Many deals and conversations between Motor Trend worker bees are hashed out via text message. One riveting exchange went as follows.
“How did that trim piece come off again? Slammed the hatch lid hard?”
“Lol just closed the hatch. Didn’t think it was that hard.”
That piece of trim is the plastic cap that safeguards the Mazda CX-3’s rear window wiper arm mounting point. It had liberated itself from the vehicle at some point before the 19,000-mile mark. Whether our presumed-innocent individual did in fact put some extra muscle into shutting the rear hatch will remain a mystery for the ages
At least the piece was spotted lying on the ground. Roughly a thousand milliseconds later, I’ve snapped the cap back into place. The tabs that hold it in place are very shallow but appear to do a good job securing it (upon reinstallation). It must’ve taken a good amount of force to free it up. It’s a small issue resolved; it’s also one that doesn’t seem like it should have happened.
The CX-3’s glove box is another matter. As it goes while commuting in the usual L.A. traffic, my eyes wander. One time, these ocular miracles fell on the glove box, where I detected the bin edge nearest the center stack doesn’t sit completely flush. It’s not that noticeable from the front passenger’s seated position.
Optimistic that it could be leveled, I requested a remedy during the 15,000-mile service, the CX-3’s second overall. It turns out the glove box bin may be maxed out of its adjustment range. The paperwork says the dealer “adjusted [the] glove box to sit as flush as possible,” but it still juts out ever so slightly. The bin, emptied or laden, rattles softly and intermittently while driving around, as well. Naturally, the rattle vanishes if a hand is pressed against the box while the CX-3 is moving.
The little Mazda is seeing 27.6 mpg so far, close to its 27.0 combined Real MPG rating. Which means it’s time to take it to zigzagging roads such as Idyllwild National Forest Highway, where cell reception is spottier and texts don’t filter through as quickly.
jozzz
BalasHapus