Mazda CX-30 2020 Review

With the arrival of the CX-30 Mazda now offers more SUVs in its Australian model line-up than passenger cars. Previously it was tied at four-all.

That’s a reflection of the demand for SUVs in the Australian market. They accounted for 45.4 per cent of all new vehicle sales and around 50 per cent of Mazda’s volume in 2019.

So bringing this small SUV to Australia certainly makes sense, it’s just finding space in the Mazda line-up for it to squeeze into that’s the challenge.

The CX-30 is based on the same new Skyactiv architecture as the latest Mazda3 small car and it is the first SUV to be designed using the company’s latest iteration of the ‘Kodo’ design language.

There’s a poetic and elegant explanation of what Kodo is all about; flow and light and … you get the picture. Hoo-hah aside, the CX-30 really is a nice looking vehicle. An SUV though? More like a hatch on stilts with a bit of black plastic cladding added to stop it looking porky.

The CX-30 is designed to fit between the smaller CX-3 and larger CX-5 in the Mazda line-up. So why isn’t it called CX-4? Because there’s a China-only model with that name.

We live in Australia so why can’t this vehicle be called CX-4?

The name might be a bit perplexing but it’s no big deal. What you’ll struggle with more is if you’re a CX-3 owner – and there’s plenty of them out there – who’ve heard the CX-30’s coming and thought ‘aha, this is the solution to my squeezy back seat and small boot without having to stretch all the way to a CX-5’.

Sorry folks, nice theory, shame about the reality. The CX-30 is only 120mm longer than a CX-3, has an extra 53 litres of boot space (264 versus a still underdone 317 litres) and by no means offers generous rear seat room for adults.

In Mazda Australia’s defence, the difference in boot size is reduced from a best-case (geddit?) scenario 430 litres because it took the correct decision and installed the biggest temporary spare under the removable floor.

All that means if you’re looking for a family SUV in the Mazda range it still starts with the CX-5. Or you look to another brand, which is entirely feasible because the amount of competition in the sub-$40,000 segment of the SUV market is huge.

And that brings us to pricing and equipment and whatnot. Well, we did a deep dive into that side of things when CX-30’s Australian price and specification were announced last October.

Click here for the rundown in detail for the entire CX-30 model family.

But in brief. The CX-30 comes with the choice of well-known 2.0- and 2.5-litre naturally-aspirated petrol engines – dubbed G20 and G25 respectively. The only transmission choice is a six-speed auto. Both front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive is available, but the latter will only come with the two top-spec 2.5s.

There are four equipment grades: Pure, Evolve, Touring and Astina. The first two are 2.0-litre only, while the latter two come in both engine sizes.

The CX-30 starts at $29,990 (plus on-road costs) and that does place it a little above some big-sellers like the Nissan QASHQAI and Toyota C-HR. Pricing tops out at $43,490 for the G25 Astina AWD.

The safety equipment level is generous. We’re talking seven airbags, autonomous emergency braking (AEB), blind spot monitoring, forward obstruction warning, lane departure warning and lane keep assist, rear cross-traffic alert with brake support and a reversing camera.

A five-star ANCAP rating includes the highest-ever score for adult occupant protection.

Entry-level Pure comfort equipment includes 16-inch alloy wheels, adaptive cruise control, Apple Carplay and Android Auto. At this level it’s cloth trim, single-zone air-con with no controllable rear vents, no flappy paddles for the gearchange and no fold down rear armrest with cupholders.

From Evolve up 18-inch alloy wheels are standard, as is dual-zone climate control with rear vents and the flappys. And Mazda just keeps adding gear from there all the way to the G25 Astina, which is the only model with the ‘Vision Technology’ package standard. Among other things his includes a 360-degree camera and semi-autonomous ‘Cruising and Traffic Support’.

The CX-30 is protected by a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, along with a capped-price servicing plan that applies every 12 months or 10,000km. That adds up to $1691.44 for the G20 and $1716.19 for the G25 over five years or 50,000km.

Those 10,000km intervals are short, but Mazda argues those are the sort of kays its predominantly private audience travels on average every year.

The problem is plenty of Mazda’s rivals are stretching km intervals out to 15,000km and even 30,000km. If you are travel more than 10,000km per year you’ll pay more to service your CX-30 than plenty of rivals. Simple as that.

So if the CX-30 isn’t the answer to your space issues, what is it?

