A compact crossover with 'zoom-zoom' appeal (used)

The compact crossover segment is booming, and the number of offerings is staggering. Safe to say however, the Mazda CX3 is the more fun to drive of the bunch. But it does come with a few compromises.

The sole engine powering the CX3 is a 2-liter four-cylinder pumping out a hearty 146hp. It doesn’t feel out of its depth around town and certainly does have a fun loving character about it when you do venture onto the highway. It feels quicker than some of its keen rivals and while some offer turbocharged engines, the CX3 never feels dull to drive. Steering feedback is communicative and the suspension is set towards agility which in return makes the CX3 feel more of a doddle to drive around town and on twisty narrow roads. However, that fantastic handling does come at a cost. The ride comfort is a tad too firm for our tastes but you’ll forgive the CX3 as the fun to drive nature is there and it makes you forget immediately that this is a compact crossover. It’s more like a Mazda 3 hatch on stilts.

It’s quite easy to drive the CX3 around town. The steering like we said before weighs up nicely where it matters the most. Visibility all-round is pretty good too, but the rear windscreen can be tricky to see out of in certain driving scenarios. The driving position is spot on good, you can see all the corners of the vehicle and it shouldn’t be too hard to park it either, thanks to its dinky dimensions. The whole appeal of the compact crossover is to be able to see over the traffic ahead and feel like you’re in charge of the road. You won’t really get that feeling in the CX3, but it certainly is more comfortable than many of its keen rivals when it comes to driving it as a daily commuter car.

The interior of the CX3 is class-leading. The controls and dials don’t feel fiddly to use and the overall fit and finish is top-notch. The front seats offers plenty of comfort and adjustability, however those in the second row may feel a little shortchanged on legroom. The boot space isn’t class leading either, but then again many rivals are in the same ball park so we can’t really gripe about that too much.

Standard Sport trim gets 16-inch alloy wheels, Bluetooth connectivity for mobile device, auto-off halogen headlights and a 7-inch full-color touch screen display. You’ll have to step up to the Touring Trim to get automatic climate control, rearview parking camera and 18-inch alloy wheels. Top of the range Grand Touring adds LED headlights, LED tail lights and Bose audio system. Our tester car was the top of the range Grand Touring which had all the bells and whistles standard. We certainly wouldn’t pay this much for one as the price tag crept rather close to $33k. We’d go for the mid-range Touring Trim which offers decent amount of kit for the money without being overly pricey.

The CX3 is stylish, easy to live with and has low running costs to match. You’d think that you’ve hit the trifecta when it comes to a compact crossover. However, the rear seat is a tad cramped for legroom and the boot space isn’t all that generous. If you can ignore these few little faults the CX3 is the perfect crossover in a sea of options out there. It’s worthy of the shortlist.

Likes: It’s the most driver focused of its segment. The CX3 is easy to live with and has low running costs with an attractive starting price.

Dislikes: We would list them but they’re just nitpicks.

Our pick: Go right for the Sport or Touring trims. You won’t regret either of them, if you can pocket the extra money opt for the all-wheel-drive system.

Top pick: Mazda CX-9

You’d be pretty daft to think that Mazda isn’t capable of making a great seven-seat crossover. The proof is in the CX-9 which in our opinion is one of the best options out there if you need seven-seats but don’t want to lose driving entertainment. It’s our top pick after all.

The 2.5 turbo four-cylinder pumps out 250hp and a diesel-like 310lb-ft torque. You can use regular fuel on this engine but the output will drop to 227hp and well a 23hp loss in power is not worth saving few nickels and dimes. We highly recommend using premium fuel to get the fuel 250hp from that four-cylinder engine. The best part of the CX-9 is the fact that despite it not having much horsepower it doesn’t feel sluggish to drive; it’s actually the complete opposite. The high torque at low revs gives the CX-9 so much pull that driving around town is smoother than you’d think and when it comes to passing on the highway, the four-cylinder manages to cope with the heavy weight of the CX-9 with surprising amounts of flexibility. Steering feedback is amazing and the chassis manages to be comfortable and agile. Road noise is present but it is far from annoying or a deal breaker, you can easily drain it out with the radio, wind noise wont’ be much of an issue either thanks to good interior insulation.

The front seats offer superb comfort and the driving position is spot on good. The second row is good in space as well while the third row is surprisingly comfortable with plenty of comfort features to help it feel less claustrophobic. The CX-9 may not have the same amount of cargo space as a Chevy Suburban with both two rows of seats folded down but to say that the CX-9 isn’t roomy enough ultimately means that you’ll have to pick either a Chevy Suburban or Ford Expedition EL.

The dashboard is first class in refinement and the fact that all the controls and dials are within reach of the driver’s hand and are easy to use. The infotainment system is actually quite easy to navigate through with all the menus logically laid out, even though we still bash them for being too distracting while on the go. The Bluetooth connectivity is so seamless to use and isn’t as fussy as the Nissan Maxima we had as a tester.

Our tester car was the Grand Touring trim which came with LED headlights, 20-inch alloy wheels, optional all-wheel-drive system and a Bose premium audio system. Also included in our CX-9 was navigation system, lane departure warning, distance pacing cruise control and blind spot monitoring system (this feature came in handy as we nearly cut-off a few people who rode in our blind spot during a brief drive on the highway).

There are few crossovers that really do tickle our fancy and make us wish we had a need for seven-seats. The CX-9 is one of those crossovers. It really does live up to the ‘zoom-zoom’ with the way it feels on the road and how comfortable and easy it is to live with despite it being a large seven-seat crossover. The only other crossover that doesn’t feel as daunting to drive is the Mercedes GLE and well not everyone wants to pay the premium for one, thus the CX-9 literally is the best of the best and is our top pick.

Likes: The turbo four-cylinder is smooth and offers plenty of flexibility, while running costs is within reason. It can fit up to seven people and doesn’t feel daunting to drive.

Dislikes: Don’t use regular fuel!

Our pick: Most people will be happiest with the Sport or Touring trim. We highly suggest going right for the Grand Touring Trim. It comes with so much kit standard and the asking price is actually quite reasonable. It may be a tad too pricey for some but what you get in return is well justified.