My trusty Yeti may be replaced this year and I am looking at possible candidates .
The Yeti was perfect for me because - it had 4x4 and was great off road , it was compact but had ample space for my fishing gear (rod cases 6’ long ) , it had good ground clearance (I don’t off road for fun but drive a lot on very bumpy and muddy farm and forest tracks ) ,it was surprisingly quick (170bhp TDI ) , did long motorway runs with aplomb and 45 -50mpg .
I hate big SUVs and the Yeti replacement is bigger than I need . The CX3 in 4wd mode is a candidate , along with Qashqai 4wd, Duster (drove one and liked it ), sundry Suzukis etc . Happy to go petrol , after years of diesel but want decent go, especially low down .
Any ideas , comments or experience please ? PS I do not want a Jimny !
I currently have an Mitsubishi ASX 2.2D AWD Auto and all the review sites place the CX3 higher with the exception of space inside. Since Mitsubishi are withdrawing from the European market then buying one is a choice of faith that their dealer network (however it becomes branded) will honour the warranty process effectively.
Before the ASX I had a Jimny and then a Rav 4 (the mistake was getting rid of that).
Other than the MX-5 I have never really considered another Mazda since while I’m prepared to accept the ■■■■ paint and lack of underseal (I have undersealed MX-5’s myself) in the 5 in the pursuit of driving pleasure I want the other car to be better built.
Do you mean the CX-30 as they discontinued the CX-3 a while back?
If you want low down grunt you’ll have to stick with a turbo engine, as the CX-30 has the 2.0 petrol similar to the MX-5 and all the power is up top at high revs.
You should consider the Skoda Karoq and the Seat Ateca, VW Troc, as they are only 15cm longer than a Yeti, not a huge difference.
I had a cx30 as a courtesy car nice bit of kit fully loaded with all the toys but was the 2 litre petrol and was pretty flat ,that’s the trouble with na petrols I guess.
CX-3 is really small, it’s basically an SUV looking version of the Mazda 2, so not much bigger than Fiesta or Polo size.
Won’t that be too small, your fishing gear might not fit?
Agreed re too small for the CX3
We had the Mazda 2 and did look at the CX3.
It’s based on the 2 platform but is taller and not much more room boot and passenger wise.
Like IanH the current Mazda range are not built as good, tinny, cheap materials and plastics.
Ended up with a Volvo (2 years old and mint) in the end.
Do have a look at the CX-30 and CX-5 as the quality is much better than the Mazda 2 and CX3 and MX-5, much more substantial and high quality materials are used.
They are a later generation of Mazda product.
I’d go as far to say the interior of my CX-5 is as good as an Audi for a lot less money.
Not exactly what you specc’d as your next car but my last SUV was a CX7 diesel. Absolutely fantastic car, ultra reliable, excellent build quality, fully loaded with every toy you could wish for (as at 2012,) brisk enough and 40+mpg on a run.
Because they are Euro5 they will attract penalty fees in London soon so they are now cheap as chips.
If you don’t plan on driving to London or other urban areas that have a diesel grudge, they are great vfm. Avoid the 2.3T petrol as they are very thirsty.
The 2.2TD runs with Adblue so are pretty clean compared with older diesels and are big enough to swallow your fishing gear.
It is one of the few cars I really regret parting with.
When scouting for a replacement we did look at a CX3 as we really liked our Mazda2. As others have said it is based on the 2, a little bigger all round and a very good build quality. Two sets of friends have CX3s and they are both very impressed, but for us it was too similar to the 2.
