2016 Mazda CX-3
Vehicle type: front-engine, 4-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door hatchback
Price as tested: $25,500 (estimated base price: $20,800)
Engine type: DOHC 16-valve Atkinson-capable inline-4, aluminum block and head, direct fuel injection
Displacement: 122 cu in, 1998 cc
Power: 146 hp @ 6000 rpm
Torque: 146 lb-ft @ 2800 rpm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic with manual shifting mode
Dimensions:
Wheelbase: 101.2 in
Length: 168.3 in
Width: 69.6 in Height: 60.7 in
Passenger volume: 87 cu ft
Cargo volume: 12 cu ft
Curb weight: 2932 lb
Mazda’s stylish 2016 CX-3, a vehicle that fiercely resists being branded a stolid crossover, is saddled with some lackluster numbers.
The fact is the CX-3’s modest performance numbers don’t really accurately portray this quasi-crossover, one of those rare all-new vehicles that is vastly better than its specs suggest.
The Grand Touring model I had recently arrived in a striking shade of creamy pale gray, shining with a sort of Audi aura.
Its 10-spoke, gray and silver 18-inch wheels rolled on 215/50 tires pushed to the absolute edges of the CX-3’s fairly short body.
Moreover, the CX-3 doesn’t stand as tall as most compact crossovers — 60.7 inches, compared with 63.2 inches for the new Honda HR-V.
But it wore its metal really well, I thought.
A large upright seven-bar grille and swept-back headlamps gave the CX a surprisingly tough, chiseled face, complemented by a long, mostly smooth hood.
Like every crossover on the planet, the Mazda sported black cladding around its wheel wells — protection against flying rocks, I presume, in case you make a wrong turn and somehow end up off-road.
But the CX-3 also flashed a taut, curved top that added some slink to its ride. In back, an eyebrow over the hatchback window kept that mild California-custom groove going.
In addition, Mazda has gotten really adept in the last couple of years with character lines, placing one high on the front fender of the CX-3 that disappeared gracefully into the back door. A second line down low embellished the CX’s subtle curvature on its sides. I liked them all.
But don’t lift the hood. A couple of horsepower might escape, and that’s the last thing the CX-3 needs.
Despite the hype, Mazda’s much-ballyhooed four-cylinder SkyActiv engines just don’t generate much heat, and that’s especially true of the 2-liter version offered in the CX-3.
With just 146 horsepower and 146 pound-feet of torque, the little engine has to propel 3,200 pounds in the CX, meaning each horsepower must push nearly 22 pounds.
That’s too much.
In need of horses
Although the engine is smooth and economical (27 miles per gallon city, 32 highway), it struggles under hard acceleration, needing an estimated 8.5 seconds to reach 60 mph.
If you drive the CX like an adult, you won’t notice the horsepower deficit until you try to merge with fast-moving traffic.
From 4,000 rpm on, with a Mad Max bus bearing down on you, the engine makes more sound than speed, requiring lots of sweaty downshifts from the six-speed automatic transmission.
Actually, it might not be all that noticeable in city driving if the CX-3 weren’t so good in other ways.
The steering, for example, felt light and lively, turning into corners with about as much precision and eagerness as a Mazda3 sedan and delivering good road feel.
Though taller than a sedan, the CX-3 is still close enough to the ground to tear around corners with only slight body lean.
My CX-3 also had all-wheel-drive (front-wheel-drive is standard), providing extra grip in corners.
Slide inside the CX-3 and you will find even more value for the $28,660 price of the Grand Touring model. The black interior in mine featured upscale material and oxblood-colored trim, again looking and feeling like a more expensive vehicle.
The dashboard, for instance, wrapped sleekly around the base of the windshield, its swells broken up slightly by a tablet-size display screen in the middle.
Beneath the screen was a band of black leather-like trim stitched in oxblood, and under that were three round knobs for the climate control.
Limited legroom
While I give Mazda extra points for no bulky center stack, the stereo system had to be tuned through small pads in the display screen — about as distracting as a pack of heavily armed bicyclists in black leather.
The seats, meanwhile, sported black suede centers with oxblood-colored piping, and the console between them was finished in a slick black plastic trimmed with oxblood strips.
If you opt for a CX-3, you may have to give a couple of your larger children to friends or family because it has limited legroom in back — ample only for those who are, uh, short and well-seasoned.
For some reason these days, I am increasingly attracted to good-looking vehicles I could live in, though I’m certain that Social Insecurity and Uncle Sugar will take really great care of me in the years ahead.
If Mazda would bolt a turbo on the SkyActiv motor or somehow find a bunch more horsepower in it, I might just be home.
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