2017 Mazda CX-3 : Compact Utility Vehicles

Now in its second model-year, the Mazda CX3 reprises its position as the spunky, fun choice in the subcompact crossover segment. It’s Mazda’s entry-level offering, and it debuted as yet another Mazda that people recommend. The CX-3 includes the currently stylish high ride height of a crossover with undeniable fashion and nice handling inside and out. Few crossovers this cheap are this much fun.

It’s not about emotion, either. Section-leading fuel economy is another sketch towards the 2017 CX3 provides. Its mild control weight and gasoline- sipping engine combine to provide 31 mpg in combined driving, according to the EPA. You may also have the CX 3 with all-wheel drive, ofcourse, and fuel economy continues to be great at 29 mpg. Mazda also packs within the engineering, installing every CX-3 with a touchscreen infotainment program and giving advanced collision avoidance features at the top Grand Touring trim level to hold you safe.

Progress in the subcompact crossover segment has been volatile. Mazda is not alone with all the CX-3 — there are several likewise new articles with which it competes. The Honda hr v is right up there using the Mazda at the top of the school, giving similar fuel economy and more cargo space. If Western taste is more your thing, there’s the Fiat 500X, while those looking for an off road bent may go toward the Jeep Renegade. Within the placing most of the items together within the most effective style, however, the CX-3 earns our hearty recommendation.

The 2017 Mazda CX3 is a five-passenger subcompact crossover vehicle for sale in Touring, Sport and Grand Touring trim levels. The Touring adds keyless entry and ignition, 18inch wheels, heated mirrors, blind spot monitoring with rear corner-traffic alert, a top-line center armrest, leatherette (quality vinyl) and cloth upholstery, heated front seats, along with a leather-wrapped controls and shift knob.

The Grand Touring adds flexible LED headlights, LED foglights and taillights, a sunroof, upgraded instrumentation, a head-up display, leather and artificial suede upholstery, a navigation system, automatic climate control, steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters, a rear cargo cover, plus a seven-speaker Bose audio system with HD radio and satellite radio. If you’d like a CX3 Touring using a bit more luxury, you can add a Premium package that features the sunroof, rear cargo cover and Bose audio system of the Grand Touring. Offered solely on the Grand Touring can be an i-Activsense offer that includes automated high-beam lane departure notice, automatic wipers, headlight control, adaptive cruise control plus a forward collision mitigation process with automatic braking.

The 2017 Mazda CX3 is equipped with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine rated at 146 horsepower as well as a matching 146 lb-feet of torque. A six-speed automatic could be the available transmission. Front-wheel drive is normal, with all-wheel drive offered as a choice on all trim levels. EPA-projected fuel economy checks in at 31 mpg mixed (29 city/34 highway) with front-wheel drive and 29 mpg combined (27 city/32 highway) with all-wheel drive. Around the Edmunds real-world operating loop, our top-wheel-drive test vehicle achieved a great 31.4 mpg.

Every 2017 Mazda CX 3 comes standard with front side airbags, stability and traction control, antilock brakes, side curtain airbags as well as a rearview camera. As noted above, the Touring adds blind spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, and the Grand Touring could be built with an i-Activsense package which includes advanced technologies such as a forward collision mitigation process with automatic braking.

With a keen attention to design, the 2017 CX3’s cottage looks modern and sleek, and it’s cut in materials that look fairly high end. The plain Jane gauge cluster in lower cuts makes way for a prominent central tachometer and integrated electronic speedometer in Grand Touring trim. We’re less impressed by the uncomfortable of the Grand Touring -looking head up screen, however. All CX 3s are equipped with a-7-inch touchscreen interface that’s also managed by a handy control knob to the center console. It is useful overall, although specific jobs that should be straightforward — including changing satellite stereo — involve multiple inputs to perform.

The CX3is front seats deliver exceptional comfort for this section, with pleasantly firm support for long hauls and lateral bolstering that is well-fitted to spirited driving. Rear legroom is a common condition among subcompact crossovers, at reduced, and adult people in the back will most likely require the front seat passengers to skooch their seats forward.

Cargo capacity within the CX 3 is arguably modest, examining in at 12.4 cubic feet behind the rear seats and 44.5 cubes using the rear seatbacks folded down. Deciding on the Bose system having its heavy shoe-mounted subwoofer reduces these figures to 10.1 and 42.3 cubes, respectively. By contrast, the Honda HRV could take around 58.8 cubic feet of stuff.

With precise steering and alert handling reflexes, the 2017 Mazda CX 3 gets school-sugar marks for athleticism in this phase. The only other offering that will rival the Mazdais confident fun-to-drive-ness could be the Nissan Juke. The Mazda’s 146-hp motor isn’t really as energetic, giving good drive but getting buzzy above 4,000 rpm. Still, the CX 3’s acceleration is preferable to average and is aided by a fresh and surprisingly responsive -moving six-speed automatic.

We would declare that you try out An Activity, too if you are considering these trim levels; it has 16-inch tires with taller sidewalls with which to absorb road problems. In any event, street and wind noise levels inside the CX-3 are low compared to class norms, bolstering the premium experience recognized by the CX3’s cottage and driving dynamics.