The curve came out of nowhere.
Screaming down a rolling back highway just after dark, I was enjoying the Mazda CX-3's playfulness. A willing powertrain and taut handling acted like a curling iron on the desolate Arkansas highway-turning tight curves in gently flowing sweeps and broad ones into a flat-out straightaway.
Perhaps some other maniac took out the warning signs, but the right angle caught me off-guard. I tapped the paddle shifter from 6th gear down to 3rd to get some engine braking and gather enough torque for the back end, tapped the brakes, which grabbed quickly and firmly and, as I entered the curve, Mazda's G-Vectoring control system eased up on the throttle just enough to push down on the front end, smoothly delivering more traction.
A second later, I saw an exit point, punched the 146-hp, 2.0-L four-cylinder and shot out of there like Mr. Toad on just another wild ride.
Competing as a subcompact in a crowded class that includes the Honda CR-V and Jeep Renegade, the CX-3, starting out at $20,110 and topping out just north of $26,000, lays claim to being the best in class if, for no other reason, it is the most fun to drive.
Hey, it's Mazda. Zoom-Zoom, baby.
For 2018, more refinement
The CX-3's responsiveness, high build quality and impressive interiors has made it one of our favorites since the latest redesign in 2013. Although many manufacturers "refresh" models with surface tweaks that are materially insignificant, Mazda has continued to add meat to the bones of the CX-3.
For 2018, Mazda added low-speed automated emergency braking, honed the suspension, added thicker window glass, more sound-deadening material and improved the door seals, all to make the car as quiet as a near-luxury sedan.
The G-vectoring control, standard on all models, is a system of software and engine controllers that take the edge off corners and deliver a smooth ride. This is especially critical in subcompacts, which tend to have a choppy ride because of short wheelbases. The CX-3 rides more like a midsize SUV, a remarkable technological breakthrough.
Add best-in-class fuel economy-EPA-estimated 29 city, 34 highway, 31 combined, and what's not to like?
One thing might be a lack of interior volume. Rear seats are cramped and the cargo hold is plenty big for a grocery run, but might gag on a week's worth of luggage.
This, then, is a fine car for young couples and empty-nesters, but growing families might want to look elsewhere.
Safety costs
Move up to the mid-level touring model, $22,195, and you get automatic headlamps, rain-sensing windshield wipers and automatic climate control. A $1,410 preferred equipment package adds a power moonroof, Bose 7-speaker sound system, and HD radio with four months of Sirius satellite tossed.
At that, you would have a supremely well-equipped automobile and a payment one can live with, but it wouldn't meet current safety standards.
To get a full set of driver assist technologies, one must move up to the Grand Touring ($25,165) and add a $1,435 Premium package that includes radar cruise control with close proximity warning, smart brake support (we followed a car off the interstate all the way to a stop light and never touched the brakes), lane departure warning, high beam control and distance recognition support.
By our reckoning, that adds up to about $4,500 for a safety suite that Toyota makes standard on nearly every vehicle it sells, and Honda offers for around $1,100. Hmmm
To be sure, Mazda tosses in some other goodies, like a 6-way power driver's seat with lumbar control, driver's seat memory, heated steering wheel and traffic sign recognition, which flashes in a Heads-Up Display in the driver's line of sight. Hey, it keeps an eye on speed limit and stop signs, a nice feature, but Beautiful Blonde Bride offers the same service free.
We keep saying these technologies are critical. A bunch of those fatalities on I-30 would never have occurred if cars and trucks were required to have radar cruise control. Some manufacturers seem more inclined to make a profit off their customers rather than to keep them alive.
Bottom line
For less than $28,000, the CX-3 Grand Touring with all the bells and whistles is one of the safest and sweetest driving crossovers on the road. It's a value leader.