Driving is Fun Again with the 2017 Mazda CX-3 Grand Touring AWD

Did you know I’m an election judge? Actually, I’m a Chief Judge which is super cool! When I got home from the election last month, I found this beautiful 2017 Mazda CX-3 Grand Touring AWD that DriveShop dropped off for me to use for the week.

When I went out in the morning to really check out my new ride, my first thought was there is no way this is going to work for me with the kids. My second thought? OMG! It’s soooo coool!

As a mom of two little ones in large convertible car seats, the vehicles I drive are a bit bigger these days. We’re just at that stage in our life right now. I’ve driven some pretty nice SUVs and even this minivan, but it felt amazing to be back in a smaller vehicle. The Mazda CX-3 is considered a subcompact SUV. Before I had the boys, I drove a bright yellow Ford Focus hatchback. It was bright and fun, much like this bright blue Mazda CX-3!

I have to admit I took extra trips just to get some extra time in the car. I loved being able to the drive mode over to Sport mode and open it up. We live in the country and there are plenty of back roads around here that are meant for fun, sporty cars.

The seats are extremely comfortable and nice to look at, too! I like that the sporty seats were leather, but had suede inserts. The red leather trim throughout the car really gives it a nice touch and pop of color.

One of my favorite features in the 2017 Mazda CX-3 is the Active Driving Display or the Head-Up Display. This makes it super easy to keep your eyes on the road while still being able to see your speed. It will show you the distance between the car in front of you and will even show your next turn if you’re using the in-car navigation.

The steering wheel allows access to everything I need: the radio, my phone via bluetooth, cruise control, and other safety features.

As far as safety goes, I love the safety features included! The vehicle will actually help prepare you to stop when approaching an object, and even apply the brakes if you don’t take any action. The Lane Departure Warning will beep to alert you that you are about to leave your lane. And something I didn’t quite understand at first, but think is really awesome are the headlights. The headlights will actually pivot ahead of your car while you turn, allowing you to see around a dark corner before you get there.

Technically, the CX-3 seats 5, but with our crew, we can only do 4. I think you could probably put 3 teens in the back, but I don’t think that 3 adults could fit back there. The back seat does have some awesome adjustable headrests, but the kids are in car seats, so it wasn’t relevant for them.

I thought I snagged a picture of both car seats in the car, but I can’t find it now. Here’s a pic of Owen in his rear-facing convertible seat though. The back is not touching the front seat, though it looks like it is. I had to move the passenger seat up about as far as it would go so that it wouldn’t touch, leaving Tom barely any room in the front seat. Lucky for him, he doesn’t ride with us often. If Owen’s seat were forward-facing, the passenger seat would not need to be up as far, meaning a little more room.

Other than it being a little too small for my family at this stage with car seats, my only complaint is the cup holder situation. In the front seat, there are two cup holders between the seats, but they’re under the arm rest. I thought that was a little weird and inconvenient. When I swung through a drive-thru, it took me longer than expected to find it.

I was super sad to see it go and the kids really loved this one, too! Charlie really loves any car that has a moonroof and it did not disappoint.

All-in-all, I would recommend this car to anyone who needs a little fun in their life when it comes to their car. I could definitely see myself in one in about five years when the kids don’t need the giant car seats they’re in right now.