Used 2018 Mazda CX-3 Consumer Reviews
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solid tank of a car
This car feels like a hybrid of a small tank and a porsche. The car handles excellently and because of the way this car handled and steered on a test drive, I picked the CX3 over a subaru crosstrek - an uninspired driving disappointment, by comparison. The CX3 is not quite a utility vehicle. It's more like a station wagon that's a little jacked up higher off the ground and has AWD. It feels powerful with a 2L engine and has good acceleration if you drop the pedal. In the snow, it bites and drives great. Bad weather is no match - snow, ice, rain - it can handle any of that stuff. Several inches of wet snow and going uphill - barely a slip. It's a little beast. On the highway its smooth sailing and very good MPG. You don't get a huge gas tank - max range is about 295-300 miles. Comfortable interior and lots of USB ports and stuff for phones and other junk you want to plug in. the touch screen has good visibility and all the functions work well - good ergonomics with the console dial, voice control, rear camera and steering wheel buttons. The inside climate control is a little wonky - it's not easy to get it just right for some reason. either you get ice cold air or something that doesn't defrost your glass or something that's hot....odd. Sometimes my kid likes to sit in the middle of the back seat when I drive and he's very close to me there - like a parrot on my shoulder - which I'm not crazy about. The back seats are not huge. He says they're comfortable. A USB port or two back there would be cool instead on me having to run a wire from the front. the cargo area is big enough for me to carry 2 hockey equipment bags for both my kids and most other bulky stuff but it's not huge, either, which is something I happily accept for what the car is. It has a small sub-section under the floor so you can make it a little bigger, if you want. Stereo may sometimes have a little buzz if you set the bass all the way up to max. My pet peeve with the CX3 is that the outside back of the car gets FILTHY with road stuff and spray. I suppose a set of mudflaps would fix that. If you're driving on wet and salted roads, the back of the car is coming home covered in a filthy grime of road salt. Not nearly as bad in summer when roads are cleaner. Even a good car wash has trouble eliminating all that filthy grime off the back so there's the Achilles's heel of the CX3. - update - at 40,000 miles needed new tires and new brakes. Mazda just rolled out Android auto and upgraded USB ports for this car at a cost- will update that too. I added Michelin Defender tires to the car and that cut down significant road noise. Car itself is on the noisy side. If you're in the car during a rainstorm, it sounds like you're in a tin can. The handling and performance of the car remains excellent. With top of the line tires on the car, it excels in bad weather handling and is superior on dry roads. Interior holding up well. Stereo buzz was a faulty speaker that Mazda fixed for free so, no more buzz. Update at 65,000mi - cars back brakes will wear out before front brakes, which seemed unusual but that's what happens. Car is on 2nd set of tires - michelin defenders -which are excellent. First set wore out around 35k, Mechanically, the car has been very sound and the handling, traction in snow with AWD and overall engine performance are still top notch. All regular maintenance has been done at correct intervals. Added the carplay/android auto update when it was available about 2 years ago which brought the car up to a modern convenience. Fuel efficiency is excellent. Overall. still solid tank of a car and has been a fun to drive reliable workhorse for our family that we have no plans to change out.
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Great fun for the $$. 2018 Mazda CX-3 Grand Tourin
Traded a 2005 Mazda 6 with 110k and was looking at the New 3's with the 2.5l engine but this one caught my eye. Never liked the Crossovers much but this was different. The style is great and the features are what I expected for much more $$ in other brands. For a great run around car this is nirvana. 35+mpg so far, Bose sterio, safety features +++, phone, tablet friendly. Cruising around Vegas in traffic or 70+mph this car is awesome and a lot of Fun. Extremly responsive in city, and quiet on highway which I did not expect. Back seat and cargo are a bit small, but 99% of my driving is alone so no biggie for me. The lack of middle armrest is a bit weird but the center controller is awesome. If you are in the market for a Crossover, Do yourself a treat and give this car a test drive. For 26k you just cant beat it. Zoom Zoom
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- Sport 4dr SUVMSRP: $16,545148 mi away
- Grand Touring 4dr SUVMSRP: $20,999180 mi away
- Grand Touring 4dr SUVMSRP: $17,494102 mi away
CX 3 Ideal For Me
It has a smooth, firm ride, and the steering is responsive. The CX 3 handles curves, corners, and turns extremely well. Cannot wait to take it on winding country roads and scenic drives when I travel far enough away from Chicago and suburbs. The compact SUV size makes this the perfect urban ride that can handle starts and stops. Very good burst when light goes green. This is a useful vehicle that can also be fun to drive for distances. Interior and dash design are awesome, IMO. Everything is within reach, and the center strip knobs below the gear shift make it easy to operate the stereo, the sound, the station, the XM channels, or any of the modes this 7-inch tablet style screen offers. Screen visibility is very good. Back up camera imaging is crystal clear. Blind spot and lane warning signals provided on side mirrors, with accompanying beep sound when other vehicles are getting close in other lanes. Stereo system is excellent, with 7-speaker Bose sound system. I purchased the AWD due to winter conditions that come and go here. But the CX 3 does not seem confined by this, as it drives and handles like a FWD in stable weather, while AWD kicks in when snow and ice are present. I am enjoying the CX 3 very much, and look forward to several more years owning this. BTW, the CX 3 boasts a sporty appearance, with smooth flowing sides, an elegant front, and well designed rear with easy hatch and dual exhausts.
