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- Plano, Texas, USA
Heated front seats on our 2016 CX-5 are indeed weaker than all other cars we've owned. Glad Mazda did some improvement in this area on new CX-3!
Compare CX3 with CX5
- Thread starter Jazzjim
- Start date
Chris_Top_Her
Contributor
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- San Antonio, Texas
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- '15 CX-5 Miata AWD
I can't wait until people start modding it. There is already an awesome bodykit for it. Awd with a tune and mods that would be a fun b segment.
The cx-5 is built on the mazda 6 chassis, not the 3. Not sure about 'superior'...simply different sizes for different vehicles.
I'd say any higher than the 256kbps that Amazon and Apple are selling their music files in are only necessary the kinds of people who convince themselves that speaker cables that cost thousands of dollars are worth the money.
Even then, despite protests from audiophiles, double-blind tests have generally found that bit rates higher than somewhere between 128kbps and 192kbps are indistinguishable to listeners, particularly with variable bit rate encoding.
My MP3's vary between 96 kbps and 256 kbps (mostly 128 kbps). I would have to say the Bose system sounds considerably better with a CD than any 256 kbps MP3. It's not a small difference. Maybe my iPod Nano is ruining the MP3's?
The two cars are so different. Don't take this the wrong way, but the fact that you're asking shows you're not clear on what it is that you're looking for out of your next car. Sounds like you're just looking at the two and saying, "Yes, I like a bit of this and a bit of that." . Maybe elaborate more on what you're looking for. What activities you do with the car? Strictly commute? Weekly family outings? Road trips? You're a surfer? You travel with lots of gear? Do you take clients around in your vehicle? You going skiing, off-roading? What car you currently have now if any and will you be keeping that car?
The more specific you can be with your questions and the more info you share more about yourself will really help us help you more effectively.
1. Handling: The CX-5 handles well, but it's still a crossover. The CX-3 is a lot more car like and you can really swing that thing around.
I drive a sports sedan and this CX-5 was for my wife but I really like driving it too. Handling was important and the CX-5 rated one of the best in its class while still providing the SUV-like benefits.
2. Passengers: The rear of the CX-3 is horrible. This is really a two person car. Even when the rear headrests aren't pulled up for use, it still blocks quite a bit of the rear windshield. When in use? Forget about it. You can't see anything through the windshield even with a head-check. Having said that, there's a big blind spot for the CX-5 too behind the D-pillar, but at least you can see through the back.
This is our baby car so car seats in the back for sure. When searching for a car, I was wanted a vehicle that had SUV-like utility but was short enough to effectively parallel park in the City. The Nissan Juke was just way too small. The rear passengers bump their heads on the rear headliner. The Countryman was initially my first pick with superior handling but the trunk space was less than that of a sedan. We already have sedan and I'm a big believer in having different types of vehicles if you have more than one. Wagon would've fit for sportiness, but small wagons don't have height clearance in the cargo area. Vans are too expensive for our budget and way too big for our needs.
3. If you have kids, you're probably going to want something bigger. The CX-5 is a good fit and that's why we got ours. CX-3 is just too small. I was thinking about getting one myself in addition to the CX-5, but the issue with #2 above was the deciding factor.
The cargo space easily fits a huge stroller and tons of other stuff. The CX-5 I believe has the 2nd or 3rd largest cargo space in its class. The Honda CR-V beats it and I believe the Rav4 does too or perhaps neck and neck. An overlooked benefit of having a taller car is less leaning over to pick up the carseat.
4. Height: The problem is that if you want to see traffic looking down at it, the CX-5 is the way to go. I'd really recommend the Mazda 3 over the CX-3 for most people. I've never driven the Mazda 3, but I suspect it's better than the CX-3 being that the CX-3 is based off of the Mazda 2. I feel like the CX-3 is not quite a CX-5 nor is it a Mazda 3. It's the middle ground that most people aren't going to want. The dealer whom I bought the CX-5 from said that they had high hopes for the CX-3, but the sales and the whole blind spot thing became a big issue and was very disappointing.
I do like the added benefit of having a taller car to see over traffic a bit better. My other car is lowered and I can't see anything beyond the car in front of me. Nice to have some ground clearance for winter ski/snowboard season. It's nice driving a car tall enough to not worry about crashing into curbs.
5: Price is a big factor. The well equipped CX-3 is the price of a base CX-5.
The value of the Mazda's are pretty good for now until they turn into an Acura. Hopefully Mazda won't ever become a self proclaimed wannabe luxury vehicle. Acura used to be so undervalued 10 years ago. Now they're just pricing their customers out and making them look at actual luxury vehicles in the same price range. I personally would rather have a modded or fancy-ish lower end car than a base model of an upper end car, CX-3 optioned out vs CX-5 base. But that's just me. That's totally a personal thing. Each to his/her own.
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Interesting, I have driven both numerous times. Like the handling of the 3 much better than the 5. But I like driving with a view way ahead of me, so 3 is questionable unless seat if fully pumped up. Sound system in 3 is much better than 5. Spoke to Bose a few times and they advised me that 5's system is optimized for use with a factory CD but nothing else. Driving in NYCs snow in the outer boros is also a concern. Paddle shifters are very nice, too.
Anyone have any experience with CX-3 handling in the corners on rough surfaces? A beam rear axle doesn't perform well in those conditions.... at least my Maxima didn't.
Mazda designs modular chassis for ease of tuning, but its still closer to the 6. The width of the cx-5 is the same as the 6. The 3 is more narrow and feels it. We own both a CX-5 and '15 mazda 3.
I read Mazda tweaked the rear suspension with regards to improved handling despite the beam. I think it was something about adjusting the camber.
While getting our vehicle serviced today I sat in a new CX-3. Knowing the numbers and seeing it in person are two different things. The cargo volume is shockingly small. The back seat is not as small as I feared and the front seats feel fine. The vehicle does not really provide high seating position. Someone said somewhere that it reminds him of the Toyota Matrix from the outside.
If I needed to choose, I'd definitely go with a Mazda 3 instead.
If I needed to choose, I'd definitely go with a Mazda 3 instead.
Agreed. Utility is what made the CUV segment so popular. I think Mazda has missed the mark on this one, unfortunately. Also I don't understand the logic behind the two-tiered truck. It's just doesn't seem very practical to me.
In my opinion, they missed the mark too. Not to say it's a bad car but it's just too simular to the 3. Perhaps they should have just done a speed 3 with the best attributes od the 3 & cx-3. Still cool though, just not practical with the categorization of crossover.
Just traded in a BMW 228 for a CX-5. Went to the dealer convinced I was going to buy a CX-3 but comparing the two , left with a CX-5, just a nicer vehicle As far as the Boise sound system in my CX-5, well it sounds a lot better than the $875 system that was in my BMW. Very happy with the sound system
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- Plano, Texas, USA
Comparing to front-center heavy and all mid-range speaker Bose on CX-5, CX-3 Bose has front dash tweeters for directional high notes and spare-tire sub-woofer for bass hence the sound quality is much better and livelier. But if you satisfy your Bose in your CX-5, that's all that counts!
Wow. 180 from my impressions. One of the reasons I went in for a cx-3 and left with a cx-5 was the much nicer interior of the cx5. Much more comfortable. Oh well,
Maybe they should have just added an AWD option to the Mazda 3?
Please, please, please!
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