- Doors and Seats
5 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
2.0i, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
114kW, 200Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (91) 5.8L/100KM
- Manufacturer
FWD
- Transmission
Auto
- Warranty
3 Yr, Unltd KMs
- Ancap Safety
5/5 star (2016)
2018 Mazda 3 Maxx Sport review
I only recently bought the car – just last week. The exterior is beautiful, especially in the Soul Red crystal metallic paint colour. It has a gorgeous depth to it that just makes the car look totally stunning.
- Ease of using the infotainment system
- Auto headlights
- Auto wipers
- The comfort of the seats
- The general feel and quality of the car
- Missing sunglasses holder
- Lacking Apple CarPlay
- Doesn’t have DRLs
The interior is also amazing and completely functional. It has a reasonably sized centre console where the 12V input can be found, a large glovebox, two central cupholders, and a little place for your keys to sit under the instrument cluster.
The steering wheel has a beautiful leather finish that is really nice and it doesn’t feel cheap or crap – it’s really nice quality! The seats are nicely bolstered, so it makes cornering super fun when you put your foot down. And with the G-Vectoring tech that it has, it really makes any cornering effortless.
With the car having a centre-placed display that looks as though it just floats there, I was unsure about how functional it would be and the ergonomics of it. And despite my first thoughts of the central dial being difficult to use when the car is moving, I was surprised by how easy it was to actually change the radio station I was listening to, or to quickly change where your destination was going to be through your navigation.
It’s also got auto headlights and auto wipers, which just make the driving experience that much better.
I do have a few dislikes, such as the fact the car doesn’t have a sunglasses holder, which I think every car should have. You can place them in the little shelf under the climate-control dials, but I would just like a sunglasses holder. The car lacks Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which I think is frankly insane. I can live without it, but it would make things a lot easier. And, lastly, I don’t like that it doesn't have daytime running lights, which for its price and everything it really should.
Despite lacking Apple CarPlay, the Bluetooth connection is fantastic: it quickly connects and plays music from the last song I was listening to; the steering wheel controls are super easy to use and work great; and being able to push a button and tell the car to call someone is just fantastic.
The engine, for what it is, a 2.0-litre four-cylinder, definitely has enough power to easily make it up inclines, especially Mount Ousley. The transmission is smooth and doesn’t jerk you around when changing gears, which is the reason I love it as I’ve come out of a manual. Contrary to popular belief, the cabin noise is actually not that noticeable. Of course, there is a bit, but who drives in a completely quiet car?
As for the reliability of the car, I can’t really comment as I’ve only driven it for 400km.
For future improvements, I think it would be nice to add features such as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to further increase the ease of using the infotainment system, and I would also like the sunglasses holder and DRLs put into future models.
I highly recommend this car for someone who wants lots of features for the price. Especially when compared to other cars in its class, its quality trumps that of all the others.
A Note from the Editor: A stock image has been supplied with this review.