Hyundai Kona vs Honda HR-V vs Mazda CX-3 2019 comparison review

Every one of these cars has a touchscreen media system with Bluetooth phone and audio streaming and USB connectivity - plus all three have sat nav. But there are some differences in terms of their usability.

The Hyundai’s massive, newly added 8.0-inch touch screen is as close to perfect as you can get in this segment, with the best clarity, graphics and the benchmark smartphone connectivity of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which the others don’t get. It also rocks a tiptop Krell eight-speaker sound system with subwoofer, even in the low grades, which was superior to the others on offer in this mix (both with six speakers). 

That said, the Hyundai is quite plain in terms of its cabin design, a letdown considering its extroverted exterior.

Loose item storage throughout the Kona's cabin is good, and there are no serious gripes with the usability of the space. There’s a pair of smallish cupholders, a decent cubby in front of the gear selector, and good sized door pockets.

The lack of an electric park brake (which both rivals have) and the abundance of hard plastics in the cabin gives away that you’re not in an expensive SUV. There’s even hard plastic on the elbow rests, which is very uncomfortable. But, it’s the only one here with a digital speedo. 

While you might struggle to like the exterior, the interior of the Kona is definitely inoffensive. It’s just a bit, well, predictable. 

The Honda is almost as plain as the Hyundai, but at least it gets a bit of soft material on the dash - if you can look past the pretend stitching. 

It also gets digital climate control, where the other two cars here have knobs for the air con, and of course, it has typical Honda practicality throughout. 

There’s a big centre console area that you can store phones and wallets and drinks in, and there’s a second shelf area down low. Oddly, though, it lacks some storage options like centre cup holders in the back (and no centre armrest back there, either), and it’s the only one without a sunglass holder.

It’s a shame the USB port for the media system comes out of the edge of the screen - it looks really messy when your smartphone is plugged in. And the Honda’s 7.0-inch infotainment system is pretty poor by today’s standards. The graphics are almost ‘90s-like, and there’s not a lot of intuitiveness to the menus either. The lack of a volume knob is annoying as well.

The materials look better at a glance, and it feels a touch more plush in here, especially considering these three are all close in terms of their asking prices. But you mightn’t want to look too closely at the fonts used in here. I’ve counted about five different typefaces just on the dash and steering wheel.

There’s a big centre console bin with adjustable cup/bottle holders, although there’s not a whole lot of room for other odds and ends, with comparatively small door pockets.

Items like push-button start are nice additions to take your mind off a few of the shortfalls. And while the dashtop media screen is a 7.0-inch unit, it looks a lot smaller. The Mazda is the only one with a rotary dial to control the screen (which is also touch capacitive at a standstill) - but the system can be hard to navigate. 

Now, for family buyers, practicality will also be very high on the ‘must haves’ list. How many seats? The answer for each is five, but there are some marked differences in how practical each is. None have rear air vents, which is disappointing, and at this price point there are no rear seat charging (USB or 12-volt) options, either.

At six feet (182cm) tall, I set the driver’s seat for me to get an idea of rear space - and it was night and day. 

The Honda has limousine-like space in the back, more easily coping with long-limbed occupants by offering handfuls of space between rear-seat-knees and seat-back, and more comfortably fitting three adults across the back seat, too. It has no centre armrest and no cup holders, but there are big door pockets and a central bottle holder, too.

The Mazda offers a very cushy seat in the back, so much so that it lacks support in corners on the edges of the seat. It also suffers the worst legroom of this trio, and while headroom is okay, three across is almost impossible due to the big centre tunnel in the floor and its bulky doors. At least it has a centre armrest and cup holders.

The Hyundai is the middle ground, offering slightly better rear seat room than the Mazda - but not by much. Its seats are a bit more supportive than the other two, but its rear window line is quite high, so little ones mightn’t get a view out. There’s a flip down arm rest, but you don’t get any map pockets here - the others have one each.

All three models have ISOFIX baby seat anchor points and three top tether points. Annoyingly, however, the Honda has a ceiling mount centre belt and top tether. The others have all top tethers on the rear seat backs.

Now, boot space / luggage capacity. 

The Honda HR-V has boot dimensions of 437 litres of with the back seats up, and 1462L with them folded down completely flat. The Hyundai Kona has a lot less storage space - 361L seats up/1143L seats down, and they go fairly flat. The Mazda CX-3’s boot size is minuscule, with its compact exterior dimensions making for a 264L boot with rear seats up and 1174L seats down (there’s a large stepped section to contend with). 

Under the boot of all three of these models is a space-saver spare tyre. Our Honda had a nice cargo liner, and while its foldable/removable cargo cover isn’t to all tastes, it does open up the space really nicely. 

Acknowledging the above figures, we attempted to fit the same stuff in each of these three cars - the CarsGuide pram and a pair of hard-cover suitcases. This test offered a good indication of where each of these models stacks up in terms of family-friendliness.

