It's exactly two months since I bought a new car. On the 6th June ( a memorable date) we journeyed to Penrith Mazda, handed over our trusty Hyundai i30 and drove away with a new CX 3.

The latter is not a new new car by any means. The actual car I left with was brand new, but the model has been around since 2016, with one minor facelift and a number of technology tweaks in between times.

Buying a car that is essentially a product of nine or ten years ago is no bother to me at all. In fact, the criticisms levelled at the CX 3 by car journalists as weaknesses were, in my estimation, points in its favour.

Engine and gearbox a little old fashioned - read reliable and durable. No touchscreen whilst driving - read safety oriented. In the latter case, Mazda has a proprietary navigation wheel just beside the driver's left hand, which I have no problem using to navigate through the audio/navigation system. It's a little idiosyncratic, but so too am I.

Sure, it has less leg room for giants in the back, and the boot is quite small relatively speaking, but being built on the Mazda 2 chassis means there are a few limitations, if you have long-legged folk, or oodles of goods to cart about. We don't. If you do, the Mazda CX 5 might be a better fit for you.

Other odd criticisms include an alleged underwhelming engine performance (only true if you're lined up with Formula 1 cars at the lights), a jumpiness on the highway cycle (nonsense!) and a general old fashioned look about the interior, which is purely a matter of taste. I find that most modern interiors, with 50 inch displays and all manner of frivolous getup, to be too busy, way too distracting and likely to age very quickly.

The CX 3 has been very popular in Australia for a decade now. Comments I read at motoring sites by owners tend to reflect what I already think. A good car, reliable, fun to drive, worth owning. I am only two months in, but so far, so good.