2016 Mazda CX-3 Akari FWD Automatic REVIEW | Do You Really Need 4WD?
DO YOU REALLY NEED FOUR-WHEEL-DRIVE IN A COMPACT SUV, OR IS FRONT-WHEEL-DRIVE JUST FINE?
And, for that matter, if you are looking for a little luxury and a higher-end feature list, might you be just as well served with a pocket-sized contender – like the leather-timmed, up-specced 2016 Mazda CX-3 Akari – rather than a larger, heavier SUV?
Where once the worth of a luxury vehicle was measured in the enormity of its road footprint, the compact 4.28-metre-long CX-3 actually stops 18cm short of the Mazda3 small hatchback.
However, the equipment level the sporty, sun-roofed CX-3 Akari model provides for $33,290 (plus on-road costs) will embarrass many more-expensive larger SUVs.
So, if you want stylish appointments in an SUV package, and don’t really need to surround yourself with two-tonnes of metal, the Mazda CX-3 Akari might just fit the bill. It certainly oozes appeal.
Vehicle Style: Small SUV
Price: $33,290 (plus on-roads)
Engine/trans: 109kW/192Nm 2.0 litre 4cyl petrol | 6sp automatic
Fuel Economy claimed: 6.1 l/100km | tested: 9.8 l/100km
OVERVIEW
In the first quarter of 2016, the CX-3 notched up 4527 sales, making it the top seller in its segment. So it is popular.
It comes in no less than 14 variants; the Akari model sitting at the top of the CX-3 tree.