Comparison Review: 2021 Nissan Kicks vs 2021 Mazda CX-3 / Battle of the Subcompact Crossovers

➡️➡️ 𝗙𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗡𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗻 𝗞𝗶𝗰𝗸𝘀 𝘃𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝘇𝗱𝗮 𝗖𝗫-𝟯 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄:

Hello i’m mike and this is the 2021 mazda cx-3 and i’m also mike and this is the 2021 nissan kicks of these two sub compact crossovers which one is best well to find that out we have to go let’s go for a drive that’s my line just roll the intro um starting things off in the 2021 mazda cx-3 it has a 2.5 liter turbocharged engine under the hood okay no it

Doesn’t have the 2.5 turbo engine but it seems like mazda has been putting that engine into pretty much their entire lineup the only two cars that don’t have it is this and the mx-5 so i wonder when they’ll be getting it anyway what this car actually has under the hood is a 2-liter naturally aspirated 4-cylinder and it produces 148 horsepower and 146 pound-feet

Of torque compared to the 2021 nissan kicks sr it has a 1.6 liter engine that only produces 122 horsepower and 114 pound-feet of torque so although both engines are naturally aspirated which means instant response as soon as you put your foot down the cx-3 obviously you don’t have to put your foot down quite as hard to get away from a stop or to just overtake

Someone on a highway plus it makes a pretty good noise as well when you accelerate actually i would say that mazda’s make the best sounding 4 cylinder engines out of their competitors so in terms of outright performance i’m going to give a point to the mazda cx-3 however while the 2021 nissan kicks does not have as powerful of an engine as the cx-3 it is more

Fuel efficient it is rated for 7.7 liters per hundred kilometers in a city and 6.6 liters per hundred kilometers on a highway the mazda cx-3 all-wheel drive is rated for 8.6 liters per hundred kilometers in a city and 7.4 liters 400 kilometers on a highway however if we compare apples to apples as in the front wheel drive version of the cx-3 against this obviously

Only front-wheel drive version of the nissan kicks then the nissan kicks is still more fuel efficient so in terms of fuel economy a point to the nissan kicks when it comes to transmissions the nissan kicks is equipped with what nissan likes to use all the time a cvt transmission when you’re just accelerating gradually from a stop it behaves like a traditional cvt

As in it’ll hold the rpms to a set amount until you reach your desired speed but put your foot down a little bit harder and it starts to replicate virtual gears however in terms of driving enjoyment a cvt is nowhere near as good or as much fun as a traditional automatic which is what the mazda cx-3 has it’s a six-speed automatic however in canada at least you can

Get it with a six-speed manual in the united states unfortunately you do not have this option but here in canada it’s also limited to just the base model of the cx-3 and only in front-wheel drive if you want a different trim and you want it with all-wheel drive it has to be the six-speed automatic but it’s not that bad of a transmission it’s actually arguably

The best six-speed automatic that is made today actually not that many manufacturers still make six-speed automatics since most of them move to seven eight or nine-speed automatics or dual clutch transmissions or cvts but for a six-speed automatic it is very fast to shift gears and the shifts are very smooth so which one do i want to give a point to i’m kind of

Leaning to giving each one a point because while this cvt is not as much fun to drive as the six-speed automatic it is much better at providing maximum fuel economy and on the flip side that six-speed automatic is much more enjoyable than this cvt so they were both designed for completely different things and they both do those different things exceptionally well

So yeah i’m going to give a point to each one in terms of transmissions when it comes to braking both vehicles have four-wheel disc brakes as well as automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection however the nissan kicks is about 100 kilograms lighter but in a way the mazda actually feels better under braking the brake pedal just feels a little bit more

Firm and it gives you that extra bit of confidence to really stomp on it should you need to in any in an emergency situation dressing that fast a few times but anyway when it comes to breaking i am going to give a point to the mazda and it’s a similar story when it comes to handling as well the steering just feels a bit more responsive and it gives you a little

Bit more feedback in the mazda as it does in the nissan kicks in the kicks the steering is quite light which of course makes it very easy to maneuver if you’re in a small parking lot but for driving enjoyment this is the car that you want to be in it’s not overly heavy or it’s not going to tire you out at the end of a journey but it just feels that much better

And you can actually feel what the front wheels are doing as opposed to the nissan kicks and of course this mazda cx-3 is all-wheel drive so if you live in a climate where it snows a lot and you get a lot of snow you might want to consider the all-wheel drive system otherwise just a good set of winter tires is more than enough for winter driving situations so

In terms of overall handling and driving dynamics a point to the mazda cx-3 when it comes to ride comfort in the 2021 nissan kicks it’s actually really good the suspension is a little bit on the softer side so it absorbs really badly potholed city streets very well and it has slightly smaller wheels and slightly thicker sidewall tires than the mazda cx-3

So that also aids in absorbing bumps and potholes and when it comes to ride comfort in the mazda cx-3 the suspension is a little bit firmer than in the kicks and it does have bigger wheels with slightly lower profile tires so it is to be expected that the ride isn’t quite as smooth and as forgiving as it is in the nissan kicks i’m not saying that the ride is

Uncomfortable because you can still do long journeys in the cx-3 and not feel tired at the end of your journey but in terms of overall comfort and providing the utmost comfort the nissan kicks is better so a point to the nissan kicks for ride comfort as for noises and squeaks and rattles neither of the cars have any squeaks or rattles that i noticed to during my

Time with them but in terms of noise and this is a little bit surprising to me the mazda is a little bit noisier so in terms of road and wind noise they’re both pretty much identical but when it comes to engine noise i’m noticing the engine in the mazda more often than i’m noticing it in the nissan kicks as i said this is not actually a bad sounding engine in

