Hyundai Kona vs Mazda CX-3

What's the difference?

Can Hyundai disrupt Toyota's hybrid dominance? You bet it can, with the Kona a small on the outside, big on the inside, hyper-efficient hybrid which will tick plenty of boxes.

It’s easy to see why the Mazda CX-3 remains such a favourite with small SUV buyers. The Evolve grade tested is dynamically capable, space efficient and well equipped for the money. That said, although I don’t like being ageist, as it starts to creep up on a decade on sale, the market leader is giving ground to the competition in key areas including design, fuel efficiency and refinement. It’s time for a new-generation model, but in the age of electrification, will there be one? In the meantime, this evergreen favourite remains a solid urban SUV option.

Design is subjective, I know. But this subject reckons the Kona looks fantastic. Mostly because it doesn't look like it's trying too hard.

Sure, the light bar at the front and rear are stand-outs, but beyond them, you've got a pretty understated and stylish SUV.

Even the cheapest Kona's carry a certain design flair, owing mostly to those twin light bars and 18-inch alloys, and there's clever EV-led cooling up front, with the plastic covers that sit where a slatted grille might usually open automatically when the engine bay needs extra cooling. So EV looks with ICE functionality. Clever.

Inside, design cues meet practicality perks in a cabin that leans a little too hard into hard plastics in places. The centre console, for example, is free of a traditional gear selector, with that function moved to a stalk behind the steering wheel, which does free up a heap of space between the front-seat riders.

Elsewhere, the twin-screen setup of the Kona Premium looks the business, and I'm always grateful for physical buttons or dials to control the twin-zone climate and other core functions.

You’re not going to mistake the current CX-3 for anything other than a Mazda, which speaks to the consistency of the brand’s design approach.

Tightly wrapped and neatly detailed the CX-3's exterior has aged well, and thanks to cosmetic tweaks over time it’s still looking clean and contemporary. 

The step up from 16-inch alloys on the lower Sport and Pure grades to 18-inch rims on this Evolve also lifts the look to a more mature, premium level.  

Keenly aware there are various opinions on this set-up when it comes to safety. Touchscreens, by definition, take your eyes off the road ahead, so on one hand it makes sense to transfer control to the rotary dial.

But when you’re using a sequential app like Spotify, it can take a hell of a lot of twirls of that controller to get to where you want to go.

Soon you’re grinding your teeth in frustration which upsets concentration and your eyes are well-and-truly off the road, anyway. 

For what it’s worth, I’d prefer the relative ease of a quick press on the screen rather than having to go ‘around the horn’ to hit your favourite track or podcast.

This new Kona is 30mm taller and 145mm longer than the model it has replaced – now just over 4.3m long, 1.8m wide and close to 1.6m tall – with the packaging improvements felt most in the backseat.

I'm 175cm tall, and I have absolutely no problem sitting behind my own driving position, with ample legroom and headroom. Sure, three adults across the back won't be overly fun, but the Kona stretches the definition of "small SUV", and so this is about as good as you're going to find in this segment.

Elsewhere in the back, there are twin cupholders in the pull-down seat divider, bottle holders in each door, and big central air vents.

Connectivity is another Kona perk, with twin USB points in the rear, more connection points up front (including one that you can direct to Apple CarPlay, or just to charge, so your passenger can plug in without having their phone pop up on the central screen).

The boot opens to reveal 407 litres of storage space, growing to 1241 litres with the rear seats folded flats. Plus you can tailor the space with an adjustable floor height and shopping-bag hooks.

At just under 4.3m long, less than 1.8m wide and a little over 1.5m tall the CX-3’s footprint is squarely city-sized, and no surprise it shares the Mazda2’s 2570mm wheelbase because it’s underpinned by the same platform as the small hatch.

But there’s more than enough breathing room up front and storage options are creative.

Rather than the ubiquitous single storage box between the front seats the CX-3 offers up an adjustable multi-compartment arrangement, with cupholders and bottle retainers ready to flick into position in multiple locations. 

It’s still covered with a padded lid which doubles as an armrest, and there’s also a generous glove box and bins in the doors with space for large bottles, even an overhead drop-down glasses holder.

Move to the back and there’s a surprising amount of head, leg and shoulder room for an SUV of this size. Sure, it’s no limo, but sitting behind the driver’s seat set to my 183cm position, I was pretty comfortable.

Best for two full-size adults in the rear, although a third can squeeze in for short, relatively uncomfortable journeys. Three up to mid-teenage kids will be fine.  

Rear storage includes bottle shaped cavities in the doors, a map pocket on the back of the front passenger seat only (a weird Mazda habit) and dual pop-out cupholders in the fold-down centre armrest.

No adjustable ventilation outlets in the rear, but in a car this compact, their absence isn’t as big an issue as it might be elsewhere.

For power and connectivity, there are two USB-A sockets in the front (one media, one power-only) as well an SD card slot, an ‘aux in’ jack and a 12V outlet. No power options in the rear, which won’t play well with the kids.

With the back seat upright, boot capacity is an okay 264 litres. Enough to accommodate either the largest 124L or the smaller 95L and 36L suitcases from out three-piece set. But not all of them together.

With a bit of not so gentle persuasion, the large CarsGuide pram just squeaked in, but lower the 60/40 split-folding rear backrest and available space expands to 1174L.

Tie-down anchors to help secure loose loads is a plus and a speed-limited space-saver spare sits under the boot floor.

And if you need to hook up a small boat or other lightweight trailer, the CX-3 Evolve is rated to 1200kg (braked) and 640kg (unbraked).

At $31,050, before on-road costs, the G20 Evolve sits in the middle of a five-model CX-3 line-up, which starts with the $G20 Sport ($26,800) and finishes with the G20 Akari ($38,620).

