First off…can you believe that this school year is almost over?!?! Just a few weeks ago my girls and I spent a week in the Orlando area at my mom’s. My moved there about 3 years and we’ve taken full advantage of having somewhere to stay that feels just like home because it is! LOL And she can only tolerate us in small doses so a week or (4) here and there is enough for her!
While we were there for Spring Break I had the opportunity to travel through Central Florida in a CX-3 Grand Touring AWD thanks to Mazda! This car was perfect for all of the outings that we had planned during the week. My wallet was also happy because the Grand Touring only had to be filled up once with all the driving we did…woohoo!
Before the car was delivered my oldest daughter and I checked out a few Youtube video reviews and immediately feel in love. There were so many amazing features and I kept thinking how this would make a great first car for a new or young driver. When we got the car I loved how sporty it looked. The only downside would be that this is definitely not a car for a large family! It seats 5 but I think 4 would be better and there’s no way you’d be able to comfortably have car seats in the back that were rear facing. The first thing my oldest daughter did was sync her phone with the car so we could listen to KPop…yea that didn’t old -_-
The car included the usual Mazda Infotainment system with navigation, bluetooth and satellite radio with 7 Bose speakers. Other key features are the lane departure warning and the back-up rear camera. Another feature that amazed me why how the intermittent speed for the wipers could sense when the rain picked up and would change speeds on its own. My 15yo thought I was weird for being in awe of this feature and I told her once she becomes a licensed driver she’ll enjoy the little things like that.
The middle area in the front in between the driver and passenger seat was set up pretty weird. You couldn’t have the armrest down if you have drinks in the cup holder. I’d have to say that was the biggest negative for me since its so hot in Florida we always had some type of beverage to keep us cool. And there I was with my arm dangling aimlessly…haha! I really love the active driving display. You’re able to see turn by turn for navigation without taking your eyes off the road. And it also let you know what the posted speed limit was. That part amazed me no matter where we were traveling.
Photo courtesy of Mazda.com
This car was so much fun while we were zooming all over the Orlando area during spring break. We were able to set the navigation up with ease and didn’t have any problems making it to Ikea, Legoland, Busch Gardens or all the shopping centers we hit up.
We enjoyed having a chance to ride in sporty style all week and I think this car would be a great first auto starting at just under $20,000! Have you had a chance to check out the Mazda CX-3? If so, what did you think?
*Disclosure: Mazda loaned me the 2018 Mazda CX-3. All opinions are my own. No form of compensation was received in exchange for this post.*
This was definitely a great vehicle for you three to zip around Florida in. I am always amazed as how little room there actually is in an SUV, but the entertainment system and speakers are so awesome that nothing else really matters – lol. Great review and it’s great seeing you again!
It was def perfect for just us three and my mom when she rode with us. More than that or any tall people and it would not work at all. LOL