Mazda is one of the smallest Japanese automotive manufacturers. Through the years they have been known as a technology company that brings out new ideas and models that are unique in the automotive industry. If you appreciate driving a well-engineered car made for the esses on curvaceous slopes then Mazda is your brand.
Mazda builds a roadworthy vehicle that is both dependable and has the LOOK. Owning a Mazda continues to be a worthwhile endeavor. Mazda has seen the limitations of the gas-powered engine, through engineering they have maintained simplistic solutions ushering in increased overall efficiency to their power trains by 30%. They call these suites of improvements Skyactiv.
Mazda now has aligned itself with various partners in the automobile industry to share the product and enhance development. We all knew its long term partnership with ford ended two years back and now Toyota has joined them for various projects now. Most of these shared developments occur in different countries, where assembly plants are joint-effort facilities.
We think the New Cx-30 compact – class crossover is the baby of these collaborations. Lying close between the sub-compact CX3 and the compact CX5 crossover, one can see a similarity of CX-30 with the redesigned Mazda 3- sedan/hatchback series. Front-drive is standard, AWD is optional, while a 2.5-liter Skyactiv 186-hp four-cylinder provides propulsion.
Visually, the CX-30 is a sleek vehicle with an upscale-looking five-door hatchback. While its external dimensions place it precisely between its two siblings, the premium lines and shape, the rich-looking paint, and the attractive coupe-like profile all propose a styling exercise that varies extraordinarily from the down to earth models with which it shares mechanical. You will find appeal in the CX-30 for how it looks- as opposed to the more practical crossovers beside it in the showroom.
Practical, no, because the shape of the CX30 exacts compromises in both rear-seat passenger space, as well as rear cargo versatility. Even front occupants will notice that the CX-30’s interior is more car-like than crossover-airy — another hint to this vehicle’s shared roots with the 3-series hatchback.
The CX-30 offers a higher hip-point (higher access height for much easier entry and exit versus a car), however, the overall height is lower than either the CX3 or CX5. All-wheel drive adds some ground clearance while subtracting nothing from the inherent “zoom-zoom” driving dynamics familiar to 3-series owners.
The interior continues the premium perception, seen here in Red Crystal Metallic Paint with two-tone leather inside. Textures and surfaces are completely different from the usual plastics and hard materials found in many small cars and crossovers. Indeed, the CX-30 could easily be confused for a small Mercedes inside if you didn’t recognize the badges.
Yet contrasts exist too. Top points for the simple, analogue instrument cluster augmented by a heads-up display on the windshield. Elegant knobs and piano-key buttons manage the dual-zone climate system, while a conventional six-speed automatic handles the shifting chores.
Conversely, a bank of buttons low and to the left of the steering wheel is hard to see, while the large info-entertainment screen is controlled by a single console knob that is easy to manipulate, but requiring too many touches for what should be efficient intuitive acts.
Mazda has also elected to employ some unusual “assists.” The lane-keeping steering assists — active every time you start — intervened during normal driving after discerning that truck-tire skid marks were lane markings, vibrating the wheel, sounding an audible alarm, and otherwise alerting you to the hazards of, well, skid marks. The owner’s manual features 118 pages of details on this, and other driving assist features.
The fuel door won’t open with the engine running, an irritant on a cold night. OK, perhaps safety protection to the extreme, but when this sensor fails, as all of these systems eventually will, do you no longer buy gas, or do you pry the gas door off the car?
CX-30 pricing starts at just $23,000 for base FWD models, climbing to $32,000 for our loaded Premium Package equipped edition with sunroof, heated power leather seating, Bose stereo, AWD, power rear liftgate, navigation, and paddle shifters. EPA estimates are 25/32/27 mpg with a realized 28 mpg.
The CX-30 is a classy looking alternative to the smaller CX3 and a smidge roomier than the 3-series hatchback. And the interior look is decidedly more premium than similarly sized rivals like a Crosstrek. Turbo-power would improve fuel economy and power delivery, yet with AWD, the CX-30 is a solid 12-month Snowbelt vehicle that looks good during every season
