2019+ Mazda3 (BP) Infotainment

The 2019 Mazda3 (chassis code BP) was the first Mazda to ship Gen 7 Mazda Connect, the same way the 2014 Mazda3 had launched Gen 6 five years earlier. The dash looks like an evolution of the older car’s, but the head unit is a clean-sheet platform: different SoC, different operating system, different firmware format, and a different way of driving it. This page covers what changed and why the Gen 6 material on this site does not apply to the BP.

What changed from the BM/BN

	2014–2018 (BM/BN, Gen 6)	2019+ (BP, Gen 7)
Screen	7” touchscreen, 800×480	8.8” widescreen
Touch input	Yes, when parked	None; Commander knob only, at any speed
Apple CarPlay / Android Auto	Dealer retrofit (firmware + USB hub)	Factory standard, wired from launch
Wireless CarPlay	Third-party dongle only	Added on later model years
Audio	Standard or Bose 9-speaker	Standard or Bose 12-speaker
Firmware format	`.up`, one image for all Gen 6 cars	`.kwi`, model-specific builds

The headline change for daily use is the loss of touch. Mazda dropped the touchscreen entirely on Gen 7 and moved everything to the rotary Commander between the seats, including CarPlay maps: you scroll and click rather than tap. Mazda’s stated reasoning is that reaching for a screen pulls your eyes off the road longer than a knob does. The screen grew to 8.8 inches and moved further up the dash, but it is a display, not an input.

Gen 7 is a different computer, not an update

The BP’s head unit shares no software lineage with the Gen 6 CMU. Gen 6 is an NXP i.MX6 Dual running Linux 3.0.35, with a UI that is literally a web app rendered by Opera Presto and firmware that ships as readable .up packages — one image across the entire lineup, distinguished only by region code. Gen 7 moved to a different SoC, a proprietary OS, and a UI framework that isn’t a browser. Its firmware ships as model-specific .kwi packages (the Mazda3/CX-30 build family is NA01), so a BP Mazda3 and a Gen 7 CX-5 no longer even take the same file.

The openness went with the Linux. Gen 6 can be rooted over documented USB exploits, which is what makes themes, boot tweaks, and screen adjustments possible there. Gen 7 has no published root exploit and no HTML layer to edit. The full side-by-side is on Gen 6 vs Gen 7.

CarPlay is factory standard, wired from launch

Wired CarPlay and Android Auto are standard on every BP Mazda3, the feature Gen 6 owners pay $100–450 to retrofit. Early 2019 builds shipped before the software was finalized; some of those cars got CarPlay activated by the dealer at first service rather than off the truck, so a very early 2019 without CarPlay needs a dealer visit, not a parts order. Wireless CarPlay arrived on later model years. If wireless matters to you, confirm it on the specific car’s feature list rather than assuming the year covers it.

The Commander-only input applies to CarPlay too: on the BM/BN, CarPlay is touchable when parked; on the BP it is knob-driven at all times.

Gen 6 firmware, tweaks, and ScreenTune don’t apply

Miatafy’s firmware guides, ScreenTune, and the CMU-side mods on this site target the Gen 6 platform: the Visteon unit running v74.00.324A. The BP’s Gen 7 head unit is not that platform. .up firmware packages won’t load on it, the USB tweak installers do nothing, and ScreenTune does not run on it. This page is the extent of our BP infotainment coverage; for where the supported line falls across the lineup, see supported vehicles and Mazda Connect generations.

FORScan still works on the BP for the usual body and SkyActiv configuration (door locks, DRLs, i-Stop defaults), same as any other late Mazda. That’s chassis-side, not head-unit-side. See the FORScan overview for the shared basics.

Telling the generations apart takes one glance

Gen 6 / BM/BN (2014–2018): 7-inch screen, touch works when parked, square app tiles. The rest of this site applies; start at the Mazda3 overview or the 2014–2018 infotainment page.
Gen 7 / BP (2019+): 8.8-inch widescreen, no touch at all, Commander-only, flatter UI with rounded cards.

If the screen leaves any doubt, the About screen settles it: a Gen 6 unit reports a firmware string like 74.00.324A NA N under Settings → System → About, and Gen 7 uses a different format. Steps are on check your firmware.