If you know you're going to be fashionably late to a party, you should at least try to bring the best snacks. Maybe some of those little chicken salad sandwiches with the crust trimmed off, for example, instead of a bag of Doritos and can of bean dip.
Sub-compact SUVs comprise the hottest new segment in the automotive world. In just the past year or so, this column has featured the Buick Encore, Chevrolet Trax, Honda HR-V, Fiat 500X and Jeep Renegade.
Now comes Mazda's new CX-3 - built on a platform shared with the soon-to-be-introduced Mazda 2 sub-compact car. And we are delighted to report the Mazda CX-3 - although a tad late to the party - might be the tastiest of the group. At least it's the "cute-ute" most likely to appeal to those who yearn for a bit of driving excitement.
Like all new Mazdas, the CX-3 benefits from the automotive company's Sky-active technology, a combination of weight-saving construction and high-tech engine design that results in cars that handle like more expensive pieces and get great gas mileage, too. The CX-3 is rated at 35 mpg highway, 29 mpg city.
Our top-trim Grand Touring tester from Ed Kirby's Adventure Mazda in downtown Chattanooga is coated in Mazda's luminescent Soul Red paint (a $300 upgrade). With a sticker price of $26,225, this is no bargain-basement vehicle. Still, the level of power plant refinement and first-rate interior design make it an excellent value.
Fast facts
* Model: 2016 Mazda CX-3* Exterior color: Soul Red* Interior color: Black* Engine: 2.0 liter, four-cylinder* Horsepower: 146* Transmission: Six-speed automatic* Fuel economy: 35 mpg highway, 29 mpg city* Dealer: Ed Kirby's Adventure Mazda* Price (as tested): $26,225
The upscale interior of the new Mazda CX-3 outshines any other SUV in the segment.The price range for the CX-3, Mazda's smallest SUV, starts at $19,960 for the Sport trim, and climbs to $21,960 for Touring models and $24,990 for Grand Touring versions.
STYLING AND FEATURES
The CX-3 is a pure expression of Mazda's Kodo design language which seeks to capture "the very instant when energy becomes motion." For example, Mazda explains, designers try to embody the moment when an animal pounces on its prey, or a human athlete springs into action.
The CX-3, with its blunt dimensions and short front and rear overhangs, provides a compact cavass for Kodo design. From its striking, feline-inspired fascia to its sweeping character lines and well-tailored rear third, the CX-3 defies the boxy architecture that usually defines sub-compact SUVs. Instead, it looks like a sexy hatchback - albeit one in six-inch heels.
A high shoulder line and compact windows add to the swept look of the CX-3, and give passengers a sense of sitting deep in the cockpit. This feeling is intensified by soft bucket seats. In our top-of-the-line tester, the seats are upholstered in a combination of real leather and LUX suede accented with red stitching. The same upholstery textures are used on the doors, and burgundy armrests add sophistication.
Base model CX-3 Sports come with such standard equipment as Bluetooth, a 7-inch color touchscreen, a rear-view camera and push-button start. The Touring trim adds blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alerts, advanced keyless entry, 16-inch alloy wheels and faux leather seating surfaces. Grand Touring models add a Bose 7-speaker sound system, navigation, real leather seats (heated in the front), 18-inch wheels and LED light treatments all around.
The dash of the CX-3, like all new Mazdas, features an uncluttered design and a free-standing touch screen. Heat and AC functions are consolidated into three dials on the center stack. Another dial near the hand-brake toggles the touch-screen function from music to navigation mode. Another switch lets you adjust driving dynamics from "sport" to "comfort" settings, depending on your mood.
In one compromise to space, the front-seat cup holders are positioned below a folding center armrest, which means you have a choice to make - handy drinks or arm comfort. All in all, the cockpit is a hospitable place to spend a commute, and you'll soon forget you're in a sub-$30,000 vehicle.
The CX-3 is powered by a 2.0 liter, four-cylinder engine, and all-wheel-drive is about a $1,200 add-on.
DRIVING IMPRESSIONS
We gassed up the CX-3 and took it on a big loop around the city that included Interstate-75, Highway 153 and the Highway 127 corridor. We also took a side trip on a twisty two-lane road by Chickamauga Lake.
Various instrument-tested reviews have clocked the CX-3 at about 8 seconds in the 0-to-60-mph dash. We found the CX-3 plenty quick for daily driving, and we got a kick out of the throaty exhaust note emitted by the 146-horsepower, 2.0 liter engine.
The CX-3 really shines on bendy roads, though, where its excellent steering feedback and light weight make the little SUV a delight to toss about. Just don't count on doing too much tossing with a car full of buddies. The back seats are fine for adults on short hops, but the upright seat-backs and limited knee room will become an issue for grown-ups on longer journeys.
BOTTOM LINE
The CX-3 is a near perfect commuter car: comfortable, stylish and economical. If you've just graduated from college and are looking to upgrade your wheels, a new CX-3 is a great choice.
Contact Mark Kennedy at mkennedy@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6645. Follow him on Twitter @TFPCOLUMNIST. Subscribe to his Facebook updates at www.facebook.com/mkennedycolumnist.