Joined
·
9 Posts
Hello from Western Canada. My wife and I just bought a Mazda CX-3 in the Mica Blue. We're in our 40's and have never bought brand new before. We were very nervous, as you can imagine. But we had driven older vehicles, made smart choices and saved some money, so the time had come.
We opted for the GX model, as some of the features in the GS and GT just weren't that important to us (even though I live in Canada I actually don't like heated seats...go figure). We had looked at a Honda HR-V, but while it was a solid vehicle we didn't fall in love with it. After checking out the CX-3 we opted to buy for a few reasons.
1. Test drive. I was surprised at how well it drove. The parking lot at the dealership was a sheet of ice. I mean you could play hockey on it. The CX-3 picked up from prone with almost zero wheel spin. On the road it was agile, responsive and remarkably quiet. Really fun to drive. Cruise control worked really well and was smooth. I've driven some vehicles where the CC has been a bit clunky. The automatic transmission is definitely better than the CVT on other vehicles, although that may just be a personal preference.
2. We're DINKs. No kids. No need to haul child seats, or take kids to hockey or soccer practice. We were well aware that the back seat was small and the cargo area was fairly modest. However, with the seats down my skis fit in as do both of our large suitcases. In the last year I've had people in the back seat of my car less than 5 times.
3. Dealership. The dealer wanted the sale. Must be model year-end or something. We got the NAV, protection package, winter package including 2 way remote start. The dealer gave us a price, after some discussion, that fit well into our budget. They made it work and were not high pressure, which we appreciated. We were willing to walk away, but they made it so that we didn't. Good experience.
4. Aesthetics. It's a really sharp car. Looks great outside and inside. I was surprised by how premium the quality looks and feels on a vehicle in this category.
5. Fuel economy. At 8.8 L/100km in the city, it should do quite well for us.
6. I actually liked the infotainment system, although I've read some complaints. During the test drive I found that I was already learning/getting used to using the console knob and buttons without looking. I can see this becoming intuitive in no time. The steering wheel controls were laid out nicely as well. I like that I have an SD slot (in addition to the one used by the NAV), and 2 USB slots.
I do have some concerns, although none of them were deal breakers.
1. No change holder or small storage spaces that can store small items.
2. Cup holders are too far back.
3. No arm rest.
4. Restricted view when shoulder checking.
Ultimately we decided that in our early 40's we'd seen enough of winter that we wanted an AWD vehicle. Considering that we have no kids and really don't need a big vehicle, our choices came down to CX-3 and HR-V since I haven't been impressed with reliability ratings on domestics. HR-V had more space but just didn't look or drive as well and didn't have as nice an interior, in my personal opinion.
Our new CX-3 is being prepped for pickup with NAV, paint sealant, undercoating, rust inhibitor, and fabric sealant. Should be good to go in the next day or so. Once I drive it for a while I'll post back with some more experienced impressions. Thanks for reading and giving feedback.
We opted for the GX model, as some of the features in the GS and GT just weren't that important to us (even though I live in Canada I actually don't like heated seats...go figure). We had looked at a Honda HR-V, but while it was a solid vehicle we didn't fall in love with it. After checking out the CX-3 we opted to buy for a few reasons.
1. Test drive. I was surprised at how well it drove. The parking lot at the dealership was a sheet of ice. I mean you could play hockey on it. The CX-3 picked up from prone with almost zero wheel spin. On the road it was agile, responsive and remarkably quiet. Really fun to drive. Cruise control worked really well and was smooth. I've driven some vehicles where the CC has been a bit clunky. The automatic transmission is definitely better than the CVT on other vehicles, although that may just be a personal preference.
2. We're DINKs. No kids. No need to haul child seats, or take kids to hockey or soccer practice. We were well aware that the back seat was small and the cargo area was fairly modest. However, with the seats down my skis fit in as do both of our large suitcases. In the last year I've had people in the back seat of my car less than 5 times.
3. Dealership. The dealer wanted the sale. Must be model year-end or something. We got the NAV, protection package, winter package including 2 way remote start. The dealer gave us a price, after some discussion, that fit well into our budget. They made it work and were not high pressure, which we appreciated. We were willing to walk away, but they made it so that we didn't. Good experience.
4. Aesthetics. It's a really sharp car. Looks great outside and inside. I was surprised by how premium the quality looks and feels on a vehicle in this category.
5. Fuel economy. At 8.8 L/100km in the city, it should do quite well for us.
6. I actually liked the infotainment system, although I've read some complaints. During the test drive I found that I was already learning/getting used to using the console knob and buttons without looking. I can see this becoming intuitive in no time. The steering wheel controls were laid out nicely as well. I like that I have an SD slot (in addition to the one used by the NAV), and 2 USB slots.
I do have some concerns, although none of them were deal breakers.
1. No change holder or small storage spaces that can store small items.
2. Cup holders are too far back.
3. No arm rest.
4. Restricted view when shoulder checking.
Ultimately we decided that in our early 40's we'd seen enough of winter that we wanted an AWD vehicle. Considering that we have no kids and really don't need a big vehicle, our choices came down to CX-3 and HR-V since I haven't been impressed with reliability ratings on domestics. HR-V had more space but just didn't look or drive as well and didn't have as nice an interior, in my personal opinion.
Our new CX-3 is being prepped for pickup with NAV, paint sealant, undercoating, rust inhibitor, and fabric sealant. Should be good to go in the next day or so. Once I drive it for a while I'll post back with some more experienced impressions. Thanks for reading and giving feedback.
