2022 Mazda 3 vs Mazda CX-30

What's the difference?

The Mazda3 G25 SP is one of the best-looking small sedans on the market, with a lovely cabin ambiance, a driver-oriented road feel, and a stellar safety suite.

It falls a little short on value compared to top-spec competitors at a similar price point. And the engine and transmission leave this great-looker in danger of feeling a bit out-of-date with no turbocharging or electrification.

But if you’re looking for a small SUV or a hatch, and you’re having trouble finding stock, don’t look past this sedan, which offers a big boot and back seat, as well as a drive experience superior to most.

At roughly $30,000 it’s hard to do better than Mazda’s base CX-30 in the small SUV space when it comes to cabin ambiance, premium looks, and safety equipment.

While popular variants further up the range sell well, I’d recommend you resist the urge to upgrade as this version has almost everything you could need in a good-looking and relatively fun-to-drive package. 

Absolutely. Mazda's swoopy design style has been gently refined for this generation of the 3, to make a car which looks more expensive than it is.

Echoing cars sculpted by the Italian coachbuilding masters of old, this 3 sedan is rare, in that it appears to have been shaped as carefully as its hatch equivalent.

Few examples of non-premium mid-size sedans which look this great still exist. Kia’s overtly sporty Cerato sedan gives the 3 a run for its money, but I think both look infinitely better than the dreary Corolla sedan, safe-to-a-fault Impreza, and polarisingly rhomboidal i30 sedan.

Keep in mind, too, cars like this are counting their days in the Australian market, with Mitsubishi’s successful Lancer and Honda’s Civic sedan already driven into the annals of Australian automotive history.

Why do I like it so much? The wide, swoopy bonnet, delicate light fittings, well-sculpted grille, ideally proportioned and squared-off boot lid, as well as a distinct lack of naff black plastics make for one classy looking compact sedan.

I do worry about the longevity of this car’s expansive, uninterrupted panels. Even a single pockmark dent or light scratch will stand out on the doors or bonnet, potentially ruining the overall look.

Also not a fan of the black wheels, specific to the SP grade. They’re fine in isolation, but I think this design looks better when matched with silver.

Inside will seal the deal for anyone wanting a car that punches above its price point. The 3’s interior is one of, if not the best in this class, in terms of ambiance.

The leather-bound wheel, raised centre console, semi-digital dash, and gentle application of chrome look and feel lovely.

This design feels like it was destined to be matched with the leather seats from higher grades. But the hard-wearing weave covering the seats in this G25 Evolve SP is still attractive.

The multimedia screen, nestled distantly on the dash top, looks great. It’s sharp, has great colour, and utilises Apple CarPlay's widescreen abilities.

However, as it’s not a touch unit, it’s not always the easiest system to control, as we’ll discuss in the practicality section of this review.

The CX-30 embodies Mazda’s current design ethos to a T. It owns the swoopy lines, silver embossed grille, and tight light clusters which define the brand.

This Pure version is no exception, with even the more basic 16-inch alloy wheels finished in a more premium-looking gunmetal hue, and it maintains a sense of presence thanks to its standard LED headlights and dual exhaust.

Stepping inside, there is so little evidence pointing to the idea the Pure is the most basic grade. Sure, this interior feels as though it was built to be accompanied by leather seat trim, but this doesn’t take away from the sleek cabin ambiance built up by a digital dash cluster, attractive steering wheel, and luxurious-feeling centre console.

This basic version of the CX-30 is defined by a blue interior theme rather than the brown theme which appears on higher-grade models, and upon closer inspection you’ll notice the areas where the Pure differs from higher grades, like the more basic air-conditioning controls which replace a more premium looking dual-zone climate control set.

Sure, it’s missing some of the extra silver trims here and there, but for a base offering the CX-30 Pure is hard to go past, forgoing nasty plastics and major missing features of some of its rivals. For an SUV at this price, it is hard to do better.

