Another new CX-3 owner here. I’ve had it for a few weeks (~500 miles) and I’m loving it!
I’d been watching for the CX-3 for months, just waiting for it to be released in the US so I could test drive one. Nothing else had really appealed to me: the former mini-UTEs have all gotten way too big (RAV4, CRV, etc) and the other vehicles in the CX-3's class hadn’t impressed me (the HRV was a big disappointment when I test drove it: dull, noisy, non-responsive, confusing and unresponsive info system )
I went for the CX-3 GT AWD in Crystal White Pearl with Black Interior. I was back and forth between the Touring with the Premium Package and the GT. The ride was a bit quieter on the Touring, but I preferred the GT seats/interior so went with that.
Really pleased with it so far - the ride, handling and mileage are great and the blind spot monitoring has been very handy for the highway portion of my commute. The entertainment/navigation system has been very easy to use; I really like the way they use the knobs in the center console to control the system: for example you can set the radio to tune with the center knob…very intuitive and easy for someone who is constantly station hopping. I find it easier to go that route than to use the Favorites (which are a bit clunky) or the scan options (which have a little delay in them.) The dash is well laid out, and now that I’ve figured out how to use the various steering wheel controls to manage the dash displays and nav/info system options, it’s been very easy to keep control of things while driving.
My previous car was a 2005 RAV4, so this has been a big change. Having the ability to link up my phone, and listen my music library from the phone or USB without adapters/cables running through my cassette deck/lighter is great. This isn’t as powerful as the RAV4, but it’s much more agile. I haven't really pushed it yet, but it's been very responsive when I've needed it to be. And, I'm not sure how to describe this, but the CX-3 gives the impression of nearly always driving slightly downhill. It needs a bit of coaxing to get up and go, but then it seems to need a very light foot on the gas pedal…it’s like I can give it just a little bit of gas and then lighten up and this thing just coasts along at a steady speed with very little input needed. I’ve been seeing mileage around 32 mpg average, some rides averaging up the 35 range, compared to 24 on the RAV, so that’s great too.
Cargo space is small, but it does have the flip down back seats if I ever need to lug something more than a couple of suitcases. And the backseat isn’t huge, but since it’s usually just me, or me and one other person and kids aren’t in the mix that’s NBD. If I needed more space, I would have gone with the CX-5, but at the end of the day, the CX-3 seems to fit what I need really well. I do wish there were a few more cubbies in the seating area, especially since the manuals really consume the glove compartment space. There’s not much room for odds and ends up front and the available spots are uncovered so the stuff is visible or can bounce around on a hard stop (not that I’ve done one yet
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There’s been a little glitchiness on the nav system/entertainment system, but poking around on these forums it seems that what I’m seeing is similar to what is seen on other Mazdas (USB takes a while to load and always starts on the same track regardless of last played, NAV system does not like to cancel a destination…it keeps going back to the last location of the cancelled trip and tries to keep going from there, even if I’m now miles away and have driven the car multiple times in between, and is 'live traffic' even a real thing?). I’m keeping an eye on it to sort out what’s newbie operator stuff vs genuine issues with the system that I should flag to the dealer.
This is my first Mazda, and all and all I'm really pleased with it.