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AWD GT with i-active sense package
I live in Minneapolis and wanted a small vehicle with AWD. Choices were between this CX-3 and Subaru Impreza. Bought this car five days ago. I'm writing about initial impressions, will update (if I can) later with more extensive use. Absolutely love this car! Great acceleration, great handling, great mpg. Looks and feels just right. Interior space is an issue though, obviously not the most important factor as I would not have bought the car if it was. With the car seat in the back, there is space for one other person comfortably. Trunk space is the least I've seen in almost any car I can recall. But this is meant to be my commuter car, primarily to be driven around the city. Entertainment screen and control is mostly intuitive, though I had to fiddle around a bit to learn all the aspects that you can control. Interior is snazzy with two-tone stitched leather. Got the remote starter and all weather floor mats from the dealership as well. The price I have mentioned is the walk-out price, including TTL. Update 2017-06-29: It's been now over 6 months and I love this car even more. Getting around 30 mpg, combined. On certain trips I've averaged 40 mpg!! The iActiveSense features are really useful: The adaptive cruise control is something that I don't think I'll drive without in any car. Auto brakes are cool. Lane departure warning is a pain and I've turned that feature off. Update 2018-01-11: After over a year of ownership, I still can't help but smile every time I get behind the wheels of my CX-3, especially after a vacation where I've not driven my car for a few days. Still averaging 30.4 mpg today. Update 2019-07-12: Still loving this after 2 and half years of ownership.
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CX-3 A fun fun sports car. Love it.
CX-3 A fun fun sports car. Not much storage, so think of it more as a fun car than a family car.
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Mazda CX-3 Saved my daughters life
One of the most stressful times of a parents life is when your child goes off to college. It is extremely stressful when they are driving 3 hours to get there. My daughter was involved in an accident by school which resulted with her crashing into a tree. She was not hurt other than bruises from the seat belt. The car was totalled by the insurance company and they told me the car took a powerful hit because it knocked the motor off the blocks. The interior was hardly touched. As soon as this is all done with, we will be visiting the Mazda dealership for another CX-3.
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Smaller is better for me
I bought the CX3 as my city car & it has been great for that. I enjoy the ease of parking, sharp turning & lots of “zoom zoom”. I am no longer driving cross country, hauling a bunch of kids, or need more hauling space than a weeks groceries. But I do like sitting up a little higher and. having all wheel drive (we do live in NE Ohio)...so the CX-3 was my choice and I am really enjoying it.
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A Peppy Small Car with Some Quirks
The 2018 CX-3 (Grand Touring AWD) has fairly comfortable, heated front seats and a heated steering wheel, and is reasonably zippy, given its small engine. My problem as a short person is that even at its highest point, the driver's seat does not allow me a good view out. I'm sitting on two pillows, and still have problems with visibility. Its safety features are excellent, in particular its radar controlled cruise control. It will maintain a constant distance between you and the car in front of you. Fuel economy is good and the gauges will tell you what your average and current fuel consumption are. On the down side, Mazda needs to hire some human factors engineers who will consider how actual drivers will deal with the impractical features dreamed up by the style guys. First among them is the maddening rear hatch. First, it has no inside release; worse yet, the only way to get it open is to feel around under the edge of the door for a flat little panel (one of two) that must be depressed. Press the wrong one and you simply lock up the whole car. To find the right one you need to take off your gloves and feel around for it. Forget having the kid at the market load your groceries for you. The car also does not have Android Auto, or Apple Auto, so you are stuck with a clunky navigation system that won't respond to voice commands while you are driving. I just use my Bluetooth phone and Google maps, but, of course they don't show on the Infotainment screen. I finally gave up and paid the dealer hundreds of dollars to install Android Auto. I'm an extremely small person (about 5 feet tall) and I find the visibility quite poor: the rear window is too small; the outside mirrors are huge and block my view; the door and window pillars are thick; the side windows begin too high on the doors and are too small. Sitting in the driver's seat, the hood is invisible to me--it's like driving a bus, but you have to remember that your bus has an invisible expanse of hood in front of it. My final negative is that the fuel tank is tiny, giving the car a comparatively small driving range, even though gas mileage is good. It's a good looking little car, and has some great features, but since I find it hard to see out of it and have to fumble with the rear hatch a couple of times a day, I have not grown fond of it. I'm hoping the Mazda CX-30, due out soon, has overcome some of these design flaws. If not, I will go with a car that has better visibility and a way to open and close the rear hatch without either magic fingers or a step stool.
