Mazda CX-30 to start under $30,000

The Mazda CX-30 will go on sale in Australia in February with a $29,990 starting price.

There will be four equipment grades offered in the all-new small SUV range, which will be built alongside the CX-3 in Thailand.

The Mazda CX-30 will also include familiar G20 2.0-litre and G25 2.5-litre petrol four-cylinder engine choices, front- or all-wheel drive and a six-speed auto as the sole transmission.

Pricing will stretch as high as $43,490 for Mazda Australia’s fifth SUV, which is designed to fit in size and price between the smaller CX-3 (from $22,710) and larger CX-5 (from $30,880), Australia’s most popular SUV.

But that pricing is higher than key rivals such as the Nissan QASHQAI ($27,490-$37,990) and even Toyota’s more expensive MY20 C-HR ($29,540-$36,440).

Based on the same new architecture as the Mazda3, the CX-30 uses four of the same badges as the popular small car to distinguish its model grades – Pure, Evolve, Touring and Astina.

Perhaps to compensate for its price premium Mazda has loaded the CX-30 up with gear, including the G20 Pure entry model.

Standard safety stuff includes seven airbags, autonomous emergency braking, 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 is expected.

The entry-level Mazda CX-30 Pure also includes alloy wheels (16s), an 8.8-inch (non-touch) infotainment screen, push-button start, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, sat-nav and adaptive cruise control.

Key G20 Evolve additions include 18-inch alloys, dual-zone climate control and flappy gear paddles. G20 and G25 Touring adds include leather trim and power front seats.

G20 Astina includes adaptive LED headlights and a 12-speaker Bose audio system. The G25 Astina adds a glass sunroof.

The Astina is the only model to get a ‘Vision Technology’ pack standard. It adds a 360-degree monitor, (semi-autonomous) cruising and traffic support, camera-based driver monitoring and front cross traffic alert to the Touring for $1300. It’s $1500 for the Pure and Evolve because they get front parking sensors.

Full Mazda CX-30 pricing and equipment is listed at the bottom of this story.

Click here if you want to know what the CX-30 drives like and can’t wait until the local launch in February, why it’s not called CX-4, why it looks the way it does and why it’s worth a look if you’re in the market for a small SUV.

All four CX-30 models are available with Mazda’s 114kW/200Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine and front-wheel drive. The Touring and Astina can also be had with the 139kW/252Nm 2.5 mated standard with FWD or optional i-Active AWD.

Mazda claims a 6.5L/100km fuel consumption average for the G20, 6.6L/100km for the G25 and 6.8L/100km for the G25 AWD. Both engines use 91 RON fuel.

The G20 accelerates to 100km/h in 10.2 seconds, the G25 FWD in 8.7sec and the AWD in 9.1sec.

Late in 2020, the range will be expanded by the compression-ignition SKYACTIV-X petrol engine, which should sit at – or near – the top of the range.

The Mazda CX-30 is underpinned by a MacPherson strut independent front suspension and a torsion beam rear-end. Handling support is provided by Mazda G Vectoring Plus, electric-assist steering and all-round disc brakes.

Mazda is very much selling the CX-30 as a choice for SUV buyers who find the CX-3 rear seat and boot that fraction undersized. And it’s only a fraction because the new model has eked out a narrow niche here.

The CX-3 has a small 264-litre boot, while the CX-30 offers 317 litres. It can be as much as 430 litres, but only if you take out the Australian-spec temporary spare tyre. The CX-5 – for the sake of reference – has a 442-litre boot.

“It’s still a big step up,” argued Mazda Australia marketing director Alastair Doak. “If you add another 100 litres you’re almost at CX-5 size, so we are comfortable with the boot size.

In the rear seat the CX-30 has 33mm more legroom than the CX-3, 80mm more shoulder room and 29mm more headroom. Judging by our experience sitting in an Astina adult-behind-adult at yesterday’s static launch it is better than a CX-3 but still pretty tight.

“The cabin size is an advantage,” countered Mazda Australia Vinesh Bhindi. “Look at the total package, there is not many people who run around with the boot totally filled every day, or with five occupants in the cabin.”

