The long awaited Mazda CX-3’s official debut

Introducing, the long awaited, recently crowned runner-up Car of the Year 2015-2016 Japan, the Mazda CX-3. The B-segment SUV market has been growing rapidly for a while now, and the official debut of the CX-3 last year had only sent the Skyactiv loving world into a frenzy. So what is the hype about? Read on to find out.

The CX-3 comes CBU from Japan, with an updated Skyactiv Technology suite, the CX-3 will feature all the bells and whistles that comes standard in Mazda cars, starting with the look, the CX-3 is influenced by the Kodo Design philosophy featuring a massive and sharp grille on the front and the three emotional lines that could be found on every Mazda model.

Familiar LED headlamps with AFS and Daytime Running Lights are paired with the front grille with the addition of an extra fender to be able to differentiate it from the sporty B-seg hatchback Mazda 2. The fenders above the wheels hints at the crossover’s ability to go off-road at the same time contribute to the sportiness the car is marketed to be.

On the inside, the same design language that focuses the attention to the windshield and beyond dominates. The semi-bucket-like seats are covered in leather suede upholstery adding to the premium feel of the CX-3 while the dash is also decorated by soft-touch leather material with red accents. The bonus inside here is the presence of the sunroof!

The centre is dominated by the seven-inch touchscreen display known as MZD Connect that can be controlled by the commander control on the centre console while the vehicle is moving. Just like the Mazda 2, the CX-3 will also have a head-up display unit on the dash. To add to the sporty element, Mazda designers have added paddle shifters for a sportier drive and auto cruise control for a relaxing cruise cross-country.

For Malaysia, we only get one variant, the 2.0-litre Skyactiv-G four-cylinder DOHC engine that sips petrol. The engine is mated to a conventional six-speed automatic transmission. Together the CX-3 the powerplant sends produces 154bhp at 6000rpm and 204Nm at 2800rpm to the 18-inch light-weight alloy wheels. No word yet on whether Bermaz would bring in the diesel sipping 1.5-litre variant neither on the AWD variant so don’t keep your hopes up.

With an asking price of RM135,142.19 on the road with insurance or RM131,218.50 on the road without, the CX-3 is available in five colours: Soul Red Metallic, Crystal White Pearl, Jet Black, Meteor Grey and Deep Crystal Blue. At the time of writing a thousand of these have already been sold or registered, perhaps we will start seeing the stylish crossover on the roads soon.

Jerrica Leong