If the auto industry moves too fast for you. If the constant update cycles, the EV mandates, and the touchscreen-heavy dashboards give you a migraine. There is an antidote. It wears the Mazda badge. It is called the CX-3.
It has been around for twelve years. A lifetime in car terms. While Chinese brands are now on their fourth generation in this segment, the CX-3 is sitting there like a stubborn uncle at a family dinner.
Yet.
Despite prices skyrocketing across the board. The CX-3 remains cheap. It offers value for money to those who just want a small SUV from a brand they trust. It is actually the best-selling car in its class right now. According to VFACTS, it leaves the Toyota Yaris Cross and Hyundai Venice eating dust in 2025.
Is that irony or strategy? Hard to say.
Mazda has killed the current CX-3 in Japan. But production continues here until May 2026 when the next generation shifts to Thailand. So, as the curtain falls. Does this old horse still pull the wagon?
Money talk
The 2026 Pure model starts at $30,990 drive-away.
We tested the Evolve. It costs $34,625.
Think back to when this car launched. You could grab one for under $20k. Sure, it had a manual. Manual gears died in 2023. If we compare apples to apples with the old automatic Neo, that started around $21,990 back in 2015 dollars.
Adjust for inflation? Adjust for on-road costs?
The new Pure is effectively cheaper than the old Neo. You get more safety. More standard stuff. Better materials.
The competitors? Suzuki Jimny, Kia Stonic, Venue, Yaris Cross. The CX-3 fits in this crowded room easily.
The Cabin: Nostalgia or Neglect?
Walk in. You might think your phone’s time-warp app got stuck.
Not much changed since launch. The infotainment screen is small. The head-up display looks like it came out in the last century. Styling feels… preserved in amber.
But is that bad?
Maybe. If you hate simplicity.
You still get real buttons on the steering wheel. Physical dials for the AC. No diving through three menus to change the fan speed. That is a joy. The engine stop/start has a dedicated button. Lane departure warning has its own toggle.
No wireless charger. No USB-C. Just the ancient USB-A port and a 12V socket.
There are hints it’s a 2026 car. Wireless Apple CarPlay is here. Electric parking brake exists.
Connecting my phone on day one took ages. Frustrating. Day two, the touchscreen stopped responding while I was driving. Panic set in. Thought the system failed.
My younger colleague laughed. Told me it’s a feature. The screen locks when you’re moving. You use a scroll wheel next to the cup holders.
I wanted to fire them.
The wheel is terrible for navigation. You don’t just hit “next.” You have to scroll until the icon lines up. Then press again. It adds steps. It reduces safety? Arguably yes. You are staring at a scrolling pointer rather than the road.
The reversing camera looks like Nokia technology from 2009. Plastics feel hard. Cheap. But the whole thing is bolted tight. No creaks. No rattles.
The Evolve trim gets Maztex seats. Faux leather with grey fabric. The wheel feels like leather or something pretending to be it.
Front seats? Good position. Comfortable for one. Or two.
Rear? Cramped. Trunk? Tiny. This car was built for the driver. The front passenger is secondary. Everyone else is baggage.
We tried to fit a new dining room rug from IKEA into the trunk. We had clothes for charity taking up space. It was tight. The rolled-up rug barely fit length-wise from the dash to the tailgate. Barely.
Under The Bonnet
No turbo.
It is a 2.0-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder. Petrol only.
Power? 110kW. Torque? 195Nm.
It pushes the front wheels. Six-speed automatic. That is it.
Driving Dynamics
We commuted to the city. Drove to the Mornington Peninsula. Ran suburban errands.
In the city? Great.
On the open road? Dated.
If you come from a 90s hatch. You will feel right at home. Simple controls. No artificial feel.
But against today’s SUVs? The CX-3 struggles.
Hitting a highway incline. You press the throttle. Nothing happens. You dig in harder. The car yawns. Then, abruptly. It drops two gears. The engine screams. You gain nothing but noise. The RPMs climb. Speed stays flat.
Low power usually means great fuel economy. Right?
Mazda claims 6.3L/100 km. We got 7.9L/10 driver.
Seven-point-nine liters. For a tiny car. That rivals a mid-size ute. We drove a hybrid Yaris Cross recently on the same route. Same driver. It averaged 4.5L.
The CX-3 is not efficient.
But. It’s not a hybrid. Less complexity. Less weight. Less to break.
There is something to be said for the non-CVT transmission. Real gears. Real ratios. The Toyota uses a CVT that whines under load. The Mazda just… works. Predictably.
It is fun, sort of. In a nostalgic way. If you like steering weight and simplicity.
The driver assists are there. Lane keeping. Emergency braking. Adaptive cruise control. But they are quiet. They do not nag. They let you drive.
Except for the beep.
Every time you close the door. Beep. Late at night? Annoying. Early morning? Irritating. Why do we hear that sound?
Standard Stuff
Four variants. Pure. Evolve. GT SP. Akari.
It doesn’t match Chinese tech specs. But it doesn’t need to. The baseline is strong.
The Pure (entry-level) gets:
- 18-inch alloys
- Rain-sensing wipers
- Automatic LEDs (front and rear)
- Head-up display
- 8-inch screen (wired Android, wireless CarPlay)
- Leather-wrapped wheel
- Dual-zone AC
- Six-speaker stereo
- Electric brake
The Evolve (our tester) adds:
- Black machined wheels
- Front fog lights
- Keyless entry
- Black leatherette seats
The GT SP bumps up to:
- Heated seats/mirrors
- Bose stereo
- Power seat with lumbar
- Suede/leather mix
The Akari (top dog) gets:
- Sunroof
- 360 cameras
- Real leather
Safety
The old five-star ANCAP rating? Expired. It is now unrated.
That does not mean unsafe.
You still get:
- AEB (Autonomous Emergency Braking)
- Pedestrian detection
- Blind spot monitoring
- Rear cross-traffic alert
- Driver attention monitoring
- Front-side and curtain airbags
- Lane departure warning
- Parking sensors (front sensors added from Evolve up)
- Traffic sign recognition (from GT SP up)
Solid kit. Just hasn’t been tested recently.
Cost To Own
Five-year unlimited-km warranty. Roadside assist included.
Servicing? Up to seven years estimated cost available. Intervals are standard. 12 months or 15,000 km.
Easy enough.
Final Verdict
The competition is catching up. Features. Efficiency. Speed.
The sales numbers say people don’t care.
They want uncomplicated. They want cars that just work. The CX-3 fills that hole.
It fails on the highway. The engine runs out of breath. The tech is basic. The infotainment UI looks like it belongs on a VHS player. The lack of a wireless charger feels archaic.
But.
Reliability is bulletproof. Comfort is decent. It is easy to park.
It feels like a relic. A happy one. The “big-block” 2.0L is so under-stressed it might survive an apocalypse better than a turbocharged hatch. Imagine Mad Max driving a CX-3 instead of a Falcon. It has the soul.
Josh loved the driving dynamics last year. I was less impressed.
But there is charm. Endurance.
I wouldn’t refuse a rental CX-3 after a long flight. It would be fine. Simple. Predictable.
It has mojo. That is all you need.
