Mazda 2 vs Mazda CX-3: Which small city car or SUV should I buy

QUESTION - MARTIN:

My wife has a Mazda2 and we are buying another car. At the dealer, we a saw Mazda 2 Genki and Mazda CX-3 Maxx, but is there another car we should look at? We drive mainly city and a little in the country, covering approximately 10,000km a year. We want a car that comes with lots of features.

BUDGET:

$30,000

ANSWER - SAMANTHA STEVENS:

The Mazda2 is a fabulous city car, and within your budget you can load up on the features and spec. The CX-3 is also an excellent vehicle, with more room and a higher driving position than the diminutive Mazda2, however being a compact SUV, it will have some more costs associated with it; not just the buying price, but also slightly higher running costs such as registration, insurance, tyres, fuel consumption etc., so be sure a SUV suits and fits your lifestyle.

If you are looking at a slightly larger car, you may want to consider the Mazda3 instead of the CX-3. The Maxx Safety is the pick ($25,890). Other larger hatchbacks you may want to look at include the Ford Focus (Trend, or a demo Titanium), and Hyundai’s i30 ($26,890).

Cars in the Mazda2’s size bracket to consider would be the Volkswagen Polo TSI Comfortline ($21,190) and the Renault Clio Dynamique ($25000). Both will be slightly more expensive to service than the Mazda, but have fun and frugal 1.2-litre turbo engines with automated gearboxes, and a host of included options. Each has a different and unique seating position – be sure to test drive them and see what suits.