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Just what we needed
This is a small SUV with Mazda's usual attention to everything. We wanted something safe and reliable for our daughter to use mainly commuting. The CX-3 doesn't pretend to be anything its not. Storage space is minimal, but the competitive offerings weren't much different. I was told that the rear seating space was lousy, but spent a couple hours back there on a recent drive (I'm 6') and was not uncomfortable. I don't know that I would want to go cross country in the back seat though. As usual with Mazda, the little SUV holds the road well. Safety features that cost extra in some competitors are standard.
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Love my CX3
This car is amazing. The feel is perfect and the look just as great. I love driving is car all over. It's such a comfort and pleasure. Thanks Mazda.
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Perfect vehicle if you don't use the backseat
I purchased my AWD 2017 Grand Touring CX-3 a little over a month ago now at 44k miles. After a month and 1k miles of my own put on it, I'm absolutely in love with this car. For starters, I'm a single guy at 6'2" so to clear up the sizing stuff - Headspace and legroom are excellent for me, neither an issue at all. The front seat is great, but where it would be an issue is if you're more of a football player build with broad shoulders. I'm about 190 and it fits me perfectly, but if you're 215+ or broad shoulders, front seat might be cramped width wise. Definitely not the car to get if you're hauling around a family - I have kept my backseats folded down (which allows tons of trunk room, has fit everything I needed to so far) except 1 time I had a couple 6ft buddies in the back seat and they were not exactly happy campers for the hour drive, but it was doable. Those two common complaints are certainly real, but if neither is an issue for you - this car is incredible. Interior is awesome, everything looks high quality and smooth. The tech is impressive, I haven't had a car with all that before, outside of having to pay Mazda for that software upgrade (50 bucks, no biggie) it all makes perfect sense. The exterior is awesome, mine is black on black wheels and the car looks great, excited to see the shine after I wax it this weekend for the first time. Best part about it is the driving. For comparison, my other car is an '06 Chrysler Crossfire 2 seater convertible with a Mercedes engine, and I'm not exaggerating when I say this CX-3's handling is similar to that. I live in Denver so take it up to the mountains every weekend so far, throwing it in Sport mode and attacking those winding mountain roads is so much fun, literally handles them as good as the Crossfire, it's wild. Going from an old Forester to this is a whole new world for my main car. The ride is also incredibly smooth and very quiet if you aren't performance driving and just want to cruise along. Gas mileage is 30+ even with AWD, sunroof is awesome, and the Bose sound system BUMPS. The heads up display thing took a bit to get used to, but I really like it now. Overall, an incredible machine. So long as the two big concerns don't apply to you, I can't recommend this enough. Drove a '17 Tiguan base model listed same price as this puppy and it was an absolute night and day difference. 10/10 recommend this car.
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2019 CX-3
Back seat room is tight, pickup is pretty good but would be nice to have a little more HP. Car rides great and mileage is up to 29.5. Looks good and comfortable.
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BE AWARE-NO REMOTE TRUNK RELEASE
This car, as sleek and full of gadgets may be , is lacking a very basic feature . Remote trunk release. So ,while unloading your shopping cart in the winter, first you need to remove your mittens/gloves, then make sure you find and push the correct button/tab to open the hatch. Unless your hands are freeze already, in which case you need to open the hatch from the inside. Good luck! This is inconceivable for a $28000 car . Thinking at competition offering even foot activated trunk release, for Mazda CX3 this is A Big disappointment!
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Mazda x-3
Love this car very comfortable love the inside i just love everything
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Went from putt putt to zoom zoom!
No longer have little ones so it’s just my car. There is no comparison to my 2007 Kia Rio. The little guy was great while I had him but needed a serious upgrade. Now that I’m getting a little older I was looking for a little more clearance. Did a ton of research and for the price range the Mazda cx-3 was the best overall value. One final note my brother had a Mazda3 and put over 250,000 miles on it with just normal maintenance. This was great testimony to the quality of Mazda.
