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| The Mazda CX3 can take the fight to the BMW 1-Series. |
A SMALL crossover, which I drove courtesy of Mazda last week,
reminded me of the cars I drew during my Standard 4 biology lessons.
My mate Theo and I emptied many a red and blue Bic pen sketching
The Ultimate Car, instead of paying attention to how flowers are put
together.
Our middle-class working dads drove Cortinas,
Cressidas or VW Combis. It says a lot about the total lack of design back then
that the boxy Combi had the more ergonomic design of the three, and then only a
little at that.
Theo and I set out to create the ultimate car that would be all
things for boys. Consequently the interior was crammed with buttons to operate
rocket launchers and milkshake dispensers. The bulging lines hid propellors for
those submarine excursions; there were jet thrusters for when a really big jump
was needed; and ejector seats were of course standard on all six seats.
That the CX3 from Mazda reminded me of The Ultimate Car we created
during those biology lessons is high praise indeed.
Yes, it does look a little like someone washed the Mazda CX5
without reading the instructions first, so that it shrunk into the CX3.
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| The Mazda CX3 provides the best ride among small crossovers right now. |
But it’s all good, for the slight shrinkage means that the odd
niggle I had in the bigger CX5, like a starting button placed out of sight
behind the steering wheel, is exactly where your finger wants it in the
CX3.
This is true for all the buttons in the smaller crossover, which
like the CX5 combines all the best practices from other cars into a really
engaging driving experience — one that I dare say now puts this Japanese car
builder’s standards a lot closer to BMW.
The active driving display — a reflective plastic disk above the
binacle that shows the speed limit and current speed — was the first thing I
missed as I returned to my own car.
The second was the Sport setting, which pushes the engine
1 000 revs higher than in the Economy setting.
A need for speed
For while the CX3 can no doubt consume 6,5 l/100 km in Economy
mode, I for one did not feel compelled to save fuel in this little SUV.
Instead, I put foot at every opportunity, with the CX3 a very
willing accomplice, which is why I saw the light on the N3 while returning from
King Shaka Airport at night. (No, really officer, this car is so smooth, I felt
I was doing 110 km!)
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| In Seffrica, the CX3 has a proper spare wheel, and we don't care that it lessens boot space. |
Mazda said every aspect of the CX3 was engineered “to heighten the
thrill of the drive” and for once, this is not just advertising hype. While the
naturally aspirated two-litre petrol engine’s work rate of 115 kW and torque of
204 Nm are respectable rather than impressive, it is the low revs at which these
numbers are delivered that make driving the CX3 so engaging.
Independent suspension at the rear also works much better to keep
the wheels connected to the road than the torsion beam still used on other
cars.
The driver’s seat fitted my average body type
like a glove, and the rear seats proved as comfortable, although the kneespace
is cramped and the almost any other small crossover out there has a bigger boot,
thanks to the sensible full-size spare wheel. There is also a rather naff
feature that I soon learnt to like. At speed, when corners are being clipped,
the CX3 speakers emit a brief, bass droning noise from the side closest to the
line being approached, all to warn you to keep to the straight and narrow. With
practice, one can mix this droning into your Bluetooth-connected music like a
proper DJ.
The one feature I really struggle to like in any new Mazda is the
group’s i-Stop system, but there is a button to cancel this at the start of
every drive.
iStop, no, I wanna drive!
Now, before I get angry letters, I am fully aware that automatic
shut down can save up to 20% of your fuel that would otherwise just be idled out
during stop-start traffic.
But this is the one function in all modern Mazdas that does not yet
feel like it anticipates your every driving desire. Instead, it is always off
when you want it on to take a gap.
For the rest, I have to hand it to Mazda’s engineering team — their
CX-3 brings rare imagination to the small crossover ute.
In fact, if they add a milkshake dispensing button and perhaps some
jet thrusters, the CX3 will be right up there with the impossibly good car Theo
and I imagined as nerdy 11-year-olds.
Prices for the six CX3 models on sale in SA start from R284 800 and
go up to R380 600 for the top-spec auto model. To my mind, the Active auto hits
the sweet spot at R302 100.
All models come with a three-year unlimited kilometre warranty, a
three-year service plan and three years of roadside assistance.
