New Mazda CX-3 & Renault Captur vs Seat Arona

Having been trounced by the Seat Arona, Mazda and Renault have revised their CX-3 and Captur small SUV offerings...

Mazda CX-3 infotainment

Infotainment

Mazda CX-3

Mazda CX-3 infotainment

The Mazda CX-3 does have a touchscreen, but you can also control the infotainment system by twisting and pressing a large dial between the front seats. The latter method is less distracting when you’re driving, and the fact the screen is mounted on top of the dashboard means it’s relatively close to your eyeline. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring is available, but it’s a pricey £350 option.

Renault Captur 

Renault Captur infotainment

You get built-in sat-nav with UK maps, but you’ll need to stump up an extra £110 if you want mapping for the rest of Europe. The Renault Captur is also the only one of our trio that isn’t available with Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring, although you can have the Android equivalent if you add the optional Techno Pack for £600. Either way, the Captur’s infotainment system could be more intuitive.

Seat Arona

Seat Arona infotainment

This is the best system here. For starters, the Seat Arona has the biggest and brightest touchscreen, which means you don’t need to study it hard to work out the instructions displayed by the standard sat-nav. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring is included as standard, but the Arona also comes with a wireless phone charging pad. Our only complaint is that you can’t upgrade the mediocre sound system.