Mazda CX-3 DK.III Akari (2018-2023)
24 reviews
### Very Disappointed CX-3 AKARI ### Faulty Rear Camera & Entertainment Unit ### – Update ::: Finally the ‘Part’ arrived at Mazda Dealer (rear camera) it was replaced ‘Under Warranty’. I purchase ‘CX-3 New ‘Akari ‘(it flys like a mini Ferrari) from a Sydney Dealer, great reliable car.. My Brother bought a 2015 ‘New’ CX-5, automatic, he didn’t buy the Model with all the features (bells & whistles). He told me his car still… Read more
runs perfectly mileage is nearly 100,000K - Service carried out Annually. He is going to Update his car very soon. Unfortunately, I had a bad experience/dishonest at Sutherland Shire Dealer, will not be returning. I did complain, staff couldn’t care less, very dismissive!
Was enormously enthusiastic, but that waned over the years – I bought this soul red CX-3 Akari AWD in 2017 and was for 2 years enormously enthusiastically. The stop/go system did not work from the beginning, which in my opinion was due to a suboptimal battery, but the car was twice a day and a night in the workshop at Mazda Bayswater and they could not find the fault. They said it was not the battery. Right… Read more
on its 4th birthday it would not start, and the AA put in a new battery, and see there, the stop/go system works without problem since. So, bad on Mazda Bayswater and low quality of Mazda. The card drives great, has a great feel, and is economic. The maintenance is cheap. I have a mjor issue and that is despite sunprotection, always with aluminium cover over the steering wheel and over the windshield, after 2 years, the 'leather' steering wheel started to peel off. It looks ugly, and again Bayswater Mazda said they sent photo's to Mazda to ask for repair under warranty. As expected, they never came back to me. I just learned with time to find a better garage, although I had bought 3 brand new cars from bayswater. All in all, a good car, reliable, cheap in maintenance, a good boot, but very thin paint, that scratches all the time, and the large amount of plastic around the car turn white after about 1 year. Still happy with it though.
Totally Crap car! – 2016 Mazda CX-3 Maxx Auto with only 24000 on the clock! Both control arms make a cluncking noise when the car is going over any sort of surface other than flat, both rear seat belts were replaced 12 months ago and are now booked in to be replaced again for the second time (very very minimal use of the rear seats since new), head unit display… Read more
cracked when i touched it on a hot day and now looks like it has ice on the inside of the screen, was advised by Mazda the gps SD card is corrupted as my gps kept saying that it did not have gps and that i will need to purchase a new one?, dash has the worst rattle noise i have ever heard in a car before, air conditioning seems to be hot even when on full, and now as of today, i have warning signs on the dash and the i-stop does not engage when the car is started. do not waist your time or money on one of these cars!
Air Con Issues – My daughters 2015 had the same A/C issue and apparently Mazda issued a nService Bulletin and they fixed it at no cost in late 2020. Great assistance from the Ferntree Gully service team Show details
Very very disappointed – In the past 12 months we have had two of these. Both used mostly for running around town and occasional trip from Canberra to Sydney. Both fine around town but each long trip has had issues with warning lights that are not connected to any obvious problems. The first car had escalating issues culminating in every warning light caming on … Read more
speed display, Istop and cruise control all failing. Mazda took 3 months to agree to replace the car and guess what? First trip to Sydney in the replacement car it started to have the same issues. Dealer agrees the problem is the same but nobody seems to know how to fix it. Understand that there are several other cars in Australia with the same issues and more in "other jurisdictions". Dealer has pretty much shrugged their shoulders and Mazda has refused to communicate with us. If it it worked, it is a lovely car unfortunately it has obvious safety issues and Mazda does not seem to care. The new car has done around 2,000k the previous about 3,000k. Everyone agrees a new car should not be doing this but well -- it seems to be our problem not theirs. Apparently it is just unfortunate that we copped two cars with the same issue.
