2021 Mazda CX-3 Neo review

There’s real joy to be found in simple things done well. AC/DC’s music isn’t complex, but it’s played at an incredibly high standard. Likewise, we can all cook a roast, but when a professional chef does it the end result is always amazing.

This brings us to the Mazda CX-3 Neo, the bottom rung of Mazda’s small SUV ladder. Pricing starts at $24,990 drive-away for the six-speed manual while this automatic test car is $26,990 drive-away. Like all Mazdas, it’s covered by a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty and capped-price servicing equates to $1816 over that five-year period.

It’s a basic car. If you’re a fan of bright lights and fancy trim and the latest technology then this probably isn’t going to be the car for you, but if you want a well-engineered, no-frills machine then the CX-3 Neo is definitely worth a look.

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When I say no frills, I don’t mean to infer that the CX-3 is completely barren. There’s push-button start, a 7.0-inch infotainment screen with smartphone mirroring and digital radio (that is now an 8.0-inch screen thanks to the MY22 update), a six-speaker stereo, Bluetooth, rear parking sensors, reversing camera, cruise control and air-conditioning.

On the other side of the ledger, there are steel wheels with hubcaps instead of alloys, manually adjustable cloth seats, no keyless entry and neither the headlights nor wipers are automatic. This is a car that still expects the driver to take care of things should they require it.

This is a basic car. If you’re a fan of fancy trim then this isn’t going to be the car for you, if you want a well-engineered, no frills machine then the CX-3 Neo is worth a look.

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For the most part, this includes avoiding accidents. This generation CX-3 has been around for a while now and it shows its age in the lack of active safety equipment that’s now standard on many of its newer rivals.

It has six airbags and automatic emergency braking for forward and reverse directions (dubbed Smart City Brake support in Mazda-speak) but lacks blind-spot monitoring, driver attention alert, forward obstruction warning, lane departure warning and rear cross-traffic alert.

Stepping up to the $29,990 (drive-away) CX-3 Maxx Sport brings blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert as well as auto headlights, rain-sensing wipers, climate control, auto-dimming rearview mirror, a leather steering wheel and native sat-nav.

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While it’s difficult to argue against the safety benefits of the latest tech, if you’re the sort of driver that’s happy to focus on the task at hand – and hopefully you are – it is slightly refreshing not to have lane assist constantly corrupting the steering and various lights and sounds going off. Then again, you never need it until you do!

As befits the CX-3’s price and positioning, the interior is full of hard plastic but it’s also very easy to use. The air-conditioning is controlled by three large rotary dials and simple steering wheel toggle buttons operate the digital screens that flank the large analogue speedo.

The CX-3’s steep window line, which gives a coupe-ish profile, could make vision out a struggle for smaller folks.

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The infotainment offers two usage options, either the central rotary controller or touch capability, but the latter only works when the car is stationary. Presumably this is a safety feature, but it both prevents the passenger from touch-operating the screen and forces the driver to use the central controller, which takes more attention away from the road.

In the back, there are no air vents or USB ports for charging devices, but there is a reasonable amount of space in terms of head and legroom for my 180cm frame, which is impressive given the CX-3’s relatively small dimensions.

The compromise comes in terms of boot space, with only 264 litres of capacity available – a Nissan Juke offers 422L, a Ford Puma 410L and Hyundai Venue 355L, for example – though this increases to 1174L with the 60:40 split rear seats folded and there’s a false floor with more storage space underneath.

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The CX-3’s steep window line, which gives a coupe-ish profile, could make vision out a struggle for smaller folks. There are three child seat tethers on the back of the rear seats but ISOFIX points only on the outboard seats – not that you’d ever fit three child seats across in a CX-3 – and you need to dig into the seat upholstery to find them.

Where Mazda’s baby SUV shines is on the road. The 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine develops 110kW and 195Nm and is revvy and keen, though also quite noisy. Personally, it falls just the right side of raucous but the less enthusiastic might find it wearing.

Claimed fuel consumption is 6.3L/100km and our test figures of 7.0L/100km, recorded over a wide variety of circumstances including long highway tours and urban runarounds, suggests that it is reasonably accurate and 91RON fuel is accepted.

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It’s clear the CX-3 has been developed by an engineering team that enjoys driving, with accurate, well-weighted steering and great body control. It’s unclear whether any potential owner would want to drive the CX-3 Neo in a spirited manner, but there’s every chance they’d have a smile on their face if they did.

The consequence of this handling nous is a slightly firm ride on rough surfaces but it simply provides feedback about the road surface rather than jostling or upsetting occupants.

It’s clear the CX-3 has been developed by an engineering team that enjoys driving, with accurate, well-weighted steering and great body control.

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The Mazda CX-3 Neo won’t be for everyone. In fact, it could be considered quite a niche offering, though few rivals can match its super-sharp entry price.

I suspect many people will be happy to spend a little more for greater levels of safety and convenience equipment, but if you’re someone who does a lot of driving and thus appreciates quality driving dynamics without worrying about the latest tech, then the CX-3 Neo is something simple that’s been executed very well.

2021 Mazda CX-3 Neo specifications