Mazda 3 Maxx 2016 Review
Hatch Or Sedan? Choose Your Mazda 3 Maxx
Mazda 3 Maxx 2016 Aggregated Reviews |
| Cars Guide: 8/10 |
| Motoring: 8/10 |
| Drive: 6.5/10 |
| Car Advice: 8/10 |
| Which Car: 9/10 |
| Combined total score: 7.9/10 |
We love:
- Enough space for four adults
- Conventional six-speed auto
- Low-cost maintenance
Pain points:
- Engine noisier and thirstier than rival turbocharged options
- Cabin insulation could improve.
Mazda 3 Maxx 2016 review
The Maxx is the most popular car financed in the Mazda 3 range. Here's why:
Exterior of the Mazda 3 Maxx 2016
The Maxx comes in either hatch or sedan. Both styles are low, sleek and classy, with the sedan offering a little more boot space than the hatch. The sedan is 4.6 metres long, 1.8 metres wide and 1.45 metres high, with a ground clearance of 160 millimetres.
Image courtesy of Car Advice
LED fog lamps and the wide Kodo-design grille give the Maxx a unique street presence. It's a car that you'll buy for its style as well as its practicality.
Inside the Mazda 3 Maxx 2016
The interior of the Maxx 2016 is quite dark, with cloth trim and soft materials - the Maxx also has a leather steering wheel, gear knob, and handbrake. With comfortable driver ergonomics and straightforward controls for air conditioning and entertainment, driving the Maxx is an agreeable experience.
The back seats have plenty of room for tall adults, and the seats are well-shaped so you sit 'in' rather than 'on' them. The surfaces are sturdy enough to withstand most family use, with convenient storage spaces.
The Maxx makes safety a priority with AEB, six airbags, ABS, and stability control, as well as a reversing camera, reverse cross-traffic alert, blind-spot monitoring, and reverse AEB.
The hatch has less boot space, with a possibly more versatile 308 litres to the sedan's 408 litres.
Connectivity
With a seven-inch touchscreen providing access to the new MZD Connect media system, the Mazda 3 Maxx also connects you through satellite navigation, DAB+ radio, USB and Bluetooth with audio transmitted through six speakers.
Image courtesy of Car Advice
The MZD Connect system gives you audio options including Pandora, Stitcher and aha, or you can connect your smartphone using Bluetooth or the two USB ports.
There's some app integration, but no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. When the car is moving you operate the system using a rotary dial on the console, the touchscreen can only be used when stationary.
What's it like to drive a Mazda 3 Maxx 2016?
Mazda 3 has great driving dynamics, firmly holding the road and responding quickly to steering input. When parking you have front and rear parking sensors, but no auto-parking option. The stop-start system contributes to the great fuel efficiency.
Image courtesy of Drive
Shift paddles on the steering wheel give a little more control to driver's who opt for the automatic transmission for city convenience. Mazda also promotes its new 'G-vectoring' system, the 1% that raises the handling of this car above the competition. You won't notice it unless you drive the previous years model directly before the 2016 Maxx.
Who's the Mazda 3 Maxx 2016 for?
The Maxx makes an ideal family runabout or a stylish, reputable choice for many Australian drivers looking to combine an involved driving experience with reliability and affordability that Mazda offers.
During the first five years, your annual servicing costs should be around $310, making this one of the more wallet-friendly medium-size cars you can own.
Feature Summary
Price: new from $22,890
Engine: 114kW/200Nm 2.0L naturally aspirated four-cylinder
Transmission: six-speed automatic or manual
Wheels: 16-inch alloy
Safety: 5-star ANCAP
Fuel: 5.7L/100km
Emissions: 136g/km
AV and tech: 7 inch touchscreen MZD Connect, six-speaker, USB input & DAB+ radio.
Seats: 5
Doors: 4 or 5
You can finance a Mazda 3 Maxx 2016 from $110/week*, get a quick quote to find out exactly what it will cost to own this market-leading, highly efficient car.
No time to shop around for your car? Just tell us exactly what you want, including the features and colour. We will find the vehicle to match and negotiate the best price for you.
If you're looking for something a little bit bigger, consider the Mazda6 2017, or for the best selling SUV, the Mazda CX-5 Akera 2017 offers the elegance, economy and reliability you expect from Mazda.
*Over a 5-year loan term.
Tom Caesar is the Managing Director of The Positive Group, a group of Australian financial services companies offering a broad range of finance to clients Australia wide. The Positive Group assist clients in the areas of car finance, mortgages, insurance & wealth management. Tom has been in car & asset finance for over 10 years. Tom regularly contributes articles on car finance, insurance, technology and business growth, drawing on his experience of starting his own brokerage in 2009.