The cx-3 it’s actually one of the better sounding four cylinders out there but you always hear it whether you’re just gently accelerating from a stop or when you’re overtaking someone you always hear it so if you don’t like the sound of it well unfortunately there isn’t that much you can do maybe turn up the volume on the stereo the nissan kicks because of its

Cvt transmission it tries to keep the engine rpms as low as possible so that’s why you don’t really notice it or hear it quite as often in that car as you do in this cx3 so in terms of overall noise and vibrations i want to give a point to the nissan kicks which is very surprising to me because i thought this would be actually quieter but it isn’t when it comes to

Interior space and the 2021 nissan kicks there is loads of it i am six foot four and in this driving position my knees are not hitting up against the dashboard and i have loads of headroom i also sit quite high up higher than in the cx-3 even though this seating position right now is in its lowest setting so i have very good visibility all around when it comes to

The back though well how is it back there it’s actually pretty good back here i have just enough legroom and just enough headroom so yeah it’s okay so there you have it i can actually sit behind myself reasonably comfortably when it comes to interior space and the mazda cx-3 there’s plenty of it up here in the front my knees are not hitting against the dashboard

And my hair is not brushing up against the headliner even with this sunroof in the back however things are a little different how is it back there i’m not very comfortable back here i don’t really have that much legroom or headroom it’s very tight back here there you have it less space in the back seats than the nissan kicks so in terms of overall interior space a

Point to the nissan kicks as for cargo capacity the two crossovers trade a few punches the kicks has more cargo capacity with the seats up at 716 liters versus 504 liters for the cx-3 so a point to the kicks but fold those rear seats down and the mazda has more space at 1 209 liters versus the nissan’s 914 liters so a point to the mazda when it comes to gadgets

Both cars come very well equipped with some features that you would expect so for example they both have heated seats and heated steering wheel they both have automatic climate control push button start apple carplay and android auto although for the cx-3 it has wireless carplay and wired android auto unfortunately this kicks has just wired for both carplay and

Android auto they also have adaptive cruise control and really weird and interesting cup holders although i feel like the couplers in this kicks are just a little bit better but they’re both kind of bad to be honest because they both really shake your drinks around however where they differ a little bit is the fact that this kicks has surround view cameras and

The cx-3 doesn’t and it also has these bose speakers in the headrests although if you ask me these are a little bit of a gimmick as for gadgets in the mazda cx-3 it has like i said a lot of the same stuff that the nissan kicks has but unique stuff to the mazda include a head up display the sunroof as well as navigation that’s part of the infotainment system and

A power driver seat with memory something that the kicks doesn’t have so when it comes to overall gadgets i want to give a point to the mazda albeit all these guys do come at an extra cost but hey at least they are available as for the infotainment systems the cx-3 still utilizes the old infotainment system not the new one that is found in the mazda cx-30 for

Example it looks very dated the touchscreen only functions when the car is stationary and it takes quite a while for it to load up on cold starts the kicks on the other hand has a faster and larger 8 inch touchscreen with an infotainment system that looks much more modern granted it does not have a native navigation system or wireless carplay like the mazda

But you can use google maps and wireless carplay eats up a lot of your phone’s battery charge so another point to the kicks for the infotainment system safety is a big selling point for family vehicles and the 2021 nissan kicks has a bit of an advantage as standard it has blind spot sensors rear cross traffic alert automatic emergency braking with pedestrian

Detection rear emergency braking lane departure warning and parking sensors by comparison the 2021 mazda cx-3 only offers automatic emergency braking blind spot sensors and rear cross traffic alert as standard if you want more safety and driver aids you have to move up in trims so for safety a point to the nissan kicks when it comes to how the interiors look of

The two cars i’m not really going to give any points because interior looks are subjective but i do prefer the looks of the mazda more however what i can give points on is materials this leather in the mazda and the suede is real and it feels really nice whereas in the nissan they use something called prima tex for their upholstery which feels very coarse and

Rough and not really nice to the touch so for interior materials a point to the mazda when it comes to the outside it’s the opposite of the inside to my eyes at least again i’m not going to award any points based on exterior looks because they’re subjective but i do like the looks of the kicks more than the cx-3 what i will award a point on is warranty the

2021 nissan kicks comes with a three-year 60 000 kilometer or 36 000 mile new vehicle warranty and a five-year 100 000 kilometer or 60 000 miles powertrain warranty the 2021 mazda cx-3 has the same time period for new vehicle and powertrain warranties but it has unlimited mileage for both instead of the limited distance that the kicks has so for warranty a point

To the mazda cx-3 but just a small note on the unlimited mileage it’s only available in canada in the united states it’s thirty six thousand and sixty thousand miles respectively so right now the scores are tied but the deciding factor is going to be price this sr trim of the nissan kicks costs 25 000 canadian whereas this gt trim of the mazda cx-3 costs 31 000

Canadian however even if we compare base price to base price the nissan kicks starts at just under 20 thousand dollars canadian whereas the cx-3 starts at just over 21 000 canadian so for pricing a point to the nissan and the nissan won this competition by the skin of its teeth however in the mornings i always found myself reaching for the mazda key because it

Just drives really really well for what it is but the mazda is not for everyone in fact i’m willing to bet that more people are going to buy the kicks instead it’s more spacious on the inside you get more value for your money it’s less expensive and it’s more fuel efficient so this is a better city crossover if you want to know more about both of these vehicles

I wrote a more detailed review of them over on my website you can find that link in the video description and as always i will see you in the next car or truck or probably a couple of other suvs or crossovers anyway thank you for watching please like and subscribe and i’ll see you in the next video you

Transcribed from video
Comparison Review: 2021 Nissan Kicks vs 2021 Mazda CX-3 / Battle of the Subcompact Crossovers By M.G. Reviews