2019 Mazda 3 BP

[StockEngine]

1. Should i get the cx-3 sole variant or the similarly priced m3 sportback elite? Is it low enough for old people with arthritis to be having a hard time standing from a sitting position? Would the limited rear visibility, more pronounced coz of the thick C-pillar in m3, be manageable? (havent sched a test drive for the m3 yet)
2. Is the i-activsense worth the price bump for the m3 sportback premium? The blind spot monitoring and rear traffic alert would really help with the limited rear visibility. However, It comes with the i-stop.
3. or should i wait for cx-30? I can probably hold off deciding if it arrives early next year with price range 1.6-1.8M…or am I way off of my price and arrival predictions.

Pasensya sa mahabang kwento at maraming tanong
Thanks sir Arch and Sir JohnM for the reply.

low vehicles will require passengers to squat lower.. if you really want to torture your mother in law.. the lower the better.
cx30 is a better proportioned cuv. nvm the cx3. will the cx30 come though? i would say 51%

[travajante]

Having said that Sir Travs, hope to get some advice from you and the other members here as well.

My considerations are limited garage space, ground clearance, non CVT.
Will use mostly for city driving with occational drive to the province.
Did my initial research and narrowed it down to CX-3 sport trim. The reviews on drive engagement won me over despite the low ground clearance compared to other badges within its class.
Went to our local dealer, found out that there is only one variant and realized I made a mistake of basing my choice from foreign reviews where in safety features were standard in all trims. Went back to reading to find something to justify settling for the base trim and came upon this forum. Here, I learned about the i-stop and its expensive battery requirement which is no longer a feature in the 2019 cx-3...I considered this a plus together with the rearview camera and the center armrest. So, went back to casa to test drive and noted limited rear visibility (first time to drive a hatchback designed vehicle). While there, I was also able to check the new m3 and was surprised that it's in the same price range as the cx-3 despite the 7 airbags, updated infotainment, sunroof, leatherette seats and more. Now I'm conflicted.

1. Should i get the cx-3 sole variant or the similarly priced m3 sportback elite? Is it low enough for old people with arthritis to be having a hard time standing from a sitting position? Would the limited rear visibility, more pronounced coz of the thick C-pillar in m3, be manageable? (havent sched a test drive for the m3 yet)
2. Is the i-activsense worth the price bump for the m3 sportback premium? The blind spot monitoring and rear traffic alert would really help with the limited rear visibility. However, It comes with the i-stop.
3. or should i wait for cx-30? I can probably hold off deciding if it arrives early next year with price range 1.6-1.8M…or am I way off of my price and arrival predictions.

Pasensya sa mahabang kwento at maraming tanong
Thanks sir Arch and Sir JohnM for the reply.

The updated CX3's biggest upgrade was actually a downgrade...iStop delete. It was meant to hold its price post-excise & to give the pricey batt fears some respite. Its advantages over the new 1.5L base BP 3 are its 2.0 engine & ground clearance....sits higher but is actually smaller. Both are rear beamed. The 3 has the better tuned 1.
I've been thru utes, sedans, hatches & I'm admittedly partial to the latter's versatility, practicality & ease. I can load more of anything than w/ their butted counters. The hatches generally have shorter overhangs than sedans, too. This increases approach/exit angle tolerances. The smaller hatch hind visibility has never been an issue for me on any of those I've gone thru. It could differ from driver to driver tho. I've sat on the BP Hatch, made some actual comparisons w/ the gen3...the difference isn't as much as the C-pillar magnifies it to be(pic shows BP top, BM under). The rearview cams many new cars come equipped with further renders it a non-issue.
On i-activesense's worth...Is it a deal maker or breaker? Not for me. Good to have, not must-haves. The 360°cam & all them toys are nice additions. Increased safety always has value. And, watchout...Anything premium, from looks, smell or touch, can hypnotically turn wants into needs.[emoji13] Personally, what makes the higher trim worthier for the cost difference is the 2.0 engine. It provides good power-weight ratio & efficiency. This 1's a slightly heavier car than the 3rd gen, be reminded.
Do not fear iStop. You can either live greenly w/ it, or care less about the environment & keep it off. EFBs, these days, are more affordable. Good brands like Panasonic, Delkor, Yuasa, Optima are now locally available. Investing in a CTEK CT5 Start/Stop batt conditioner should make you less batt-price-cost-phobic.[emoji4]
On age, ailments & ergonomics...I've a creaky back from congenital hyperactivity disorder & years of hardcourt abuse. Either I never realized or I just never magnified any of that w/ low cars. Guess my love for driving fun far outweighs any in/egress discomfort/inconvenience to have noticed. So, this 1 is best left for your 1st hand test. [emoji4]
Between the CX3 & the new3? Both are equally pretty. Not exactly apples to apples, but the latter has everything updated, way more premium. It's like a choice between aiming up for the 3 or settling for the CX. Could be coz the 3's novelty caused some sudden unintended aging on the CX3. The CX30, however, might tick all your boxes & be your most viable on paper. It's practically a 3...lifted. Wait, if you're patience-gifted. Yearend ETA.[emoji4]
Everything, all the noise, the opinions, reviews, comparisons here & everywhere shouldn't matter. Your options are all good. I would suggest going to a corner w/ a good birdseye & lotsa silence ...shut the mind & listen to what your heart whispers....Those purchases always end up being loved more....longer.[emoji4][emoji106]

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[TheUninvited]

Just get the CX-30, although I hate the body claddings on it, it's too much, like the Suzuki XL6.

