2022 Mazda CX-3 Maxx Sport review

Although it’s not the base specification, this CX-3 Maxx Sport is one of the most affordable SUVs in Mazda’s range. It’s also one of the oldest. We find out if it’s still worth consideration.

What we love

Still rides and steers as well as the best of them

Maxx Sport is a good value specification

2.0-litre engine feels effortless around town

What we don’t

Infotainment is small and basic

Cupholder game isn’t strong

Design and ergonomics showing their age

Introduction

The Mazda CX-3 might have hit the small SUV market with a bang, but the times move fast. We’ve got the 2022 Mazda CX-3 in its Maxx Sport trim to see if age has wearied this once glitzy competitor.

It’s a car that dates back to 2015, and is competing against a slew of fresh-faced competition. Small and medium SUVs have been a hive of activity in the last few years, and buyers will be considering the CX-3 against the likes of a Ford Puma, Kia Stonic, Nissan Juke, Volkswagen T-Cross and Hyundai Venue, just to name a few.

It’s feeling especially crowded now, with Mazda’s newer, similarly sized CX-30 small SUV being available, and some markets around the world discontinuing the CX-3 in favour of the newer, slightly larger and more expensive CX-30.

While the CX-3 keeps with its edge of premium inside and out, the Maxx Sport trim level is one step up from the entry-level Neo Sport. So with an asking price that sits right on the $30,000 threshold, the CX-3 Maxx Sport has the ability to run with value leaders likes in the segment, like the Kia Stonic and Hyundai Venue.

Priced from $25,190 (or $27,190 with the automatic gearbox) , the CX-3 Maxx Sport sits at a $2000 premium over the Neo. For this money, you get 16-inch alloy wheels, climate control, satellite navigation and leather wrapping on the steering wheel and gearshifter. There is also blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert, automatic headlights and rain-sensing wipers.

For the full rundown on the 2022 Mazda CX-3 pricing and specs – which did get updated recently – read this story.

Inside

The interior of the CX-3 is a nice overall experience, despite the age and relative lack of equipment in this lower-cost model. It presents well and has a nice mixture of colours and materials.

Ergonomically, the CX-3 is good. The seats have only basic adjustment, but they are comfortable with a nice dash of bolstering for everyday usage. The air vents look nice, and a bit of soft padding along the dashboard helps elevate the experience noticeably.

Power outlets include twin USB points and a 12-volt plug sitting above a slot that stores your everyday tidbits. There are no regulation cupholders inside the CX-3. Instead, they live inside a combination-style centre console. We found that they don’t work very well to hold a drink. And if you’re using it, then you lose centre console storage.

The door cards are surprisingly big. You can fit a large bottle in here, and there is also a deep cave in there for extra bits.

Seating and comfort in the second row are decent for the compact external size, but anyone with a bit of length in their limbs will likely start running into trouble. It’s not what you’d call spacious in the back, and it’s made worse by a huge transmission tunnel in the middle. 

We put two baby seats in the back of our test car, which fit quite happily using the ISOFIX and top tether points. However, there wasn’t much room left over. I wouldn’t worry about trying to fit three adults in the back of the CX-3, and would prefer to use the fold-down armrest (with two cupholders) for some extra comfort between two. 

The cupholders – a design with little flappy paddles that are meant to keep the drink in place – aren’t the best, and can see the drinks wobble around a bit during usage. 

The high hip line of the CX-3 – and commensurably smaller windows – might help the exterior aesthetic of the CX-3, but I noted that kids had to peer somewhat to look outside. And like other light SUVs, the CX-3 goes without air vents or USB points in the second row.

The boot of the CX-3 measures in at 264L – 14L more than the Mazda 2 on which it is based. The load space is mostly high, but the floor is able to be set at a couple of different heights. Set it at the higher point and the floor will be mostly flat when you drop down the second row. But I’m not sure you’d be so keen to go camping in here. 

There are tie-down points and a light, which help for more serious use. And we are always happy to find a spare wheel in an SUV like this, even if it is the space-saver type.

Infotainment and Connectivity

The 8.0-inch infotainment display fitted to all current CX-3 models is quickly being left behind by larger, more impressive systems in the segment, but there is one other hurdle for users to overcome.

While the infotainment display is referred to as a ‘touchscreen’, that capability only works when the vehicle is stationary. When you’re on the move, you’ve got no choice but to use the rotary dial that’s located behind the gearshifter.

Mazda reckons this is a safer way to go: rotating and prodding the dial/joystick to get what you need from the system. I’m not so sure, and tend to feel that a good-quality touchscreen is better. The dial itself has a thick-feeling click to help you ‘feel’ your way through the process, but I still found myself taking my eyes (and mind) off the road while using it.

