New member with a million questions..... at least!

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sillothboy
Posts: 8
Joined: Sun Feb 03, 2019 2:09 pm
Location: Cumbria UK

Post by sillothboy »

Good afternoon fellow forum members. I've just joined as an "honorary member" as I'm researching for a new car. The CX 3 Sport Nav+ is very high on the list but I'm not sure which specification to aim for.
I like the idea of the memory function for seating which pushes me towards leather seats which I've never had before and I wonder about the practical aspect of them. (Keeping them clean and in good condition.) The seats then force me to have the safety pack but that's no hardship as I'm keen on the adaptive headlights idea.
The next question regards 121 vs 150 engine. I noticed there's not much difference in pure 0-60 performance but I wondered if any of you guys had a view on the real difference in feel between the two. Of course, the 150 engine then forces AWD on me. Again, something I've not experienced before so I would like to hear any opinions.
I think that will do for now! I apologise if this is rather vague or not a valid question for the forum. Please treat me gently, I'm new here and not even an owner..... yet.
2019 CX3 Sport Nav+ 2WD Petrol. Stone leather seats. Finally got rid of the Captur!

switchback
Posts: 138
Joined: Mon Oct 01, 2018 4:55 pm
Location: South Norfolk

Post by switchback »

The stone leather seats are way better than the standard half leather ones as they are more supportive especially in the lumbar region of your back.

If you don't need AWD then I'd stick with the 120 for better fuel economy and larger fuel tank as even the big one is tiny.
2018 CX3+ Sport Nav 120 Petrol Manual. Machine Grey.
sillothboy
Posts: 8
Joined: Sun Feb 03, 2019 2:09 pm
Location: Cumbria UK

Post by sillothboy »

Thanks switchback. You made some really good observations. I had no idea the seats were so different or that there were discrepancies in the fuel tank sizes. I guess I'm starting to appreciate the community spirit here.
2019 CX3 Sport Nav+ 2WD Petrol. Stone leather seats. Finally got rid of the Captur!
Handy Andy
Posts: 283
Joined: Tue Oct 24, 2017 9:46 pm
Location: Crowborough, East Sussex

Post by Handy Andy »

The adaptive headlights are well worth having and justify the safety pack even without the other benefits. As for keeping the leather seats clean, a simple wipe over is all they need. One thing about the leather seats is they appear to be a full hide thickness and are very substantial.
Stick with the 120ps two wheel drive. It may not sound very powerful but the power delivery is really quite impressive. You don't say whether you are looking at manual or auto. I have the auto version and the gearbox is silky smooth. If you want to change manually use can use the flappy paddles or the gear lever. In my opinion there is no advantage in going manual. (Now that's going to open up a can of worms!).
Car sold - but still following Mazda.
Handy Andy
Posts: 283
Joined: Tue Oct 24, 2017 9:46 pm
Location: Crowborough, East Sussex

Post by Handy Andy »

Oh and while I think about it, seeing you have a Capture, boy you are going to notice the vastly improved handling characteristics and driver involvement.
Car sold - but still following Mazda.
Strangways
Posts: 751
Joined: Mon Feb 06, 2017 10:35 pm
Location: Edenbridge Kent
Contact:

Post by Strangways »

Hi sillothboy and welcome to the forums.
I think the memory function for the seats is a great idea if you regularly have different drivers in the car. As my wife doesn't drive it seemed a bit unnecessary for me. I find the lumber support in the standard seats of the latest 2018 model superb and a great improvement over the previous seats. I have the safety pack on my MX-5 and find the Blind Spot Monitoring very useful, but I never use the adaptive headlights as I refuse to set the lights on auto after a very near collision. I agree with Handy Andy that the 120ps two wheel drive is probably the best choice unless you intend to be doing a lot of driving in the snow. The 0-60 times are somewhat irrelevant, I'm sure not many people have ever needed to reach 60 miles an hour in 9 seconds in the real world. I have changed from a manual to an auto and as Andy says it is a very smooth gearbox and you do have the facility of driving manually if you really need to. As I have the manual box in the MX-5 I can use that if I want to 'play'.
Whatever you buy, manual, auto, safety pack etc.. you will enjoy the unique experience that only comes with driving a Mazda.
2019 CX-3 2.0 Sport Nav+ Automatic in ETERNAL BLUE
2015 MX-5 2.0 Sport Nav Manual in SOUL RED
Deleted User 1027

Post by Deleted User 1027 »

Just to add the 120ps is more than enough.
Next time i would like the safety pack but don't miss it on my current car
Re Leather seats,i have them on my other car and find them too warm in summer and too cold in winter even heated as they take too long to warm up.
I prefer the half cloth/half leather on my current car.
As for manual/auto my wife will drive nothing BUT manual but the auto in the CX3 is supposed to be the best in the class.
I found the biggest problem was the colour choice but that's another story.

Mark
sillothboy
Posts: 8
Joined: Sun Feb 03, 2019 2:09 pm
Location: Cumbria UK

Post by sillothboy »

Thanks everybody! Some really useful information there which has helped a lot. Sorry I forgot to mention I'm looking at a manual box.
I've never been interested in leather seats but it's the only way to get the memory function plus the infinite adjustment. I wish it could be an option with the standard seats which I much prefer. Does anybody who has a CX-3 with leather seats have any view on the hot/cold observation from MJC1216?
Yes, HandyAndy, I wondered if anyone would comment on the Captur. I describe driving it as ....... like watching an aged relative knitting a jumper. You know you have to do it but it's not very entertaining. It was a joy to test-drive the CX-3. No more seasickness and constant hopping round corners wondering whether it will come out the other side intact!
2019 CX3 Sport Nav+ 2WD Petrol. Stone leather seats. Finally got rid of the Captur!
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HouseSpider
Posts: 545
Joined: Thu Jan 11, 2018 11:47 am
Location: New Forest

Post by HouseSpider »

This is the first auto car I've had in 40+ years of driving and I wouldn't go back to manual.
Never had a problem with the seat temperatures. And they are reasonably quick to heat. I just wish I had the heated steering wheel.
Sports Nav Auto Petrol 2017, 131bhp (chipped), Soul Red, Half Stone Leather, Safety Pack, Arm Rest, Auto Folding Mirror Kit, Detachable Tow Bar, HatchBag Boot Liner, Stebel Nautilus Compact horn. Space saver.
switchback
Posts: 138
Joined: Mon Oct 01, 2018 4:55 pm
Location: South Norfolk

Post by switchback »

Definitely try the different seats. I test drove an older model(SEL?) with cloth seats and I didn't think the lumber support was very good. I then sat in a Sport Nav with stone leather and they were MUCH better. The dealer said that all the Sport Nav seats were the same but with different covers. When I got the car ( last Autumn) I found that they were the same as the lower grade cars but in half leather with insufficient lumbar support for my personal needs. I swapped between my car and the showroom cars' stone leather and the difference was obvious. If I had known this I would have gone for the stone leather even though I don't particularly like the colour.

I think the AWD fuel tank is only 1 litre smaller.................................. My local garage does a fuel offer where you get 4 pence per litre off if you get more than 40 litres and I have to run it for some time with the low fuel light lit to get 40 litres in.
2018 CX3+ Sport Nav 120 Petrol Manual. Machine Grey.
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