QUALITY ISSUES worst car I’ve ever had – My partner and I purchased the Akari CX3 new from a Mazda dealer in Adelaide, driven daily always looked after serviced and garaged, looked good and drove like new up until 3 years ago 70,000km when we started noticing quality issues. Both head lights have hair line cracks and looks like condensation on the inside but it’s not condensation looks… Read more
like burn marks from heat, had contacted the dealer for an inspection but all they did was take a photo of both headlights and send to Mazda, they rejected there was any fault, no technician inspected them all that was done was a photo taken by an office person. I contacted Mazda Australia myself and not even an offer to have them properly inspected and again they rejected the fault. The cost to replace both headlights is upwards of 3k, no wonder they are trying to fob us off. One of the rear seatbelts gave way was not working (Never has been used btw) our Mazda dealer did replace the seatbelt but only just as was still under warranty otherwise we were told we would have had to pay for the replacement ourselves. I was very surprised as this to me is an obvious fault with the Cx3 reading other posts on here. The gearbox is very sluggish, takes a while for it to click into first gear and at times has gone through all gears before reaching 40km/hr. Air conditioning is faulty blows hot air at times when on cold. The Drivers side sun visor bracket pulls out of the roof, the passenger side seat at the front has come away but Mazda Australia have agreed to fix this. I am not a person to complain, this is in fact the first post I have ever done against anything we have purchased, but when we paid over $38k for this car we are very disappointed with the quality and response from Mazda Australia. One last issue is there is rust beginning to surface in the roof (We don’t live near the beach) Paint protection was applied to the car when purchased. Our second vehicle is a Subaru Liberty completely faultless being 8 years old my partner will only now drive this and the CX3 sits in the garage!
Excellent – Great interior. Drives great. Looks nice with silver chrome on doors and has sunroof. The driver seat is only thing that isn't the best on my sore back but with pillow it helps. Show details
Very disappointed – Bought this car three years ago. Already the aircon does not work any longer. Worked fine last Summer and before that. I feel a 'clunking' now and again when turning the steering wheel more than 45degrees, like the bearings or the CV joint is giving out. I am an older person - over 50 and it's not like I have been mistreating the car or anything. Very, very disappointed in the car. Oh and really jerky at times when it changes gears. Show details
Cutest car in town – Drive my car daily. Upgraded from a CX7. Love the size, ease of parking and fuel economy. Beautiful leather interior makes this a luxurious car to drive. Great safety features, but no retracting wing mirrors which is a shame. Show details
Love the car but wish the fuel tank wasn't tiny – I have been driving the petrol Akari AWD for a couple of months now. I mainly use it for my commute and it's not very often I have passengers so the interior dimensions are perfect. The driving seat is comfortable and easy to adjust. The leather trim is good quality. The car is good to drive and I like the way it looks. Two things I'm not too… Read more
happy about: The fuel tank is miniscule, I think 35 litres. It's obviously something I should've checked but it never occurred to me. The satellite navigation is rubbish. Even after installing the latest update it doesn't recognise places that have existed for years. It's a shame because the display is in a good position and very clear.
Air-Conditioning fault and appalling service – I have the Mazda CX3 Akari it is a 2015 model I purchased from my daughter who never drove for more than 20 mins at a time in it, now I have been driving it for a year, generally for about 50 mins at a time to work and back, ever since I have had it I knew the air conditioning was not right and I took it to a service centre 3 times to try and have… Read more
fixed, it was never corrected they said they found a different problem on each occasion.
Now obviously the warranty has run out, the Mazda service centre had absolutely no idea what was wrong with it, basically after driving for longer than 30-40 mins the air conditioning seems as if it is on but nothing through the vents just a large blowing noise behind them. I have to switch off for 15 mins and drive with windows down to cool the car, then try and switch on again in the hope I get another 10 mins out of it, god help it if I had to drive for more than an hour anywhere?
I am so frustrated with Mazda and their inability to fix this issue, and would never advise any one to purchase one.
I love my car! – I use my car for daily commutes to and from work and gym and whatever I get up too on a weekend. The only issue I have is that the backseat leg room is basically non-existent. If I do a school run for family friends, the kids dirty school shoes are touching my front seats. Not ideal. I am a tall gal, so I need space. My adult sized friends… Read more
don't exactly fit too comfortably if there are more then 2 people in the back. Will need to upgrade when I have kids of my own, or more regular passengers.
