Overview & Reviews

User Reviews:

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  CX-3 -- what the reviews dont mention - 2016 Mazda CX-3
  By redward - May 21 - 3:06 am

  The CX-3 Touring looks great in all the reviews -- the long snout , SUV styling, AWD, loud exhaust note, nice price, etc. But after driving one for 6 months, I find that it is loaded with badly executed features and controls that are a continuing source of irritation and discomfort. The long hoodline is eye-catching but it translates to a back seat that barely has room for a young teenager, much less for a tall adult, and the rear cargo area is minimal compared to my previous hatchback, a Hyundai Elantra GT hatchback. The GT was far superior to the CX-3 in roominess, interior styling, controls, handy features and lots of storage areas. The CX-3 has almost no functional front storage areas -- the cupholders are underneath a squeaky, creaky cheap plastic armrest, which is in the drivers way whether its raised or lowered -- lots of fun to tackle when youre driving and you want a sip of your coffee. Nav system graphics features maps that are almost unusable -- road names, instead of being placed alongside or within each street they are featured in big white boxes with an arrow pointing to the street. In a crowded area, the screen is a mess of white boxes, obliterating any sense of where you are, floating aimlessly across the screen — totally amateur graphics unlike any Ive ever seen. Mazda also gets demerits for being one of the few manufacturers that did NOT include Apple CarPlay software in the 2016 CX-3 which enables you to hook up an iPhone and use it through the audio system. Mazda software takes forever to boot up on starting, showing not even a simple clock until your journey is well underway. The accelerator is jumpy and gives jackrabbit starts, which hotshot reviewers seem to love, but in heavy bumper to bumper traffic, hair-trigger acceleration is an accident waiting to happen. The brakes are fine, but grab as you come to a stop -- making it seem like youve stopped too short. The interior is filled with cheap, low quality plastics that are noisy and flimsy -- sunglasses in the overhead holder rattle like crazy since there is no rubber cushioning to absorb the considerable road vibrations. Two deep cubbyholes in the front doors allow full access only if you get down on the floor and reach backwards to retrieve the objects that have rolled back there. The standard floor mats are made of thin, tacky spun material. Cabin noise levels on smooth surfaces and low speeds are acceptable, but increase rapidly on asphalt/gravel combination roads which are common in our area. Road noise combines with considerable wind noise at turnpike speeds to make music listening or conversation a chore. The controls for the audio system are located just UNDER the front of the armrest, requiring you twist your hand down and back in order to connect with them — a really stupid design. The cool sounding exhaust becomes a screeching bellow when you hit the gas for strong acceleration -- I suspect it may be artificially enhanced since the CX-3 is not a high performance vehicle. The automatic transmission is set up to downshift even on slow accelerations -- another attempt to add "zoom zoom" to your driving experience, like it or not. Stupid things like the windshield washers hitting low on the windshield, preventing the right 1/3 of the windshield from ever getting cleaned, leaving annoying streaks every time. Two dealers checked them and said there is no way to correct the aim, and checking other vehicles showed the same problem! The drivers’ side all weather rubber floor mat pops off the guide pins repeatedly, causing the mat to shift around and tangle with the pedals -- a potentially serious safety problem. Again, two dealers checked it and said "Yup, the mat doesnt fit the pins." A new set of mats showed the same problem since the pins, attached to the floor of my car, are off by almost ½ inch, causing the mat to spring loose. (Neither dealer offered any further action on these items.) The dashboard information is conveyed by intense white LEDs creating tiny lettering that is difficult to read while driving. The intensity control for lighting is a strange, raw metal post sticking straight out of the dash that offers only too high or too low light levels. Most important information is displayed by tiny, sometimes incoherent icons that are difficult to read -- dozens of them, and their minuscule size escapes notice if you are not constantly scanning the blacked out icon area to see if anything has appeared there. None of these problems are game changers, but they add up to a car that seems like it was rushed into production without much checking to see how the ergonomics of the design worked out. The Hyundai GT had many more convenience features that were all nicely designed and rendered -- for instance, a smooth power roof compared to Mazdas cheap plastic manual slider with a glass roof panel that rises just an inch and produces too much wind noise. The Elantra GT was a lot more car for the same money.

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  8k miles driven - 2016 Mazda CX-3
  By Jim C. - April 28 - 1:14 am

  Great car, loaded with goodies My only gripe is the back seat room. If you dont like little footprints on the back of the front seats, then this car is not for you! The only issue I have is the radio/ Navigation. The system tends to reboot on its own from time to time when the USB ports are being used. Dealer could not reproduce the problem!

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  Its not for everyone, but I love my CX-3 - 2016 Mazda CX-3
  By Wes - April 4 - 2:00 pm

  As a no-children household, this vehicle is perfect for the spouse and me. It has good enough fuel economy that we can take it on trips, enough storage for all of our things and whatever we accumulate along the way, and plenty of safety and entertainment features to make us feel comfortable while on the road. Plus, Im a pretty tall/stocky individual, and this vehicle has that SUV feel that allows me to actually feel like Im not slouching or laying down to fit inside comfortably. Since the spouse drives a sedan, we needed something with a little cargo room for those bigger items like a grill, patio furniture, etc. This vehicle has just enough capacity for that kind of a trip as well. I test drove and checked out every vehicle in this class (Honda H-RV, Subaru Crosstrek, etc.) and for the price, I feel the decision to purchase this vehicle is a no-brainer. I think my Mazda and I will be together for quite some time.