Mazda Australia is being reasonably bullish about the CX-30’s market prospects, expecting it to cannibalise little or no sales from other models as more and more buyers transfer into the SUV segment.

Up to 12,000 sales per year is the initial expectation, which would place it roughly equivalent with the CX-3 and give a solid boost to the brand’s sales, which have slipped from record highs as the market has contracted and sales of its pricier new Mazda3 have declined.

The Mazda CX-30 G20 Pure is expected to account for almost a quarter of sales with the G20 Evolve and Touring close behind.

Mazda also estimates the G20 will command 75 per cent of sales, while front-wheel drive will be the choice of 92 per cent of buyers.

The Mazda CX-30 will be supported by a five-year/unlimited km warranty. Expect capped-price servicing details closer to the local launch.

2020 Mazda CX-30 equipment by grade:

G20 Pure:
• 16-inch alloy wheels (metallic grey finish)
• 7.0-inch TFT LCD multi-information meter display
• 8.8-inch widescreen colour display (Mazda Connect)
• Advanced keyless push-button engine start
• Airbags SRS: front (driver and passenger), side (front), knee (driver) and curtain (front and rear)
• Air-conditioning
• Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• Audio system with: AM/FM tuner, DAB+ Digital Radio and eight speakers
• Blind Spot Monitoring (BSM)
• Bluetooth (hands-free compatible)
• Bluetooth audio (MP3 compatible)
• Driver Attention Alert (DAA)
• Electric parking brake with Auto Hold
• Emergency Stop Signal (ESS)
• Exterior mirrors with auto folding function
• Exterior mirrors with power adjustment
• Forward Obstruction Warning (FOW)
• Headlamps (LED) with auto on/off function
• High Beam Control (HBC)
• Hill Launch Assist (HLA)
• Lane Departure Warning (LDW)
• Lane-keep Assist System (LAS)
• Mazda Radar Cruise Control (MRCC) with Stop & Go
• Multi-function commander control
• Parking sensors (rear)
• Power windows with auto up/down (all windows)
• Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA)
• Rear spoiler
• Reverse camera
• Satellite navigation
• Seat trim: Black cloth
• Seats (rear) with centre fold down armrest
• Seats (rear) with 60/40 split-fold backrest
• Smart Brake Support – Rear (SBS-R)
• Smart Brake Support – Rear Crossing (SBS-RC)
• Smart Brake Support (SBS)
• Tilt and telescopic adjustable steering wheel
• Traffic Sign Recognition (TSR)
• Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
• USB input (iPod® compatible)
• Wiper (rear) with intermittent function
• Wipers (front) two-speed with rain-sensing function

G20 Evolve features, in addition to G20 Pure:
• 18-inch alloy wheels (silver metallic finish)
• Air-conditioning (dual-zone climate control) with rear vents
• Auto dimming interior rear-view mirror
• Leather-wrapped gear shift knob and steering wheel
• Paddle shift gear control
• Overhead sunglass storage box

G20 and G25 Touring features, in addition to G20 Evolve:
• Advanced keyless entry
• Exterior mirror with auto dimming function
• Exterior mirror with reverse tilt down function
• Exterior mirrors with position memory
• Overhead sunglass storage box
• Parking sensors (front)
• Seat trim: Black leather
• Seats (front) with 10-way power adjustment (driver) including lumbar adjustment (driver) and two-position memory
• Vanity mirrors (front) with illumination

G20 Astina features, in addition to G20 Touring:
• 18-inch alloy wheels (bright finish)
• Adaptive LED Headlights (ALH)
• Audio system: 12-speaker Bose sound system
• Vision Technology: 360-degree View Monitor, Cruising & Traffic Support (CTS), Driver Monitoring, Front Cross Traffic Alert (FCTA)
• Seat trim: Black leather or optional Pure White leather

G25 Astina features, in addition to G20 Astina:
• Glass sunroof with power tilt and slide

How much does the 2020 Mazda CX-30 cost?
G20 Pure FWD – $29,990
G20 Evolve FWD – $31,490
G20 Touring FWD – $34,990
G25 Touring FWD – $36,490
G25 Touring AWD – $38,490
G20 Astina FWD – $38,990
G25 Astina FWD – $41,490
G25 Astina AWD – $43,490
* Prices exclude on-road costs