Wish I had shopped around a little more, otherwise, a great car. Love the sound system, my first car was a 2005 Holden which had a bad sound system in comparison.
really happy with this purchase – upgraded to a cx3. fuel efficient, comfortable and great safety features. I drive long distances on country roads to work and it handles the conditions beautifully. As a shift worker I often work long hours and I appreciate the additional features such as TSR. I agree with another comment that the navigation doesn't always pick the best route, but it works well and has got me out of a lot of problems. No regrets with the purchase. Show details
Find out how Mazda CX-3 DK.III Akari compares to other Small / Compact SUVs
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Mazda CX-3 Akari – Perfect car for P-platers. Easy to turn corners and manoeuvre. Quiet, streamline and smooth to drive. Beautiful leather interior. A tad squishy for 5 adults to sit in, but a good mini SUV. The i-stop feature, I feel, is clever and efficient. Love the mini display screen, as it helps keep track of the speed limit. Show details
Perfect downsize – I've had 2 years and love all of the added extras. My ruby red color is always complemented and interior is easy to clean. Comfortable ride. Rarely have while family in car but back ok for tall boys for short rides. I wouldn't do a long trip with them though. Back seats fold easily and 2 layer boot is handy. Especially love all the warning… Read more
systems and control options on gps/ sound system. Great Bluetooth and voice control. Service and warranty has been good wth a couple of basic warranty issues fixed recently such as sticking back seat belt.
Drives and handles well. Economical too.
Great vehicle – My first purchased car and I’m absolutely in love. One of the most reliable things in my life. It’s amazingly fuel efficient, extremely comfortable, and is so easy to drive. The only down side to the Mazda CX-3 would be it’s lack of power, but everything else easily makes up for that. Show details
Good car – Good car, I have the Akari (top of the range) so it has leather and a sunroof. Paid around 33k brand new and haven’t had any issues with it at all. Drives smoothly and very happy with the safety features, especially auto headlights and auto sensing wiper blades for us lazy people. Show details
Noisy no power – Purchased last year for my girl freind interior for top of the range akera so basic not even electric handbreak or dual climate control no power at all cheap quality interior and we had to many issues with sky active and i stop we found out later that there is much better cars around witn more technology's We swap 2 mounths ago with new jeep… Read more
renegade we more happy and compfort and more technology's for limited model that we paid even $3000 less
Mazda Akari Manual (2016) – I bought thevSoul Red Akari - Salesman was amazed when I told him I wanted a Manual he said no one buys Manuals anymore.....I enjoy driving - we have owned Automatics I find them boring to drive. I like the extra power one can get using the Gears.. The AkariModel comes with ALL the extras included...sunroof, gps Etc etc etc etc car talks to me.… Read more
It tells me School Zone, that I'm driving over the Speed Limit, warns if Railway crossing &,accident prone crossing etc.
So easy to drive - I prefer to sit higher than in a sedan - fuel is Economical.
Gear Box smooth change up or down.
Paired Bluetooth iPhone in about 1 minute to play iTunes or listen to Podcasts - my Contacts have been downloaded into Mazdas computer.
Very comfortable ride - sound speaker system very good
Lots of other stuff comes with the System if you are interested in this zippy economical car Pop in & see a Dealer.
I have gone back to my car & people have been looking at it when they realise it is my car - they ask me questions they all say I wish I had one.
My Dog loves the car - he has his Dog Bed & small blanket - I attach his harness to a gadget that clips onto his harness & then to the seat belt....I bought it at Pet Barn $16.95.
Within 5 minutes my little Dog is sound asleep he can't keep awake he is too relaxed.
My Son drives a Lexus - naturally he had to check out the Mazda - he was amazed all the extras that come with the Akira Model.
Naturally I rang all the Mazda Dealers in Sydney - John Newell Motors gave me the best deal.
great – driving experience-wise is pretty good, handling well, but still got quite a lot of noises .. nice and simply interior, very classic. plenty of leg room and really reliable. one tank of petrol can run pretty much 600km, which is more than enough for me for one wk. the boot is a bit small though, as well as the back seat. Great for young couples, not so great for families. Show details
Wouldn't buy another Mazda – The model I took for a test drive was a demo 2015 CX-3 Akai which I finished up buying. The length of time given to test drive was approx. 10 mins, not enough time to really get the feel of the car. After purchasing the car on the Saturday, I felt I was pushed into it and not given enough time to think about everything. On the Monday I rang and… Read more
cancelled the purchase. Again they threw in an extra incentive to still go ahead but my inner voice was saying "no"....listen to your inner voice!