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Just bought and still learning
I am 5'3" and looking over the hood is a problem....I had to buy a tail bone cushion to raise me up another 2" so that I can see over the hood.....The hood should be slanted down a little for better visibility for short people.....I am still trying to learn all the electronics and there is many to learn and understand...I have not checked miles per gallon and it has a small gas tank.Back seating is bad...and radio cannot be turned off unless all is off.....GPS had to be updated as soon as I got it and it was a pain trying to update the card.....finally found a site that helped with my Mazda GPS update.... no cargo space one minion could fit
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Cute in and out...but that's it. NO TRUNK RELEASE!
Other than being cute in and out, engine is very under powered especially when more that one person inside. If you haul 4 people, expect to switch on Sport mode, meaning no OD in order to keep the revs high and mpg low. Car has no trunk release of any kind, not even the inside push button that any basic car has. For a $27,000 car, this is sooo cheap. Wished I catch it before buying. Cargo/trunk is the size of a Honda Fit. Even that has remote trunk release- inside button AND key fob. No Android Auto and Apple CarPlay if you want your phone paired. Honda has it on all its cars. This car is OK for ONE person that doesn't do shopping and only wants to drive a "cutie" with useless 19" wheels. Don't waste your money if you want more that that.
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Esthetically pleasing.
4 wheel drive is safer on snow day.
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Great little vehicle
The MAZDA CX-3 is small in size a true 4 seater small trunk but super fun to drive. It handles like a sport vehicle and agile in my opinion. Would had kept it if not for the small size. So in honor to that experienc, I opted for moving to a bigger size with the new MAZDA CX-5. I hope this vehicle give me a similar experience as the cx-3 did for me.
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a real looker people stare at it .
it is a great car on the highway...……….
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Every thing I wanted it to be.
Fun to drive, 28-30mph, AWD
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Fun ride!
Just bought with only 8850 actual miles. Car is like brand new! Peppy, corners well, brakes very well, great fuel economy, engine is very quiet, great sounding stereo, sporty looking with cast aluminum wheels, nice red interior accents, love the SkyActiv Technology!
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Perfect little SUV....
Been driving mine for 2 years now and I have no complaints at all! My 110 pound dog is comfortable in the back (seats down).. It handles nicely on the highway and on side streets alike and the interior is very nice looking and comfortable... If you want all wheel drive, seating for 4/5 and only need a little storage space this is perfect.
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Just say to to CX3!!!
I’ve only had this car for six months and I dread driving the CX3 until it’s paid off. The gas mileage is pitiful. Averaging only 240-260 mpg on a full tank of gas. I’m planning a road trip soon and anticipating many, many more fuel stops. Now on to the acceleration. It is slow and sluggish. Make sure you have plenty of room and time if you want to pass anyone on the road. The CX3 has no cubbies for change, umbrellas or other miscellaneous items you keep in your car. My best advice, say NO!!
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Junk
I am 58 and this is the first time I have ever left a Honda to try something different! Big Mistake the Mazda Cx3 horrible, it’s a 2018 58.000 hundred miles on it, it’s in the shop for a blown head gasket luckily under warranty but we have to wait until they find another engine and won’t offer me a rental car to use for the 2 ta 3 weeks they said it may take! Before this happened from day 1 I hated this car so many reasons, it only holds so many gallons of gas like 290 miles, no console, no arm rest, no space at all in the front! I can barely get it up to speed getting it on the hi way, it’s noisy, no frills, anyone saying this is above a 3 must of never had a Honda or even a decent car! When I get it back as I am going to struggle to find rides to work and home as they have accepted that something was faulty and won’t give me a car to use, I’m unloading this junk the very next day!
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Missed the mark
This car probably should not exist. Way too narrow, not a comfortable ride.
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Fantastic car
My CX-3 GT is 6 years old now and I love it since the day I bought it. No issues driving in snow with a good set of snow tires. This car has cost me nothing. Looking forward to the next 6 years. I usually buy and drive into the ground but it is going to last a while yet. 60000 miles so far. Best commuter car I have ever had. Fantastic fuel economy and fun to drive.
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Poor Suspension
Owned it for 20k miles now. The suspension is not firm in a sporty or beneficial sort of way, but rather feels blown out and nearly dysfunctional. This in addition to the buzzy engine noise that makes it sound like its trying too hard makes the overall feel of the car very cheap. It is also deceptively small.
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Well balance
Very good little suv but limited cargo space I wish it was 3 cylinder 111 horsepower n159 torque and improvement in miles like engine cylinder deactivation which reduces gas consumption and move led lights also move paint choices for every Mazda model
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