Sedans are more practical than most give them credit for, characterised by extra back seat space and boot capacity compared to many small SUVs or hatchbacks, and the Mazda3 is no different.

Starting up front, the driver is treated to a generous space, with good visibility out of the main windows.

Seat trim is cloth, and the addition of power adjust for the driver's seat is a nice touch.

The front of the cabin features soft trims everywhere you’re realistically going to touch, ramming home the brand's increasingly upmarket ambitions.

Bottle holders appear in the doors and centre console in front of the shifter. Behind them there is a small phone-sized tray (perhaps a missed opportunity for a wireless charger).

The centre console box is also large and clad in a nice soft finish to enhance the 3's luxurious feel.

There are a few small issues up front, though, which take away from this car’s overall practicality.

First, the 3 has the typical Mazda trait of the wing mirrors being mounted up on the doors and too close to the driver, giving them a limited angle of view.

Second, the multimedia system is not a touch unit, controlled only via a dial in the centre console.

This is great for the car’s stock software suite, which is clearly designed to be used this way, but navigating Apple CarPlay with a dial is beyond clumsy, especially while you’re trying to concentrate on the road.

It’s nice that there’s a separate volume knob, and easy-to-use climate functions, but I also wish the digital portion of the instrument cluster had a few more functions. It looks good but doesn’t really do much.

Access to the sedan's rear seat is much easier than in the 3 hatch as the doors are larger and the roofline stays consistently higher. This means it’s easy to hop in and out of for an adult.

Sitting behind my 182cm driving position, I had plenty of leg and decent headroom. The plush door cards continue into the rear with a single bottle holder, plus a drop-down armrest includes two bottle holders.

The rear seats feature actual bolstering in their sides, although amenities are only okay, with dual adjustable air vents for rear passengers, but no power outlets.

In fact, power outlets are an issue in the 3, with two USB 2.0 ports and a single 12V socket, but no USB-C jacks.

For the boot, the sedan version of the 3 offers an impressive 444 litres of space (VDA), an enormous increase on the hatch's 295 litres.

This comes with the caveat that the loading space isn’t as versatile, with a traditional 'three-box' design meaning it can be much more difficult to load larger objects.

Regardless, the 3 sedan easily fit our three-piece CarsGuide luggage set with ample space to spare.

Sadly, the CX-30 was never the most practical of the small SUV bunch, and more basic grades even miss out in some areas.

Front passengers are treated well with ample width and headroom on offer, and the big centre console box not only offers a large storage area but will accommodate two elbows on top with ease.

On the topic of elbows, the front seat also offers lovely soft trims in the doors, as well as a large storage bin and bottle holder underneath. There are also a set of two bottle holders in front of the gearshift, and a small tray for phones and wallets under the air conditioning controls.

The screen looks great and is mounted in just the right spot but is only controlled via a dial. While it is easy to navigate the simple menus of the stock software this way, controlling phone mirroring software with it is clumsy to say the least.

The back seat is nowhere near as accommodating as the front, with my knees close up to the front behind my own driving position.

Headroom is decent although getting in requires you to duck under the descending roofline. Amenities in the base Pure grade are also limited, with a single bottle holder in each door, a single pocket on the back of the passenger seat, but no power outlets or adjustable air vents. At least the soft elbow-pad is maintained in the door trim.

The boot is also far from the largest in this class, at just 317 litres. It could just fit the full set of three CarsGuide luggage cases, but required the removal of the luggage shelf, and would have had the medium case obscuring your rear view.

The CX-30 has a space-saver spare wheel under the boot floor, as well as dual ISOFIX and three top-tether mounts across the rear row.

Price is a bit of a funny topic here, because when the CX-30 launched Mazda was talked about as though it was suddenly going ‘upmarket’. With its rivals seemingly forced into a string of price rises though, the gap between the CX-30 and key alternatives has significantly narrowed.

