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KBB Names CX-3 and Mazda3 to ’10 Best Back-to-School Cars’

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Good things come in threes, apparently

2017 Mazda3

As we pass from July into August, one thought is sweeping across the nation: “Holy crap, school is starting soon.” Then, for some of those people, the next thought is “Man, it would really be good to have a car to get there.”

Kelley Blue Book has those people’s backs, compiling its list of the 10 Best Back-to-School Cars of 2016, where the editors chose from a selection of new cars that start for less than $20,000, and have strong marks in safety and practicality.

By extension, though, this means, that Mazda also has those people’s backs, since KBB placed two different Mazda vehicles on the list: the 2016 Mazda3 and the 2016 Mazda CX-3. Both are favorites of the KBB editors, with each already clinching “10 Best” list spots: “10 Favorite New Cars of 2016” and “10 Coolest Cars Under $25,000” for the CX-3, and the top place in “10 Coolest Cars Under $18,000” for the Mazda3 (the 13th time it topped that list).


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Both vehicles offer strong fuel efficiency, with the CX-3 delivering 29 mpg in the city and 35 on the highway, and the Mazda3 bumping that up to 29 mpg in the city and 40 mpg on the highway. And, since the CX-3 is a compact SUV and the Mazda3 is a hatchback, both vehicles deliver over 40 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats, which can be expanded in either by folding the seats down.

Plus, since both can be outfitted with a slew of active safety systems and have earned the very top honors for safety with the title of Top Safety Pick+, the CX-3 and Mazda3 are fantastic choices to go back to school with.


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