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Mazda CX-3: The Madame’s car is surprisingly good!

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I don’t have the stats to back this up, but I can confidently say I’ve seen more CX-3s in the hands of the fairer sex. Climb into the car and it all starts coming together. The cabin is fabulous, with a robust air of quality permeating it. It’s simple yet vivacious. The range is powered by a single-line 115kW/204Nm-producing 2,0-litre, four-cylinder engine. I drove the top-of-the-range Individual Plus, with an automatic gearbox and steering-wheel flaps.

Its steering wheel feels great, the seats are quite cushy and the road stance is deceptively sporty, but with an in-demand and wonderfully commanding seat position. The first victory is being able to set the seat into my preferred low position. The all-round glass-house design, which, despite being intimidating to parking novices, actually allows for great external views and of the sloping bonnet in front of you.

Specification is great for the niche. Aside from electric windows and seats, climate and cruise control and keyless-entry, the CX-3 is also fitted out with an infotainment hub, adaptive headlights, lane departure warning, Driver Attention Alert; and Smart City Brake – all the kit needed for the modern traveller. It also has the most intuitive GPS system I’ve encountered, a host of music-streaming platforms through a Bose system and an engine mood selector for Normal and Sport – the latter setting awakens a discernible shove.

 

The looks of the CX-3 – a deliciously edgy shape in a hum-drum segment – promises an exciting driving experience. It doesn’t bob and roll about on the road like some of its rivals. It’s a tidy drive and solid too, and there is a welcome precision in how it does everything, including being hustled into corners. This is thanks to Mazda’s Jinba-Ittai: a Japanese ode of heightened connectedness between car and driver, plus new G-Vectoring technology.

To the uninitiated, the only blot on its sheet would be its turbo-less engine. It may be an anomaly in the current turbophile era, but remember that when linked to a lighter chassis, it’s a largely forgotten technique for generating purer acceleration sensations. Besides, naturally-aspirated engines have generally trouble-free longevity and are actually cleaner, more efficient and in the long-run, contribute positively to overall running costs. It’s Mazda’s SkyActiv technology in a nutshell.

In the CX-3, Mazda has created a car that delivers more than the average husband might expect. If, in the past, you have viewed the CX-3 as purely a girl’s car, then know that you’ve been missing out. A wise man would do well to steer his “Medi” the CX-3 way and then go on and ask to use it on a daily basis.

It costs R380 600 in full-on Individual Plus Auto guise.

 

The post Mazda CX-3: The Madame’s car is surprisingly good! appeared first on DESTINY MAN.


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