The CX-3 will probably get axed and will be reborn as the CX-2 along with the all-new 2. But it has just been face lifted in Japan, so the all-new 2 might take some time pa.

[travajante]

Just get the CX-30, although I hate the body claddings on it, it's too much, like the Suzuki XL6.

Forget not the Kona. Plastics everywhere, all over.[emoji16]



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[car newbie]

low vehicles will require passengers to squat lower.. if you really want to torture your mother in law.. the lower the better.
cx30 is a better proportioned cuv. nvm the cx3. will the cx30 come though? i would say 51%

Unfortunately, that question was for the benefit of my old man. But ill keep that in mind for future reference hehe. Thanks for the input sir.

[car newbie]

Forget not the Kona. Plastics everywhere, all over.[emoji16]



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You are exactly right about turning wants into needs. The Kona was actually up for contention. It fit perfectly to my buying considerations and would have been a huge savings given the price plus the huge discount the SA offered. Unfortunately, I saw the cx-3 first and was shown the highest trim. Dang, kona didn’t stand a chance. Had I seen it first, I wouldn't be drowning in indecision right now.

[car newbie]

Just get the CX-30, although I hate the body claddings on it, it's too much, like the Suzuki XL6.

The CX-3 will probably get axed and will be reborn as the CX-2 along with the all-new 2. But it has just been face lifted in Japan, so the all-new 2 might take some time pa.

I don't mind it…I'm not particular on looks alone. Though, i appreciate looks with substance.
In fact I find the new kodo design a negative. Not because I find it ugly, quite the opposite, I find it too elegant, a head turner…and there lies the problem coz I don’t like the attention it gets.

Your input sir theuninvited is always welcome

[car newbie]

The updated CX3's biggest upgrade was actually a downgrade...iStop delete. It was meant to hold its price post-excise & to give the pricey batt fears some respite. Its advantages over the new 1.5L base BP 3 are its 2.0 engine & ground clearance....sits higher but is actually smaller. Both are rear beamed. The 3 has the better tuned 1.
I've been thru utes, sedans, hatches & I'm admittedly partial to the latter's versatility, practicality & ease. I can load more of anything than w/ their butted counters. The hatches generally have shorter overhangs than sedans, too. This increases approach/exit angle tolerances. The smaller hatch hind visibility has never been an issue for me on any of those I've gone thru. It could differ from driver to driver tho. I've sat on the BP Hatch, made some actual comparisons w/ the gen3...the difference isn't as much as the C-pillar magnifies it to be(pic shows BP top, BM under). The rearview cams many new cars come equipped with further renders it a non-issue.
On i-activesense's worth...Is it a deal maker or breaker? Not for me. Good to have, not must-haves. The 360°cam & all them toys are nice additions. Increased safety always has value. And, watchout...Anything premium, from looks, smell or touch, can hypnotically turn wants into needs.[emoji13] Personally, what makes the higher trim worthier for the cost difference is the 2.0 engine. It provides good power-weight ratio & efficiency. This 1's a slightly heavier car than the 3rd gen, be reminded.
Do not fear iStop. You can either live greenly w/ it, or care less about the environment & keep it off. EFBs, these days, are more affordable. Good brands like Panasonic, Delkor, Yuasa, Optima are now locally available. Investing in a CTEK CT5 Start/Stop batt conditioner should make you less batt-price-cost-phobic.[emoji4]
On age, ailments & ergonomics...I've a creaky back from congenital hyperactivity disorder & years of hardcourt abuse. Either I never realized or I just never magnified any of that w/ low cars. Guess my love for driving fun far outweighs any in/egress discomfort/inconvenience to have noticed. So, this 1 is best left for your 1st hand test. [emoji4]
Between the CX3 & the new3? Both are equally pretty. Not exactly apples to apples, but the latter has everything updated, way more premium. It's like a choice between aiming up for the 3 or settling for the CX. Could be coz the 3's novelty caused some sudden unintended aging on the CX3. The CX30, however, might tick all your boxes & be your most viable on paper. It's practically a 3...lifted. Wait, if you're patience-gifted. Yearend ETA.[emoji4]
Everything, all the noise, the opinions, reviews, comparisons here & everywhere shouldn't matter. Your options are all good. I would suggest going to a corner w/ a good birdseye & lotsa silence ...shut the mind & listen to what your heart whispers....Those purchases always end up being loved more....longer.[emoji4][emoji106]

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Thanks sir travs, as usual a very insightful advice.
I was aware of the 2L engine, I just figure the 1.5L would be enough for my use case. I did marked the curb weight with X on the spec sheet of the m3 during my comparison. Just never put the two together to come up with power to weight ratio and its importance to efficiency….heard that term a lot in some reviews they just never explained it well for a non enthusiast to grasp its advantage…or maybe it's a common knowledge and I just slept thru class when it was explained in high school physics hehe.