The car didn't have an arm rest, I asked if you could get one installed, the answer was "yes" at $500. I had it installed as I find it more comfortable for my arm. This was a bad decision as it is a piddly little arm rest, with little to no storage and completely wipes out the full use of the cup holders unless you have the arm up......dumb.
The cabin noise....it's full on and you can't talk to a passenger with the radio on and have to turn it down low. I'm not one to have the radio very loud in the first place.
The sound system is appalling and I have to look at replacing it. I thought Mazda's had Bose systems, but how wrong I was!
The seats were the biggest disappointment. I suffer arthritis and the seats are so uncomfortable. I have purchased one seat cover with inbuilt back support to help, it didn't!! I purchased a gel cushion to help my back and spine, while this helps a little bit, it does get uncomfortable in trying to get it in the right place. I looked at replacing the seats but this involves an engineer.
The petrol consumption is nothing like the the company state. When I purchased the car, it was sitting at 8.2 klms per 100 klms and told it would drop. After one year of ownership it has only dropped to 8.0 klms per 100 klms.......NOT GOOD MAZDA.
The voice in the navigation system is extremely low, I have had the level changed by Mazda but it has dropped again. The lower you turn the radio down to hear the nav system, the lower here voice goes. I also find it hard to cancel an address and have to go back to Mazda to be shown how this is done.
I do however like the dial to use the nav, music and communication systems.
I have since found out that the car is based on the Mazda 2 chassis......why wasn't it called the CX-2????
I finding the turning circle is more limited than my Jeep Wrangler and want my old car back.
One thing that is good is the high beam light system. After turning it on, if an on coming car is within a certain distance, it will return the setting back to normal driving lights.
Another pet hate is the istop feature. It makes the motor very clunky and does stall on take off, causing a definite lag. How long will the starter motor last?????
You can turn it off on your console but you have to remember to do this every time you start the motor.
While others will recommend this car, think twice if you love your cars and ask if it really comes up to your standard.
Beautiful, Sporty and luxurious – After test driving a number of small SUV's I couldn't go past the Maxda CX3 Akari with such a stylish leather interior with memory foam seats, just the right amount of features like blind spot warning, keyless entry and start, navigation and Skyative technology. This car is reliable, safe and so comfortable to drive with active driving display… Read more
and touch screen all at a safe height so your eyes stay on the road and aren't distracted by reaching down to a screen like all the other SUV's.
There is ample room for me and my dog to cruise around effortlessly and in total comfort.
So many features to mention them all. Reversing camera, iPhone compatible, great fuel economy, smart parking sensors, Sat NAV display, LED headlights.
Best choice ever purchasing this beautiful car from Mazda
My dream car – So glad I Chose my zoom zoom CX3 as it is a fabulous small car that is so so comfortable, easy to drive with bells and whistles. Love the blind spot mirroring, reverse camera. Interior very stylish. What isn't perfect is the height adjustment of driver seat, however I added sheepskin covers and couldn't fault it now. The Mazda CX3 is a… Read more
little dearer to run than my old echo but I expected that and for comfortable all wheel drive with plenty of boot space it's a dream.
A great little SUV - ZOOM ZOOM – I purchased my CX-3 Akari AWD petrol auto in April 2015 and as of 28.12.16 have traveled 18500 trouble free kilometers. The CX-3 is an excellent little SUV for cruising on my frequent trips between Sydney and the Hunter Valley region. It has plenty of zip for cruising safely on the M1 in all weather conditions. Average fuel economy over… Read more
18500k's is 7.5 liters per 100 kilometers getting down to 6.5 L/100 on the M1 regularly.
Good points include:
Lane departure warning; reversing camera and sensors; keyless entry and start; iStop; automatic wipers; sunroof; 7 inch touch screen; excellent handling and fuel economy.
Bad points include:
Small rear luggage space; road noise on certain types of road.
All in all the CX-3 is a great little SUV for the price.
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