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It's been launched in Japan and Australia, and priced in the US; now the Mazda CX-3 is all set to hit the Continent, with five trim levels and three powerplant options announced. Orders are open, with deliveries set to begin next month.

Europe gets Emotion, Challenge, Attraction, Revolution and Revolution Top trims - Britain calls them SE, SE Nav, SE-L, SE-L Nav and Sport Nav, with few, if any, differences in kit.

Even the most affordable variant gets quite a bit as standard - front-wheel drive, six-speed manual and 120 PS 2.0 litre SkyActiv-G petrol, of course, but there's start/stop, air-con, USB, steering wheel buttons, electrically-adjustable wing mirrors, push-button start, hill assist, tyre pressure monitoring and Dynamic Traction Control.

Also available is a 150 PS version of the 2.0 litre SkyActiv-G, plus a 105 PS 1.5 litre SkyActiv-D diesel engine. All-wheel drive and a six-speed auto are optional.

Prices start from 15,290 euro (RM60,500) and 17,595 pounds (RM98,500) in the UK. Comparatively, the HR-V rival will start from the low-$20,000s (RM72,800) in the US, $19,990 (RM56,200) in Australia and 2,376,000 yen (RM70,200) in Japan.

Not so rosy in Malaysia where pricing is concerned - our CX-3, which could be arriving either in July or August, is estimated to cost RM120k-130k. However, it's likely to be loaded with kit, including six airbags and a head-up display.