The camera will surely help with rear visibility, but will it stay on even on drive gear? Coz my only other experience with 360 camera is that it turns off once speed picks up. My concern with limited rear visibility is not really with parking but motorcyclists doing lane splitting. Especially with the motorcycle TNVS becoming more prevalent because of worsening traffic.

To show you my level of automotive knowledge, I had to google "overhang" when you mentioned it haha. Thus my indifference to the change to beam from multilink. I did watched savagegeese and a malaysian rally champion explain the better tuned beam. I'm learning, in the meantime, ill just take the word of experts on this. 😀

It's not just the price of i-stop batt. I find the constant on and off of the engine to be weird, I couldn’t find better word to describe it. The daily maintenance with a batt conditioner is too much of a change from the low upkeep of my old manual daily drive. But I guess, all these will be manageable with time. Supply and demand will lower the price, ill get use to the weird stop and go, if not ill always have the option to turn it off. Lastly, I'll probably find a way to turn the upkeep into a routine so it won't seem a hassle.

Thanks for the ETA tip for the cx-30, I could never get my SA to squeal. I'll probably use the time waiting for the cx-30 to mull things over.

Thanks again for all your input. Enjoyed your post on paint hardness btw, it was an amazing read

[travajante]

You are exactly right about turning wants into needs. The Kona was actually up for contention. It fit perfectly to my buying considerations and would have been a huge savings given the price plus the huge discount the SA offered. Unfortunately, I saw the cx-3 first and was shown the highest trim. Dang, kona didn’t stand a chance. Had I seen it first, I wouldn't be drowning in indecision right now.

Try calling other Mazda dealerships, sir. Some may still have the CX3 trim you're looking for. There were no changes from 2018-19. The only update it got was the GVC addition & iStop deletion.

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[travajante]

Thanks sir travs, as usual a very insightful advice.
I was aware of the 2L engine, I just figure the 1.5L would be enough for my use case. I did marked the curb weight with X on the spec sheet of the m3 during my comparison. Just never put the two together to come up with power to weight ratio and its importance to efficiency….heard that term a lot in some reviews they just never explained it well for a non enthusiast to grasp its advantage…or maybe it's a common knowledge and I just slept thru class when it was explained in high school physics hehe.

The camera will surely help with rear visibility, but will it stay on even on drive gear? Coz my only other experience with 360 camera is that it turns off once speed picks up. My concern with limited rear visibility is not really with parking but motorcyclists doing lane splitting. Especially with the motorcycle TNVS becoming more prevalent because of worsening traffic.

To show you my level of automotive knowledge, I had to google "overhang" when you mentioned it haha. Thus my indifference to the change to beam from multilink. I did watched savagegeese and a malaysian rally champion explain the better tuned beam. I'm learning, in the meantime, ill just take the word of experts on this. [emoji3]

It's not just the price of i-stop batt. I find the constant on and off of the engine to be weird, I couldn’t find better word to describe it. The daily maintenance with a batt conditioner is too much of a change from the low upkeep of my old manual daily drive. But I guess, all these will be manageable with time. Supply and demand will lower the price, ill get use to the weird stop and go, if not ill always have the option to turn it off. Lastly, I'll probably find a way to turn the upkeep into a routine so it won't seem a hassle.

Thanks for the ETA tip for the cx-30, I could never get my SA to squeal. I'll probably use the time waiting for the cx-30 to mull things over.

Thanks again for all your input. Enjoyed your post on paint hardness btw, it was an amazing read

Ah, the discerning![emoji106].. At the rate you're digging, you'll quickly outgrow & regret the 'newbie' handle, sir.[emoji4]
Worry not about iStop. There are reversible tricks & methods to keep it constantly off w/o using the iStop button. Flipping the hood switch is 1.... And, the CTEK habit will soon become automatic.
Limited rear visibility & root crop riders are a cautionary & valid concern. That may need a lil warming up to. Good thing humans were programmed adaptive. You'll learn to compensate.
All that said, please keep us posted on what you'd finally choose. I've confidence it will be the ideal 1 for your needs....& wants. Meantime, while the wait away by imagining em mods. Good luck, sir![emoji4]


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