There is satellite navigation in this specification, along with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto (both via wired connection) and digital radio. So although the CX-3’s infotainment system isn’t particularly cutting-edge, it’s got some good features ticked.

The instrument binnacle has a large speedometer in the centre of the display, along with two smaller liquid-crystal displays that operate as your tachometer, fuel readout, and general trip computer.

Safety and Technology

Another element of an older vehicle is the old crash-test data that is often as old as the car itself. Mazda’s CX-3 got the highest score of five stars back in 2015 by ANCAP, but back then wasn’t as rigorous as today. And while the safety of the CX-3 won’t change, that five-star rating will effectively expire at the end of this year thanks to new rules by the local crash-testing authority.

Standard safety equipment includes autonomous emergency braking, which includes pedestrian detection day and night. There is also a reversing camera with rear parking sensors, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert. There is also an automatic function for the halogen headlights and rain-sensing wipers.

This Maxx Sport grade misses out on the LED headlights, front parking sensors, head-up display, lane-departure warning, traffic sign recognition, and driver attention alert of the more expensive sTouring grade.

Value for Money

With prices that span from as low as $23,190 up to a not insubstantial $39,390 (before on-road costs) the 2022 Mazda CX-3 range has a range of equipment levels to suit buyers of all types. At the lower end of the line-up, the CX-3 Maxx Sport finds a comfortable balance of equipment without breaking the bank.

We’d say that sTouring specification grade is also worth considering for the extra safety equipment and other bits, although it is a sizeable jump of around $4000. And for those who want Mazda’s original take on a small SUV, there is enough safety and other equipment here to push it slightly above the grade of ‘poverty pack’.

Considering some of the key competitors start from a higher price point (Ford Puma, Volkswagen T-Cross), we’d wager that the CX-3 will still fit in a happy point for many Australian buyers.

Servicing costs are set at $1214 for three years or $2107 for five years, with 10,000km (or 12 months) between visits. These costs aren’t the cheapest out there, and the intervals are also slightly close together.

Fuel economy is set at a claimed combined rate of 6.3 litres per hundred kilometres. However, we weren’t able to match that with our driving. We had a fair amount of town driving to contend with, plus a few highway runs for an average of 8.3L/100km.

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Driving

Mazda’s Skyactiv-G 2.0-litre engine is one of the few with this capacity in the segment, with many of the competitors moving to smaller turbocharged and hybrid powertrains. And with outputs of 110kW and 195Nm pushing the 1297kg of weight, the CX-3 has enough performance for zipping around town happily.

The name Skyactiv-G refers to a higher compression ratio than previous-generation Mazda petrol engines. However, it’s not so high as to require a more expensive blend of premium fuels. 91RON will do fine in this application, thank you very much.

The benefit of a larger engine means the engine feels unstressed and torquey, getting out of the hole happily from a standing start. And while it does sound a bit droney, the engine doesn’t seem to regret revving above 4000rpm.

The engine is matched well by a smooth-shifting six-speed automatic transmission, which is predictable and more than competent. For zipping around town, the powertrain of the CX-3 feels perfectly at home. The engine drones slightly at highway speeds, however, and we did note a little bit of highway noise when plugging along.

The ride quality is a good hallmark of the CX-3, with nice suppleness and bump absorption on offer. This is particularly noticeable when driving through pockmarked roads around town, which tend to throw the ride quality of smaller SUVs like the CX-3. Perhaps the 16-inch alloy wheels, instead of the larger 18-inch wheels of more expensive variants, help in this regard.

Its steering feels quite well-dialled and balanced, neither overly active nor ambitious, but also responsive and well-weighted. Something of a common trait for the brand, driving enthusiasts will appreciate the experience behind the wheel. However, Mazda hasn’t overdone this with too much of a ‘sporty’ feel.

Conclusion

One doesn’t need to look far to find a newer, fresher-feeling entrant in the world of small SUVs. While this Mazda is now neither the latest nor the greatest in the segment, it’s still a good car that has aged gracefully.

Buyers will need to look past the dated infotainment display, and the lack of some safety equipment that other compact SUVs – at a similar price – enjoy.

Like most other SUVs of this size, the second row and boot don’t offer any appreciable improvements over a similarly sized hatchback. And while the ride height might be a little taller, the CX-3 doesn’t feel as much of an ‘SUV’ as others in the segment.

However, the bones of the CX-3 are good. It rides well, steers crisply, and still looks the part. For a town-based small SUV that will spend its life around the ‘burbs, one could certainly do a lot worse than the little Mazda.

Keyword: 2022 Mazda CX-3 Maxx Sport review