2016 Mazda CX-3 GT AWD Update 7: The Aging Effect

It dawned on me while doing housekeeping on the Mazda CX-3’s upkeep records; the little crossover has nearly run out of its limited warranty. It’s always a momentous occasion that’s sometimes followed up with a spurt of panic as the realization sinks in that you, the owner, will be (mostly) on your own shortly. Mazda’s new-vehicle limited warranty covers the first three years or 36,000 miles, whichever comes first. The CX-3’s odometer read 35,600 miles.

We received the CX-3 with 425 miles on the clock, giving it a Motor Trend–certified service life of 35,175 miles. The limited warranty hasn’t gotten much of a workout, which might be great news for prospective CX-3 purchasers awaiting intel on how the vehicle ages. After 15 months, the CX-3 has traveled about 2.6 times the annual miles navigated by the average U.S. driver (13,476 miles per year according to the Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration). Or to examine on a year-to-year basis, the CX-3 went 2.1 times the annual average miles over a 12-month period. The warranty was invoked once in an attempt to make the glove box sit flush when it’s shut rather than protrude ever so slightly. It still juts out just a bit.

The CX-3 is the fifth long-term vehicle I’ve chaperoned at Motor Trend, and all five easily crested 30,000 miles of service. After 30,000 miles, our long-term rides are ultra-familiar, the novelty of newness has largely drifted off, and you notice how a vehicle can age gracefully (or not). Of the quintet I’ve minded, the 43,071-mile Honda Accord Hybrid aged most gracefully, thanks to a cabin that wore well and a powertrain that was predictably enjoyable in performance and fuel economy even as it accumulated miles. On the other end of the seesaw, the 39,212-mile Kia Rio had an interior that felt exhausted after wearing in (a peeling steering wheel didn’t help) and a choppy rear suspension that you coped with day in and day out.

It’s not the most comfortable and relaxing small crossover to daily drive, but I’d rate the CX-3 about average and on par with the 36,643-mile Volkswagen Jetta TDI and 36,685-mile Chevrolet Tahoe of my past. The CX-3 interior continues to look great in photos, but once the sheen wears off, the wow factor that’s there in person with a dealer-fresh vehicle subsides. Contrast that against the emissions-gaming Jetta TDI and its low-rent interior. The cabin expectations were low from the get-go, and that held steady all the way to 36,000 miles and beyond.

The CX-3’s 12-volt power port seems a bit feeble. I’ve had to replace the fuse twice so far. The port is not used often, and the accessories that I’ve plugged in don’t trigger a wave of blown fuses in other test vehicles. It’ll cost $1.91 for a single 15-amp blade fuse from a dealer. Or you can pay $3.23 for a pack of five from an auto parts store and install one in seconds, like I did.

The record shows I’ve dropped $534.45 on four dealer maintenance visits for four oil changes, inspections, and tire rotations, plus a new cabin air filter and rear differential fluid. The CX-3 hasn’t left me stranded on the side of the road, which is promising. And there’s 24,000-plus miles left in the factory roadside assistance yet.

MORE ON OUR LONG-TERM MAZDA CX-3 GT AWD HERE:

• Arrival
• Update 1: Getting Used to the New-New
• Update 2: Restart
• Update 3: Reassuring Responsiveness
• Update 4: Missing Trim Pieces
• Update 5: Sheetmetal Tragedy
• Update 6: Turning Up The Heat

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