RAISING THE STANDARD: 2019 MAZDA CX-3

“Creating the standard for a new era.” That’s a pretty ambitious mission statement. But it was the concept for Mazda CX-3 initial design and engineering direction. And it made sense. Mazda CX-3 transcended the typical notions of what was the quickly burgeoning subcompact crossover SUV segment. It exemplified KODO—Soul of Motion design, sleek, with wheels pushed out to its corners, a taut cabin, large wheels, a long hood and short deck. Its chassis dynamics were far better than a crossover had any right to be. It was a clean-sheet design, executed with the notion of providing those with active lifestyles a vehicle to complement their vibrant, fulfilling lives. For its second update, designers and engineers were emboldened with the mission of making Mazda CX-3 “Exquisite and Edgy.” Mazda applied its latest technologies and design principles to further elevate CX-3, including customer feedback to make Mazda CX-3 an even more compelling vehicle, offering improved ride comfort without compromising its driving dynamics, updating the SKYACTIV-G 2.0 engine for greater responsiveness and efficiency, while also enriching CX-3’s interior with a beautiful Japanese aesthetic, replete with new, upscale materials and design.

WHAT’S NEW? 8 Attention to detail, purpose-led ergonomics and amenities help the CX-3 stand out from the growing subcompact crossover segment. Mazda continues to focus on the core values of the 2019 CX-3 with a retuned engine for increased performance and new design features that fans will be sure to appreciate. The redesigned interior follows a color palette that feels sophisticated while keeping the subcompact crossover SUV’s active appeal. A new electronic parking brake allowed designers and engineers to create a new center console configuration, comfortable armrest and ample storage space ready for any drive. Here’s an at-a-glance list of what’s new about the 2019 CX-3:

– Retuned SKYACTIV-G 2.0-liter engine with 148 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 146 lb-ft torque at 2,800 rpm

– New grille design

– Newly available Soul Red Crystal exterior paint color

– Standard electronic parking brake with auto-hold feature new in all CX-3 models

– Redesigned center console with greater storage and new armrest – New rear center armrest with built-in cupholders

– Fully redesigned seats with high-density, vibration absorbing urethane foam

– Newly available full-leather seating surfaces in CX-3 Grand Touring models

– New passenger manual seat lifter in CX-3 Touring models and above

– New interior design features include: suede-like trim, red accents around HVAC vents and high-gloss, pleated piping when equipped with leather seats

– New piano black exterior accents on CX-3 Touring models and above

– New chrome exterior accents on CX-3 Grand Touring models

– New LED combination tail light design on CX-3 Grand Touring models

– New 18-inch alloy wheel design on CX-3 Touring models and above

– Standard Direct Tire Pressure Monitoring System new in all CX-3 models

– Newly standard Blind Spot Monitoring with Rear CrossTraffic Alert in all CX-3 models

– Newly available Smart Brake Support, Mazda Radar Cruise Control with Stop & Go function, Lane Departure Warning and High Beam Control in CX-3 Grand Touring models

– New Sport i-ACTIVSENSE Package includes: Advanced Smart City Brake Support with Pedestrian Detection, Smart Brake Support, Mazda Radar Cruise Control with Stop & Go function, Lane Departure Warning, High Beam Control, Adaptive Front-lighting System, Active Driving Display, automatic rain-sensing windshield wipers, automatic climate control, automatic on/off LED headlights and LED tail lights

– New Touring i-ACTIVSENSE Package includes: Mazda Radar Cruise Control with Stop & Go function, Lane Departure Warning, High Beam Control, Adaptive Frontlighting System, Active Driving Display, LED headlights and LED tail lights

– Grand Touring Premium Package adds auto-dimming rearview mirror

‘MAZDA PREMIUM’ IN ALL SHAPES AND SIZES “Mazda Premium” is a phrase the brand has used since Mazda introduced the current CX-9 three-row crossover SUV. But it’s not just a catchphrase or an ad slogan. Mazda has made elegantly engineered, designed and executed vehicles that captivate drivers and casual observers through eye-catching design, craftsmanship and beauty through simplicity, with engineers and designers constantly going back to some of their best work to make it better. Mazda Premium is as much an emotional value as it is a value in the product. It’s the feeling drivers and passengers get when they step foot inside a Mazda vehicle, from the smallest MX-5 to the largest CX-9. That feeling that the car or crossover SUV exceeds their loftiest expectations.