While the Mazda CX-3 featured a dual-level boot floor that allowed it to just fit our single-seat pram. The Kona wasn’t much better, and it has to be said - if you have very young children you ought to be taking a look elsewhere. The boot is too small to deal with a pram and all the baby stuff that comes with it. But the Kona is the only model here with roof rails, which means it’ll be the best to fit a roof rack system on top.

The only option if you need a big boot is the Honda - hands-down. It’s enormous, easily coping with our two suitcases, or the pram, or the entire lot with space to spare. And the HR-V takes practicality a step further with its clever rear seat system. The so-called 'Magic Seats' in the HR-V are superb if you need something that offers terrific cabin practicality.

So, what about engine specs? 

The Honda has the smallest engine size and least impressive specifications of this trio, a 1.8-litre four cylinder petrol engine is capable of 105kW (at 6500rpm) and 173Nm (at 4300rpm). Not much horsepower, but with a reworked CVT auto, now with stepped ratios, it is a little zestier than before, and it offers better linearity to its power delivery this time around. It might not be exciting, but it certainly gets the job done.

The Mazda has a larger capacity 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with 110kW (at 6000rpm) and 195Nm of torque (at 2800rpm), and in the version we have, there's a conventional six-speed automatic transmission (you can get a six-speed manual transmission if you don’t want an auto). 

While those numbers are pretty decent, and the CX-3 is the lightest of these three small SUVs, there is a notable difference in the usability of the power, and the level of available grunt. It just doesn't feel like it has that much.

Equalling the CX-3 for power is the Hyundai, with 110kW (at 6200rpm) but it has a little less torque, 180Nm (at a much higher 4500rpm). In this specification it has a six-speed automatic. As you may be able to tell, the Hyundai works better higher in the rev range, and while it is the heaviest SUV of this trio, it feels by far the most responsive in terms of power.

The Kona's 2.0-litre four cylinder produces 110kW/180Nm. (image credit: Dean McCartney)

The weight of the Honda HR-V VTi is 1269kg, while the Mazda CX-3 Maxx Sport tips the scales at 1304kg and the Hyundai Kona Active weighs 1383kg. 

If you think an SUV should be able to cope with a towbar, then you’ll want to know the towing capacity. The Honda is a lightweight, with a 500kg unbraked towing limit and an 800kg weight limit for a braked trailer. The Mazda is rated at 640kg unbraked/1200kg braked, and the Hyundai at 600kg/1300kg respectively.

All of these small SUVs are FWD drive (4x2), so anything much more serious than gravel tracks or dirt roads will be out of the question. You can get an all-wheel drive (AWD) CX-3 petrol or Kona petrol, and in the latter you get a turbo engine, too. Both have four-wheel drive (4x4) on demand systems. 

If you’re trying to figure out the whole diesel vs petrol thing, there is only one diesel option for you in these specs - the Mazda CX-3 Maxx Sport diesel FWD is available for a premium ($28,090). You can’t get a diesel HR-V or diesel Kona. 

What about plug-in hybrid or EV? There’s a fully electric Kona coming soon. No such thing as a LPG version of any of these models in Australia, though. 

Fuel tank capacity for the Mazda CX-3 is the smallest of this trio, at 48L. The size offered in the other two models is 50L.

And if you’re concerned about potential long-term ownership costs, you’re probably wondering whether each has a timing belt or chain? The answer for all three is a chain. 

For information on automatic transmission problems / automatic gearbox problems, clutch transmission or suspension issues, check out our problems pages.

The best of this trio for fun? That’s the Kona. 

It feels the peppiest despite being the heaviest of this trio, with good engine response. While we didn’t run performance figures, there’s no doubting it would win a 0-100 acceleration speed test. Hyundai’s local engineers have done a good job with the handling, too.  

It has super direct steering, and the agility of it makes it feel like its on its tippy toes. The versions with all-wheel drive get a different rear suspension set-up (a multi-link rear as opposed to the torsion beam arrangement seen on this Kona, and the other SUVs here, too) and it’s even better in the bends. 

The Kona feels the peppiest despite being the heaviest of this trio, with good engine response. (image credit: Dean McCartney)

But the steering is really artificial feeling, and it’s a bit hard to judge and also very heavy - even if you have comfort mode chosen. As a result, the turning circle is bigger than the steering makes it feel. 

It’s really not comfortable to arm-wrestle a steering wheel, and Hyundai’s team should have done a better job of circuit-board-wizardry for the electric power steering calibration in the different drive modes. It felt almost identical between Sport, Eco and Comfort.

Richard loved the way the Kona drove, and we all agreed it offered the most mechanical grip of this trio. (image credit: Dean McCartney)

Richard loved the way the Kona drove, and we all agreed it offered the most mechanical grip of this trio. But I thought its steering felt somewhat remote, as did fellow tester James Lisle.

