Mazda CX-30 2020 review: Touring FWD

Like the 3, the CX-30 isn't particularly cheap. The G20 Pure kicks off the range at under $30,000 but this G20 Touring, the third rung in the eight-step range (if you ignore Vision Package-equipped variants as distinct models, which makes the number 12) finds its way into your garage for $34,990.

This G20 Touring, the third rung in the eight-step range, is $34,990.

For that you get 18-inch alloys, an 8.8-inch media screen, keyless entry and start, electric driver's seat, dual-zone climate control, leather trim, eight-speaker stereo, leather steering wheel and shift, auto LED headlights, auto high beam, auto wipers, active cruise control, power windows and mirrors, reversing camera, auto LED headlights, front and rear parking sensors, sat nav and a space-saver spare. The Touring also gets auto rear-vision mirror tipping to help with parking.

You get 18-inch alloys.

The MZD Connect system is exactly the same across the whole range and features the new system and screen first seen in the 3. Controlled solely by the console-mounted rotary dial - old versions allowed touchscreen interaction when stationary - it looks superb in all its monochromatic glory, as well as featuring Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It's a terrific system and not too complex or annoying to navigate.

This is another lovely one from Mazda. Some have complained it looks too much like other Mazdas, but this is like saying there are too many beautiful Hadid sisters or handsome Hemsworths. The Kodo design language is - allegedly - a further evolution over other Mazdas, but I think it looks grand either way.

The Kodo design language is - allegedly - a further evolution over other Mazdas, but I think it looks grand either way.

There is a bit more 3 in it than CX-5, so it does look a bit more like a high hatchback (think Subaru XV, but not hideous), with black plastic bits to make it look rugged. The Touring looks good on the 18-inch wheels, too.

Inside is mostly 3 as well, which means a good clear dash, a cabin lacking in pointless clutter and a lot of very nice materials, textures and surfaces. And for some reason I cannot explain, a slab of chocolate brown leather smeared across the upper surface of the dash.

Full marks for trying something - I'm a broken record about dark Mazda interiors - but I am not sure about this. The Pure has blue instead, so this is less naff.

Apart from that, it's a really nice interior. If you do want something a bit lighter, you can spec white leather in the upper reaches of the range.

A common theme with Mazdas - with the exception of the 6 and CX-9 - is that interior space tends to be toward the bottom of the scale. The boot starts at a fairly small (for the class) 317 litres. When you take into account the storage under the boot floor, the figure rises to 422 or 430 litres, depending on spec. Mazda doesn't supply a figure for seats-down, but I'd guess it's around the 1000-litre mark.

Front and rear-seat passengers each score a pair of cupholders and a bottle holder in each door, for four each. The centre console bin is a small but useful space and the glove box is tiny, in the interests of offering lots of clear knee space.

Rear-seat passengers get roughly the same deal as those in the 3, with one key difference. The reasonably large transmission tunnel - whether the car is FWD like this one, or AWD - robs the middle occupant of foot space. It's not really a three-across-on-holidays bench, but it will do the job for most city trips. Head room isn't super generous, either, but I'm okay at almost 180cm.

The G20 CX-30 comes with Mazda's tried-and-true 2.0-litre SkyActiv petrol engine, delivering 114kW at 6000rpm and 200Nm at 4000rpm, which is not much more than in a CX-3, and yet it's   hauling a bit more weight. Having said that, 1360kg is neither a mere slip of a thing, nor chubby.

The G20 CX-30 comes with Mazda's tried-and-true 2.0-litre SkyActiv petrol engine.

The G20s are all front-wheel drive, with a six-speed automatic transmission. The 0-100km/h time is a very leisurely and noisy 10.3 seconds.

Mazda supplied an official fuel figure of 6.5L/100km. As ever, that's not quite the reality, but at 8.7L/100km for a mostly city-bound week, the real-world result wasn't bad. And when you remember the CX-30 runs on 91 RON unleaded, it won't cost a fortune.

Standard across the range are seven airbags, including driver’s knee airbag, ABS, stability and traction controls, driver-attention detection, forward-obstruction warning, auto high beam, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, reverse cross-traffic alert, reversing camera, forward AEB, rear AEB, rear-crossing AEB, tyre-pressure monitoring and traffic-sign recognition.

Child seats are covered with either three top-tether anchors or two ISOFIX points.

The CX-30 scored five ANCAP stars in January 2020.

The CX-30 scored five ANCAP stars in January 2020, scoring 99 percent in adult-occupant protection.

You can add the Vision Technology Pack, which is $1300 on the Touring and gets you front cross-traffic alert, around-view cameras, driver monitoring and cruising and traffic support (basically the same as Audi's stop-and-go in traffic).

Mazda's standard five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty applies, along with a fixed-price-servicing regime. Annoyingly, the service intervals are a stingy 12 months or 10,000km and the first five services are $327 each. If you do 15,000km per year, that means you won't quiet eke out five years from the program, and the first two years will cost you almost $1000 in servicing. And that doesn't include a few bits and pieces, like brake fluid and cabin filters.

Mazda has come a long way in a variety of areas in the last three or four years. In 2015, reviews were littered with complaints about noise from the engine and front suspension, along with various other niggles about the ride or handling. Even then, those cars were a world away from mid-2000s cars, which looked great but had cheap-feeling interiors, thirsty engines and indifferent handling.

And that's the Mazda story - constant, iterative improvement. The CX-30 might be new, but it's full of the sorts of things Mazda has learnt over the past decade.

The very clever G-Vectoring system momentarily reduces torque as you turn the wheel for a corner, shifting the weight to the front wheels and squishing the tyres into the road. It makes the front end feel like it's glued down that little bit more and there's even a bit of feel through the steering wheel. It does chatter a bit over bumps and you will get a bit of kickback over bigger ones, but it's nothing you can't handle if you're paying attention.

The 2.5-litre G25 models are hardly rocketships, but a bit more go would be welcome in the CX-30.

The Touring (and Evolve) are fitted with better Dunlop tyres than the Pure's squidgy Bridgestones and provide a worthwhile boost to grip, with just a small penalty to the ride quality.

And goodness, it is a bit on the slow side. The 2.5-litre G25 models are hardly rocketships, but a bit more go would be welcome in the CX-30 (the 2.5 turbo in the CX-5 with 420Nm would be most welcome). At this level, a Kia Seltos or Hyundai Kona has both all-wheel drive and a turbo 1.6-litre engine with rather more urge.

And because it is lacking in power and torque, you do need to work the CX-30 harder, and in G20 form - like the 3 and 2.0-litre powered CX-5's - it's noisy and tiring. If you keep your ambition in check, though, it's a lovely thing to drive.

And that's the thing about ambition - sometimes someone else shows too much of it and you have to hit the brakes hard. In normal driving the soft pedal of this car isn't annoying, but when things are a bit hairy, the brake pedal feel is a little lacking. The brakes work - obviously - but a little more feel would bring a lot of confidence.