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If you wanna find the hot spot in the U.S. and European car market right now, you're almost certainly gonna end up in what they call the subcompact crossover, [SOUND] like the Honda HR-V, the Nissan Juke, or the new Jeep Renegade.
Notice Mazda's not on my list.
Well, they are now.
Let's drive the CX-3.
Check the tech.
[SOUND]
Now, a sub compact crossover is sub compact.
This guys based on a Mazda-2.
That fits in your pocket.
I swear a lot of folks buy cars in this class because they're kind of like Hot Wheels, you just want to collect a bunch of them.
That said, I had tons of head room in the front.
Honestly, too much.
second row seats, credible, rear cargo bay is stubby but it's got this cool smugglers box, full width in the back.
Overall, good space use.
Now, Mazda does some really handsome, sporty cabins these days.
I think and I would not have said that about them even three model years ago.
This is a Nice step up.
Unfortunately, they let you **** it all up with color schemes.
This car is mica blue with black and ivory and burgundy.
Are they kidding?
This looks awful.
Luckily, the technology's improved quite a bit.
Beautiful, tight resolution display.
This little thing's what they call the AD display.
It's a poor man's HUD.
It leaves me kind of underwhelmed.
It shows too little information with too little resolution on too little real estate.
Luckily you've got a touch screen and you've got some of the better voice command in an affordable car, I find.
It's quick to recognize phrases, add [UNKNOWN] as a single throw.
Unfortunately though, The prompts are horsey and rigid for the things you can say, and it's not on-line search.
So you're gonna have to pull out your phone and search for the address and then put it in here.
By then you're gonna just stay on your phone.
The Home menu is logical, the map looks really clean, apps primarily live under Entertainment and include Pandora, Stitcher, and Aha.
Both are excellently integrated, I found.
There is an Apps menu But it's nonsense.
It's more like a few vehicle services screens.
All this is controlled by one of the more awkward knob sets in the business, straight down in front of the armrest.
First thing I see is what I don't see because I'm blinded by this amazingly shiny bezel on top of.
The screen.
How did that get through?
Wow, when the sun is just right, you can't even see the screen cuz this thing's glaring you so much.
Mazda's tend to be taught compared to their competitors.
Also didn't have a growly engine note.
This is not a car that tries to isolate out the power train like so many other vehicles.
They let you know it's whirring and grinding.
Winding and buzzing away in there.
That can be a little atonal when you step on it.
This under my right hand is real six-speed automatic, by the way.
Not some kind of CDT or otherwise new-fangled gearbox.
It's got real bite between the gears, it's quite perky.
Overall, it's just a vehicle that feels tight and well-sprung And kind of honest and unfiltered, that's kind of a Mazda trait.
Okay, now out on the freeway, listen to this.
Sounds like I got a bad subwoofer channel or something.
That's actually what they call a rumble sound to alert you that you're drifting across the lane.
Lane.
It's passive but it sounds weird and, to me, it doesn't sound like a lane warning.
I'm not sure it's good HMI or not.
The optional driver-assist technology continues from there to include Smart City Brake Support.
From around 2 to 18 miles an hour, a forward-looking laser detects if you're about to run into something.
Gives you a warning, pre charges the brakes, and then brakes on its own if you don't.
Also includes adaptive cruise control, line spot warning technology, and adaptive steering front headlights.
[UNKNOWN] starting at $25,900 delivered.
That's for a grand touring, pretty well loaded Another 1,250 for all wheel drive.
That's your call.
Just under $2,000 for the adaptive driver assist technologies.
The price isn't bad there, and I'm at about 27,800 out the door.
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