LESS IS MORE: A STORY OF DESIGN KODO Design is sharp and striking, yet minimalistic. It’s a uniquely Japanese aesthetic that emphasizes strength through form and proportions, from how the light graces a vehicle’s edges as you walk around it, to adding visual weight to a vehicle’s rear as if it were an animal ready to leap. It’s a concept that draws strength not through an abundance of lines and creases; rather, its beauty is in what isn’t there, using light to play off CX-3’s flowing design. That’s what has made KODO so timeless since its introduction on the 2010 SHINARI concept car.

And it’s what helped Mazda CX-3 become a top-three finalist for World Car Design of the Year when it debuted, finishing alongside a luxury sedan and behind Mazda’s very own MX-5 Miata. For its latest update, designers made subtle exterior improvements that add a deeper feeling of elegance and quality. A new front grille provides a stronger presence with a greater sense of depth. The new chrome accents upfront continue along the profile of the vehicle, helping create a feeling of forward motion. Piano black accents, such as in the side pillars and fog light bezels, along with the addition of Soul Red Crystal premium paint, add to the sensation of a vehicle whose presence transcends its price point. Mazda CX-3’s LED tail lights adopt a new design that produces a cylindrical, machine-like light pattern. Additionally, new 18-inch wheels use a multifaceted spoke design with a metallic sheen to evoke a sense of depth and speed that complements the new chrome accents on CX-3’s body.

CX-3’s interior sees even greater changes, with elements that have stretched its edgy design elements to fit a more premium sensibility.

As with so much of Japanese design, an emphasis is placed on eliminating the unnecessary. But, that didn’t stop Mazda’s design and engineering teams to add what was essential. Perhaps, the greatest change inside is CX-3’s newly redesigned center console and armrests. Switching to an electronic parking brake with an auto hold feature not only improves functionality of the vehicle, it allowed Mazda designers space to rethink the center console, relocate the cupholders, add storage in the center console and include an integrated armrest. The armrest itself is covered with soft padding, enhancing the quality and feel of the CX-3.

Mazda CX-3’s front seats have been fully redesigned; they are wider and feature high-density, vibration-absorbing urethane foam that creates a firm, supportive seating surface. Yet, they’re supple enough to keep the driver and passenger comfortable for long trips. For the first time, higher-grade Grand Touring models will be available with full leather seating surfaces.

Additionally, from the dashboard to the door trims, suedelike material provides a sophisticated ambiance for CX-3’s occupants. Coloring has been simplified, with gray serving as a base color, complemented by white or black leather seats in higher-grade models. New red louver accents around CX-3’s HVAC vents share a rich luster, similar to Soul Red Crystal. A high-gloss, pleated piping on CX-3’s leather seats complement its radical, yet sophisticated, style.

Rear-seat passengers also find new amenities, with CX-3 adding a center armrest with built-in cupholders that compactly complements CX-3’s capacities.

Such substantial updates are unheard of throughout CX-3’s segment, yet they speak to the lengths Mazda will go to add improvements that provide customers with tangible benefits.

HUMAN-MACHINE INTERFACE (HMI) AND CONNECTIVITY

Even the most typical daily commute involves the driver interacting with large amounts of information on the road or in the vehicle, which is why CX-3’s dashboard layout is purposely designed for true ease of use in mind. The “Head-Up Cockpit” concept allows the driver to process all of the information while maintaining the correct driving position and concentrating on driving safely.

MAZDA CONNECTTM is an infotainment system that makes it easier to take advantage of functions such as music streaming and communications on the move. It provides convenience by enabling hands-free phone operation and internet radio including Aha by HARMAN via Bluetooth connectivity, Pandora and Stitcher.