Plus the suspension is on the firm side, particularly if you’re sitting in the back. It verges on unpleasant back there over bumpy roads. The steering made it feel very direct when parking, requiring less movement at the steering wheel but more effort to actually turn the wheel. Plus the reversing camera was excellent in terms of clarity and light.

The Mazda CX-3 sells on style, but it also sells on what the brand calls ‘Zoom, Zoom’. 

The Mazda CX-3 sells on style, but it also sells on what the brand calls ‘Zoom, Zoom’. (image credit: Dean McCartney)

So it’s not surprising that it has nice, real feeling steering and is very involving to drive, and the engine and transmission like to play hard - it will hang on to gears and allow you to explore the rev range more than its rivals. 

James thought this was the pick of the bunch in terms of driving, more tuned in to the surface below, and all of us thought the driving position was the best here, with a great little sports car-like feel to it.

But it’s a small SUV. And that means the sporty intent is a compromise.

For example, when you’re not carving up corners (and most of us won’t be on the daily), the suspension is way too sharp, especially when you hit hard edges. As fellow tester Richard Berry put it, it feels loose, and while our car was almost brand new, it didn’t feel it. 

The CX-3 is the loudest for road noise and suspension noise. (image credit: Dean McCartney)

It’s also the loudest for road noise and suspension noise, despite Mazda’s apparently constant upgrades to make it less harsh. They need to work harder on that, clearly.

The outward vision of the Mazda was a sore point - from the driver’s seat it was hard to see around corners quite as easily, and over-shoulder vision wasn’t quite as good, either. But it was easy enough to park, even with the dinky centre screen.

The Honda HR-V is comfortable and brilliantly inoffensive. Compared with the other two SUVs here it just feels like it makes less of a fuss of things. 

Always verbose, James said, “It commits to comfort, and doesn’t go half-heartedly into sporty territory, so it should be commended for that.” Richard said “It’s so comfy." 

The Honda HR-V is comfortable and brilliantly inoffensive. (image credit: Dean McCartney)

That might appeal to you, or it might not. But it’s an undeniable feat to make you forget about the road around you (and the traffic, too) - the HR-V does that.

The suspension is the most supple of these three at high speeds or around town. Whether you’re up front or in the back, it’s a nice place to be.

Sure, the engine and CVT auto mightn’t light many peoples’ fires, but it gets the job done better than you might think. 

The HR-V’s steering rack is slower than the other two, meaning it required a bit more arm-twirling to park, but it's nice and light in its action. The vision from the driver’s seat was the best of this trio - but the reversing camera was poor in its clarity and badly affected by low light situations.

The HR-V’s steering rack is slower than the other two, meaning it required a bit more arm-twirling to park. (image credit: Dean McCartney)

Just to recap - there was no off road review component of this test, as they’re all FWD drive models. 

If you want off road capability in your small SUV, you’d be best to check out our review of the Subaru XV or Jeep Renegade, as they offer more ground clearance mm (220 for XV, 211 for Renegade Trailhawk) and actual real wading depth capability (450mm for XV, 480mm Renegade Trailhawk)… heck, you could even consider a lift kit if you’re willing to spend a bit. 

Each of these three compact SUVs is covered by a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, which is nice. You might even find promotional deals including an extended warranty (up to seven years) particularly if the Honda takes your fancy. 

However, the Hyundai offers a better ownership promise, with included roadside assistance so long as you service your car at a certified Hyundai dealer. The other two require you to pay extra for roadside assist. 

For maintenance, there's not very much in it in terms of service requirements and service cost per visit. And all three of these brands have a capped price servicing program: the Hyundai for the life of the car, the Honda for up to 10 years, and the Mazda for five years. 

The service intervals for the Hyundai are more generous, at 12 months/15,000km, with an average annual cost (calculated over five years) of $279.

The Mazda and Honda both require servicing every 12 months/10,000km, whichever occurs first. The average cost per annual visit for the Honda is $295, where the Mazda is dearer at $325. 

But if you do more distance, the Hyundai has an advantage - because it doesn’t require maintenance every 10,000km, you could end up saving hundreds of dollars in service fees, not to mention the additional time required.

Intriguingly, both the Hyundai and Honda require their first ‘check-up’ after a month (or 1000km for the Honda/1500km for the Hyundai). It’s a no cost visit, though.

Hyundai also offers its 'Auto Link' system, which allows you to monitor your driving info and stats, plus keep an eye on your car’s vitals (including tyre pressure monitoring), all by using an app on your phone. 

Most of these models shouldn’t incur any form of wait time, as vehicles are in stock nationally.

For more detail on problems, issues, complaints, common faults, defects, recalls, reliability, resale value and more, be sure to check our Honda HR-V problems page, our Hyundai Kona problems page, or our Mazda CX-3 problems page.