Girls have big handbags these days. You never know what you are going to find hidden in those dark corners at the bottom – a gentleman just shouldn’t even go there.

The Mazda CX-3 a giant handbag. It’s definitely not a bloke’s car but in the same way that a Mazda MX-5 is a ‘feminine’ two-seater and a stonkingly brilliant sportster, the CX-3 is a cute and very good compact crossover.

Just have a look at the styling – it really does look the part. Not sure about the maroon paintjob on our test car but in grey, well, hell, I’d buy one.

Snow is forecast this weekend. I was excited about trying out the CX-3 on the slippery stuff. Then I remembered this is the two-wheel drive only version.

You see, that’s why I like my macho compact crossovers to not only look good but fulfil the promise of their rufty tufty image too…