Wearing an MSRP of $30,390, this entry-level Pure automatic is now on-par with its rivals, which in this specific small SUV shape currently include the Toyota C-HR GXL ($30,915), Volkswagen T-Roc 110TSI Style ($35,500), and the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross ES ($30,990).

Mazda, perhaps owing to its lofty ambitions on other CX-30 grades, has packed the Pure with a particularly odd array of standard equipment. For a base model it has an impressive 8.8-inch multimedia screen, push-start ignition, and even a holographic head-up display, but doesn’t include traditionally basic items at this price like dual-zone climate control or even the convenience of keyless entry.

Expected base-grade stuff like basic cloth seat trim with manually adjustable front seats is there alongside small 16-inch alloy wheels, but then again, there’s also lovely synthetic leather trim for the steering wheel, door cards, and centre console. The semi-digital dash suite from other CX-30 grades is even included.

It makes this car feel very nice for the price, but the strange set of omissions are clearly designed to encourage you into a higher grade.

On the options front there is only the 'Vision Technology' pack ($1500) which includes some of the omitted safety items, like a 360-degree parking camera, adaptive cruise control, driver attention alert, front cross-traffic alert, and front parking sensors. Two shades of grey and Mazda’s signature 'Soul Red' exterior paint colours also wear a $495 optional price tag.

A lot of what goes into buying a car though is emotion, and I can see why prospective owners would easily be swayed into the CX-30 at this price with its upmarket look and feel compared to, say, an entry-level version of the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross.

The G25 Evolve SP automatic has an official/combined cycle fuel consumption figure of 6.5L/100km, which sounds a little fanciful for a larger capacity four-cylinder.

But I was impressed with the real-world results, which came back as 7.6L/100km after a few hundred kays.

Many turbo engines or stressed 2.0 litres will match or exceed this, and even though I stuck to largely urban use in my week, it still fell below the ‘urban’ claim of 8.5L/100km. I suppose this car is proof that sometimes simple is best.

Too add a little icing, the 2.5-litre engine is capable of consuming entry-level 91RON unleaded. The Mazda3 has a 51-litre fuel tank.

This little 2.0-litre engine seems to have to push hard to keep up, and while the CX-30’s combined cycle fuel consumption number comes in at 6.5L/100km, in my real-world week-long test I saw an alarming 9.0L/100km average.

To be fair, my driving was almost entirely confined to city limits, but it is still above this car’s official ‘urban’ number of 8.0L/100km.

A small reprieve, this most basic engine option can consume entry-level 91RON unleaded fuel.

The CX-30 has a 51-litre fuel tank, which using my real-world average consumption translates to a range in excess of 550km.

The Mazda3 is generally a very nice car to drive. Mazda is keen on delivering a specific drive experience, designed to be consistent across its range.

And this car has been refined nicely relative to the previous 3, which handled well, but was a bit noisy and rough in the cabin.

Handling is excellent. The car feels secure with solid and direct steering feel, a firm but controlled ride (with more forgiving dampers than its predecessors), and good off-the-line responsiveness from the 2.5-litre, four-cylinder engine.

The engine pairs well with the six-speed torque converter transmission, ahead of the rubbery CVTs or glitchy dual-clutch autos found in some competitor offerings.

Keen drivers are likely to prefer it, however there's something dated about the experience.

The 2.5-litre engine is sufficiently powerful but feels lacklustre in its mid-range delivery compared to more modern turbocharged or hybrid alternatives. And it’s a bit noisy, to boot.

Road noise has improved from this car’s predecessor, but still isn’t stellar, and one thing which helps define the Mazda driving experience is a firmness which works its way through the whole vehicle.

It’s not just that the ride can be a little hard at times, it’s that you feel every bump through the steering and body of the car.

It’s worth calling out Mazda’s emissions-reducing stop-start system as easily one of the best executions of the tech on the market.

