assertion that there exists a group of buyers seeking a very small crossover that represents their tastes and needs without taking into account what might be available from a larger, more capable competitor.