Well, if refinement and cohesive and elegant interior design are important to you, then the CX-30 wins out ahead of either CX-3 or CX-5 and many other non-Mazda SUVs for that matter .

Based on the same new generation Skyactiv architecture as the latest Mazda3, the CX-30 benefits from the same commitment to hushing the cabin and making everything you interact with on the dashboard simple to deal with.

It also has a stylish fluidity to its look, tying in with Mazda’s strategy of pushing that little bit upmarket into a niche between the mainstream and luxury brands. The idea is to charge a little more for a vehicle that is that touch better than a Toyota or Nissan. It’s not premium, Mazda insists, it’s Mazda premium. Okay.

The quietness of the cabin is one area where this really becomes obvious. Road noise has long been an issue for Mazda, but like the new 3, the CX-30 contains it well on all bar the coarsest surfaces.

The interiors are covered in decent trims; cloth seats at the entry-level, leather further up. There’s soft-touch dash tops, leather stitching, piano black and metallic patterns. There’s some interesting (read polarising) colour combos inside, including a Navy blue and black treatment for the Pure.

The reduction in number of buttons is commendable. A standard head-up display helps keep the driver’s eyes forward. But not everyone will appreciate the infotainment screen being so far away and controlled remotely by a dial between the seats.

Look, it’s simpler than other non-touch screens such as Audi and Benz employ, but it still has its challenges. Without consulting the instruction manual I could not figure out how to orient the sat-nav map north. Ah well, plug in Carplay and use its map.

Mazda hypes the front seats that were first seen in the 3. They are very supportive, comfortable and adjustable. Available storage is plentiful, starting with a sizable centre bin with a sliding top. In the rear you are better treated the further up the range you go, although the claustrophobic feeling imparted by small windows never departs.

The CX-30 is a classic Mazda drive. Light, accurate steering and above average handling balance make it just as suitable for nipping down to the shops as tackling a winding country road.

All front-wheel drive CX-30s weigh in under 1400kg – AWD figures weren’t provided in the kit and examples weren’t available to drive as they don’t go on-sale for another month – and that means the two naturally-aspirated engines aren’t overwhelmed by what they have to haul.

Okay, the 114kW/200Nm 2.0-litre engine definitely gets challenged. Hills have its auto shifting down chasing the torque peak that comes in at a high 4000rpm. High at least compared to the downsized turbo-petrol engines offered by some rivals that kick in from the teens.

The 139kW/252Nm 2.5-litre engine is more willing and able. It has a little more oomph everywhere. You can certainly live with the 2.0, but the bigger donk is more helpful conquering climbs and making a quick overtake. But you pay for it as the cheapest G25 is the $36,490 (before on-road costs) Touring.

You can actually get into a CX-5 Maxx with the same drivetrain for less. Mazda would argue extra gear in the CX-30 more than counterbalances that.

Fuel economy is theoretically in the mid 6s for both engines, but expect it to climb noticeably in the real world.

The G20 Pure base model has one clear advantage over the rest of the range; ride quality. It’s the only model fitted with 16-inch 215/65 rubber rather than 215/55R18s. It really make a difference,

On 18s, the CX-30 is overly sharp and busy. It rarely settles, even on roads that don’t look that rough. The 16-inch rubber, with its taller sidewall offered an obviously more compliant ride on the same suspension settings.

There was some steering certainty sacrificed and bodyroll added – also a suggestion of steering rack vibration and rear bump steer on rough corners – but make sure you test both specs out before buying.

We expect a lot of Mazda. It has for decades sold quality vehicles to Australian private buyers. Nowhere in the world is it better received.

Some Mazdas have been excellent, most have been darn good and very few have been flops. The CX-30 falls into that middle ground. It is a good vehicle worthy of consideration if you’re after a small SUV.

OK, it’s had to really elbow into a narrow gap in the range but Mazda is confidently forecasting 800 sales per month without taking too many off the CX-3 and CX-5.

You can see the attraction. It’s a thoroughly modern, beautifully presented small SUV that will suit singles and couples really well.

How much does the 2020 Mazda CX-30 G20 Pure cost?
Price: $29,990 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol
Output: 114kW/200Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel: 6.5L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 151g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP (2019)

How much does the 2020 Mazda CX-30 G25 Astina cost?
Price: $41,490 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol
Output: 139kW/252Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel: 6.6L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 153g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP (2019)