The engine is up and running and ready to go before you have time to think about it. Unlike some contemporary systems from rivals like VW, you never have to consider switching it off out of annoyance.

This leaves the G25 SP as an interesting option in the crowded mid-size hatch and sedan space. One which leans further into the sporty driver-oriented realm than the semi-luxury one seemingly promised by its design.

The CX-30 feels slick and sporty from the get-go, with direct steering and an engaging ride. In most city-based scenarios this is a zippy little car which offers decent comfort levels and a lovely cabin ambiance, too.

Mazda maintains a traditional six-speed torque converter automatic transmission, which pairs nicely with the 2.0-litre engine to make for a predictable experience under acceleration, forgoing the nasty rubbery feel of many rivals’ CVT automatics, or the glitchy take-off from other dual-clutches.

The engine does leave a little to be desired however, with hollow power delivery in the mid-range meaning you’ll need to push it hard in overtaking and uphill scenarios.

It feels a bit rudimentary in today’s car landscape of hybrids and turbocharged engines, but Mazda has at least made it sound good, with a warm thrum rather than a nasty rattle at higher revs.

If you’re considering solving this problem by shopping further up the range, the alternate 2.5-litre four-cylinder behaves largely the same with a little extra power.

The CX-30 also maintains a particular firmness which permeates Mazda’s cars. While it imbues this small SUV with an engaging road feel and fun handling, big bumps and corrugations will rattle through the steering and A-pillar, making the whole car feel light and fragile and taking away from the CX-30’s otherwise semi-premium ambiance.

Ironically, the Pure improves this issue by having the smallest alloy wheel out of any CX-30 grade, providing a bit of extra tyre to soak up the worst jolts the road might offer.

The active safety items punch above their weight at this price point, making the Pure feel as though it has your back, particularly with those rare-at-this-price rear-facing items.

Like a lot of new-generation Mazdas though, the CX-30 suffers from a limited field of view from its disturbingly close rear-vision mirrors.

Overall, the CX-30 Pure offers an engaging drive experience paired with a lovely cabin ambiance. The engine and transmission are feeling a bit dated, and the ride trades comfort for sportiness, so it may not be for everyone, but ultimately Mazda’s signature drive experience is maintained, even at this lower end of the price scale.

The CX-30 comes with a high base level of active safety equipment, coming with radar-based auto emergency braking which works to freeway speeds detecting cyclists and pedestrians during the day.

It also has rear auto braking, lane keep assist with lane departure warning, and traffic sign recognition as standard, with the surprising inclusion of rear-facing items like blind spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert, both of which are rare on entry-level cars at this price.

Omitted items on this base Pure grade, which include the 360-degree parking camera, front parking sensors, the full adaptive cruise control suite, driver attention alert, and front cross traffic alert can all be optionally included as part of the $1500 Vision Technology pack on automatic versions. Arguably worth it.

Rounding out the CX-30’s equipment is the standard array of electronic brake, traction, and stability aids, alongside a suite of seven airbags (the standard dual front, side, and curtain, as well as a driver’s knee).

The CX-30 range is covered by a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating to the 2019 standard, scoring an impressive 99 per cent in the adult occupant protection category.

All Mazdas are covered by a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, on par with its primary rivals, which includes roadside assist for the duration.

Mazda includes a ‘base scheduled maintenance’ program with indicative costs for the first five years, with each visit estimated to cost either $322 or $367 on alternating years for an average of $340 a year.

This seems about right to us. Toyotas are cheaper, but Subarus are more expensive.

Mazda covers its entire passenger car range with a competitive five year and unlimited kilometre warranty, which also includes five years of roadside assist.

Some notable newcomers are moving to seven-year warranty promises, which should increase pressure on established players like Mazda in this space.

The CX-30 needs to be serviced once every 12 months or 10,000km, and pricing alternates between $316 and $361 per visit, for an annual average of $334. It’s not as cheap as some Toyota servicing programs but is certainly at the most affordable end of the market.