2015 Mazda CX-3 Akari Review: AWD Petrol Or Diesel, Which Is For You?
What's Hot: Classy leather-trimmed interior, smooth 1.5 litre diesel, ‘zingy' 2.0 litre petrol.
What's Not: No rear air-vents, no centre armrest, limited rear-seat legroom.
X-FACTOR: Small, fun and stylish, the CX-3 is confirmation from Mazda that quality does not have to wear a German badge.
Vehicle style: Small AWD SUV
Price: $35,290 (petrol), $37,690 (diesel)
Engine/trans:
109kW/192Nm 2.0 litre DOHC petrol
77kW/270Nm 1.5 litre turbo-diesel
6-spd automatic
Fuel consumption:
petrol claim: 6.7 l/100km | tested: 7.3 l/100km
diesel claim: 5.1 l/100km | tested: 6.2 l/100km
OVERVIEW
Memo to the twenty or so brands now playing in the burgeoning small-SUV ballpark: “Be afraid, be very afraid”.
The reason? Mazda's first-ever CX-3. You've read about it, you might have looked it over, but this car is something special.
The baby brother to the CX-5 and CX-9 comes in four models, with two engine and two transmission choices and with both front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive.
In all, you've got no less than 14 choices.
Ok, so you're looking at the top-spec CX-3 Akari, with a choice of 2.0 litre petrol engine, or a lusty 1.5 litre diesel. Both are mated with a sports-shifting six-speed automatic transmission.
Which, then, do you choose? We've looked at both, here is our report.
THE INTERIOR | RATING: 4/5
Key interior features (for top-spec Akari models) include:
- Seven-inch full-colour touch screen with Mazda's MZD Connect system
- Satellite navigation
- Bluetooth phone connectivity
- Six-speaker audio with MP3/CD/AM/FM tuner and Pandora, Stitcher and Aha Internet-radio integration
- Leather-wrapped multi-function steering wheel, gear-shift knob and handbrake lever
- Tilt-and-slide glass sunroof
- Cruise control, trip computer, active driving display
- climate-control air-conditioning ;
- 18-inch alloy wheels