The Mazda 3 is Mazda’s best selling compact sedan and hatch mainly due to it being more powerful and gives the best fun to drive experience versus the competition; and with the demand for crossovers, Mazda offers the 2016 Mazda CX-3 compact crossover as an answer to that demand. The CX-3 is basically a larger Mazda 3 with more emphasis in cargo space and practicality plus a pinch of off road ruggedness. Mazda promises close to or equal handling performance to the Mazda 3 plus the added weight of the larger body to stay true to their zoom-zoom engineering philosophy.
The 2016 Mazda CX-3 Looks Beefier
The 2016 Mazda CX-3 looks like a large hatchback that if not for the plastic cladding at the bottom of the body hinting that it’s used for protection against gravel and scrapes would make it look like a car more than a crossover without looking twice. This look fits the crossover better than making it look like a downsized SUV and hatches are always sexy. Up front is Mazda’s huge grille with chrome surround that extends to the headlights. The sides follow Mazda’s Kodo design philosophy making the vehicle look dynamic even at a standstill. Specs-wise, the CX-3 is based on the Mazda 3 and it carries over its 2.0 liter skyactiv direct injection four cylinder mated to either a six speed manual or auto.
On the inside, the 2016 CX-3 has similar looking interior due to that after market looking multi function display. Each Mazda vehicle has its own unique characteristic interior but at a quick glance, most of the design cues reflect other current generation Mazdas. Overall, the interior is serene with no unwanted bling and everything is where it should be. It features red contrast stitching and a sporty looking cabin. The interior actually looks European and look and feels more expensive than what you actually paid for. Weirdly, despite the larger body and cargo space, Mazda engineers sort of forgot to move the back seats a little to fit the bigger cabin better and the result is the same legroom found on the Mazda 3.
Like all current generation Mazda’s, and with the 2016 Mazda CX-3 based on the sporty and fun Mazda 3 chassis, it comes as no surprise that the CX-3 handles and feels just like a larger Mazda 3. The rev-happy skyactiv 2.0 pushes the crossover from 0-60 in just 8.1 seconds and because the body is more large hatchback than mini SUV, the lower stance makes cornering extremely fun.