Information the driver requires and the devices for controlling its display are optimally positioned with safety in mind. This includes the Active Driving Display, 7-inch full-color touchscreen display and Commander control that come as part of MAZDA CONNECTTM.

REFINED PERFORMANCE

Mazda strives to build vehicles that further heighten the sense of connectedness between driver and car—a valued characteristic of all Mazda vehicles called Jinba Ittai. Based on this approach, every aspect of how the CX-3 drives was taken into account and refined. Those efforts resulted in a host of upgrades to its powertrains and suspension, leading to improved handling, ride comfort and quietness.

Mazda CX-3 comes standard with an eager SKYACTIV-G 2.0-liter, direct-injection gasoline engine. This highly efficient, four-cylinder engine has been retuned to increase torque across its entire RPM range, improve fuel-efficiency and reduce internal friction. These advancements allow the CX-3 to be able to respond more quickly to the driver’s intentions, while improving refinement. Peak SKYACTIV-G 2.0 numbers increase to 148 horsepower and 146 lb-ft of torque.

The revised engine is complemented by Mazda’s G-Vectoring Control (GVC) technology, which uses engine timing to control chassis dynamics, leading to smoother, more accurate steering inputs. CX-3’s suspension and power steering have also been fine-tuned to optimize dampening characteristics and enhance responsiveness.

Thicker door panels, rear-door glass, headliner and upgraded door seams additionally help provide a quieter and more refined cabin. Altogether, these carefully engineered tweaks encourage a balance of exhilarating performance, precision handling and excellent ride comfort fitting for any adventure ahead.

Mazda’s unique SKYACTIV-CHASSIS is lightweight and relies on application of high-tensile-strength steel in selected locations to deliver refinement befitting a considerably more expensive vehicle. Engineers finetuned every related component to optimize natural response, ease of control and reassuring confidence, along with a sharp, progressive steering feel.

Mazda CX-3 also implements Mazda’s SKYACTIV-BODY, which achieves high levels of performance in three areas: collision safety, weight reduction and rigidity. It combines effective positioning of high-tensile steel and optimized cross section shapes to produce a body that features high rigidity, which translates to excellent road feel. For 2019, much of the suspension and steering systems were revised for greater comfort, refinement and improved handling dynamics in what is already a crossover SUV lauded for its chassis dynamics.

i-ACTIV ALL-WHEEL DRIVE

Mazda’s i-ACTIV all-wheel drive draws its strength through its sensor technology, which take into account factors like steering angle, throttle inputs and wheel-spin along with temperature and use of wipers to paint a clear picture of the outside conditions. i-ACTIV all-wheel drive can adjust power output more than 200 times per second, using 27 different variables, to “predict” what the road conditions look like.

The benefit is rather than the driver or passengers feeling slip before the rear wheels deliver power, often causing momentary panic, i-ACTIV all-wheel drive system seamlessly drives all four wheels, adjusting quicker than humans can detect any loss in traction. i-ACTIV all-wheel-drive benefits can also be felt on dry roads with driving dynamics that are far better than a crossover SUV has any right to be—a nod to Mazda’s unwavering commitment to making vehicles that thrill and delight. With beauty and brawn, CX-3 is a tough combination to beat.

ELEVATING EXPECTATIONS

Mazda does not stop at delivering vehicles that meet customer expectations. Instead, its engineers, designers and product planners look to exceed them. Mazda believes in constant improvement in order to enrich the drive and help owners and drivers build a strong bond with the brand. Mazda CX-3 takes yet another step forward with elegant, refined design enhancements and satisfying performance that continue to draw praise from owners and media, alike.

Constant improvements, even the most minute refinements, can make all the difference when they’re all combined. More than just a vehicle that will simply take you from point A to B, or a fad that comes and goes, Mazdas are designed to provide an enjoyable experience, from their striking design to crafted, high-quality, intuitive interiors to a driving experience that even makes the smallest tasks into enjoyable adventures. Mazda CX-3 may be the gateway into the Mazda’s crossover SUV lineup, but it’s hardly basic. It continues to be the standard of a new generation.