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  What it is --- and what its not - 2016 Mazda CX-3
  By T - March 8 - 3:02 am

  The CX-3 isnt for everyone, and Im not sure whether it is properly classified or considered a "crossover"---whatever that means. I initially didnt give the CX-3 much thought because it is very compact. However, if you look more closely, this car---a subcompact hatchback---offers a lot of features and value for the dollar (especially Touring trim) if you dont regularly transport more than a couple of adults or much cargo. Its not going to win many drag races, but it handles well and is more fun to drive than any of the other AWD vehicles that I test drove (including the CX-5). It also isnt intended for off-road use (not many crossovers or SUVs are), but it has handled snow-packed dirt roads without any problems. Im getting about 29 mpg in mostly city driving to this point. Again, the CX-3 isnt for everyone. If you want/need an AWD vehicle but dont need much room or off-road capability, take a look at this car and judge it for what it is.

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  Great little car - 2016 Mazda CX-3
  By Daniel Bauman - December 28 - 9:47 am

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  Love my CX3 - 2017 Mazda CX-3
  By Julie mikula - November 4 - 5:15 pm

  This car is amazing. The feel is perfect and the look just as great. I love driving is car all over. Its such a comfort and pleasure. Thanks Mazda.

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  The perfect car. - 2016 Mazda CX-3
  By Giuliano - October 31 - 7:58 am

  Ive had this car for three weeks and I love it, traded from a 2011 Mazda 3 Grand Touring Hatchback. The technology is amazing in this car. The power is great for a car in this class, it handles beautiful around the bends thanks with the help of the AWD system, paddle shifters and sport mode. The cargo space is a little small then expected, cant fit no more than three people, which doesnt bother me. They do need to make the gas tank bigger. 11.9 gallons is very small for a crossover with an AWD system. It should a 14 gallon tank. I get an average of 32 MPG. They also need to fix the heads up display. It will only display how fast you are going and the cruise control speed. In order for the navigation directions to show up, you need to add the i-active package which is another $2,500 bucks, and surpsingly enough, theres no power seats. Which is a bit of a downer. Other then that, its a great car.

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  Love driving the Mazda CX3 - 2016 Mazda CX-3
  By DeYoung - October 13 - 3:27 pm

  PROs: Fun, fun, fun to drive. It seems that you can almost think your way around corners. The car feels great on the road and is very responsive. The interior is very, very nice. The cabin is quiet (compared to the HRV and other similar cars I test drove) and has a very high quality feel. CONs: Cargo space is limited with the back seats up. (decent with the back seats down) I have only had the car a couple weeks but so far, I absolutely love it. I will update the review after driving it longer.

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  red roadster - 2016 Mazda CX-3
  By red roadster - June 15 - 2:43 pm

  This is a really fun car. Ideal for a single, smallish person. Drives great. Technology is great, although takes a little practise to master. Sound system is also excellent. Seats are very comfortable for me but might be narrow for a larger person. No center console which is challenging for someone who kept mine full. Not a lot of storage and small trunk. Ok so far because the seats easily fold down. I am happy to exchange this more limited space for a shorter body length and ease of city parking.

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  solid tank of a car - 2017 Mazda CX-3
  By Gene O - May 7 - 7:12 am

  This car feels like a hybrid of a small tank and a porsche. The car handles excellently and because of the way this car handled and steered on a test drive, I picked the CX3 over a subaru crosstrek - an uninspired driving disappointment, by comparison. The CX3 is not quite a utility vehicle. Its more like a station wagon thats a little jacked up higher off the ground and has AWD. It feels powerful with a 2L engine and has good acceleration if you drop the pedal. In the snow, it bites and drives great. Bad weather is no match - snow, ice, rain - it can handle any of that stuff. Several inches of wet snow and going uphill - barely a slip. Its a little beast. On the highway its smooth sailing and very good MPG. You dont get a huge gas tank - max range is about 295-300 miles. Comfortable interior and lots of USB ports and stuff for phones and other junk you want to plug in. the touch screen has good visibility and all the functions work well - good ergonomics with the console dial, voice control, rear camera and steering wheel buttons. The inside climate control is a little wonky - its not easy to get it just right for some reason. either you get ice cold air or something that doesnt defrost your glass or something thats hot....odd. Sometimes my kid likes to sit in the middle of the back seat when I drive and hes very close to me there - like a parrot on my shoulder - which Im not crazy about. The back seats are not huge. He says theyre comfortable. A USB port or two back there would be cool instead on me having to run a wire from the front. the cargo area is big enough for me to carry 2 hockey equipment bags for both my kids and most other bulky stuff but its not huge, either, which is something I happily accept for what the car is. It has a small sub-section under the floor so you can make it a little bigger, if you want. Stereo may sometimes have a little buzz if you set the bass all the way up to max. My pet peeve with the CX3 is that the outside back of the car gets FILTHY with road stuff and spray. I suppose a set of mudflaps would fix that. If youre driving on wet and salted roads, the back of the car is coming home covered in a filthy grime of road salt. Not nearly as bad in summer when roads are cleaner. Even a good car wash has trouble eliminating all that filthy grime off the back so theres the Achilless heel of the CX3.