It competes with nine other light SUVs, and to the end of November 2023 has more than doubled the sales volume of its nearest competitors.

Standard seat trim is white synthetic leather with tan synthetic suede inserts (also applied to the doors and dash).

That’s a pretty handy roll-call of included features in this part of the market, which meets or exceeds similarly priced competitors.

Hybrids don’t take much explaining these days, and this one pairs a 1.6-litre petrol engine with a front-motor and a 1.32kWh battery to deliver a total 104kW and 265Nm, which is channeled through a six-speed dual-clutch automatic and sent to the front wheels.

The CX-3 is powered by a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine sending drive to the front wheels via a six-speed auto transmission.

The all-alloy unit features direct-injection and variable valve timing to produce 110kW at 6000rpm and 195Nm at 2800rpm.

The magic of any hybrid is in its fuel use, and this one promises fuel use of just 3.9L/100km. That’s better than the Corolla Cross, by the way, which is more like 4.3L/100km.

That means not only is its 38-litre tank pretty cheap to fill, it should get you almost 1000kms, provided you are gentle with it.

Mazda’s official fuel economy number for the combined (ADR 81/02 - urban, extra-urban) cycle is 6.3L/100km, the 2.0-litre four-cylinder emitting 143g/km of CO2 in the process.

That’s an impressively small emissions figure for a 2.0L petrol engine, more in line with smaller-capacity engines.

Stop-start is standard and over a week of city, suburban, and some freeway running, we averaged 7.4L/100km (at the pump), while the car’s on-board computer indicated 7.1L/100km for the same period.

Minimum fuel requirement is 91 RON ‘standard’ unleaded (or E10) and you’ll need 48 litres of it to fill the tank.

Using the official number, that translates to a driving range of around 760km, which drops to roughly 650km using our real-world figure.

Much like the petrol-powered Konas we've already driven, this hybrid-equipped model is a bit of a treat from behind the wheel.

The real skill, I reckon, isn't necessarily making a car feel sporty, or soft, or super sharp. It's in making a car feel fit for purpose, whether it's a sports car, a family hauler, or a small electrified SUV.

And the Kona fits the bill on that score, with steering that is direct without being too sharp, a ride that's supple enough to be comfy while still inspiring confidence, and NVH levels that are solid when up to speed, too.

In short, it does pretty much exactly what you want a car in this segment to do.

There is clever stuff afoot, though. The flappy paddles behind the steering wheel don't just control regenerative braking levels, but – when Sport mode is engaged – also the gear shifts, allowing you to make the most of that six-speed DCT automatic. That's one of the benefits of having a six-speed 'box, rather than a CVT.

It also might be one of the smoothest-transitioning hybrids I've driven, with no clunky, thrumming engine startup, just seamless shifting between the two power sources.

Downsides? It's really not the most powerful vehicle out there. You don't notice in the city, where there's enough grunt on offer to keep you moving easily enough. But you do notice when you go to overtake on a country road, where you kind of have to take a run up to get the move done quickly.

It also lacks a little bit of refinement from take off, when, if you're too heavy with the accelerator, you can definitely hear the engine and gearbox working hard.

The CX-3’s compact size makes it easy to steer through tight city and suburban streets. 

It weighs in at just under 1.3 tonnes, which is marginally lighter than most of its key competitors, and acceleration is sprightly with the 0-100km/h covered in less than nine seconds.

Close to 200Nm of pulling power is plenty for a car in this class and unusually for a non-turbo engine, peak torque arrives at a relatively low 2800rpm, so there’s ample mid-range urge.

The downside is the 2.0-litre, four-cylinder engine makes its presence felt inside the cabin, with mechanical noise noticeable even at around-town speeds. Not a conversation stopper by any means, but it’s there.

Suspension is by struts at the front and torsion beam at the rear, and despite the CX-3’s relatively short wheelbase and the Evolve’s bigger 18-inch wheels, ride comfort over typically pock-marked urban roads is surprisingly good. The Toyo Proxes R52A (215/50) tyres are also quiet and reassuringly grippy.

Braking is by generous ventilated discs at the front and solid rotors at the rear, and they’re more than up to the task of calmly washing off speed in this city-sized SUV. 

The front seats proved comfy and supportive on test, although you’ll have to step up to the next Touring grade to score electric adjustment for the drive or lumbar control of any description.

The CX-3 had a maximum five-star ANCAP score from 2015 to 2022, but the independent safety body’s assessments have a seven-year shelf life and the compact SUV is currently ‘unrated’.

That said, active (crash-avoidance) tech is up to the mark with AEB (forward and revers with front pedestrian detection), blind-spot monitoring, lane departure warning, front and rear parking sensors, rear cross-traffic alert, a reversing camera and smart city brake support (front and rear) included.

If a crash is unavoidable, there are six airbags onboard (dual front, dual front side and side curtain), the CX-3 showing its age somewhat with the absence of the now increasingly common front centre bag designed to minimise head injuries in a side impact.

There are three top tethers for baby capsules/child seats across the rear row with ISOFIX anchors on the two outer positions.

Expect Hyundai's five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty here, with service intervals pegged at 12 months or 15,000kms. The brand's capped-price service schedule limits your maintenance costs to $399 per service for the first five years.

Mazda covers the CX-3 with a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, which is the current market standard. Roadside assist is included for the duration. 

Recommended service interval is 12 months/15,000km, and the average annual cost for each workshop visit, for the first seven years, is $438.

An average under $450 is alright, but Toyota’s capped price figure of $195 per workshop visit for the first five years of C-HR ownership puts it in perspective. Mind you, Toyota’s charges step up considerably after that fifth year.