Top Compact/Small SUV: Mazda CX-30

Wednesday, 2 December 2020

The Stuff Top Compact/Small SUV for 2020 is the Mazda CX-30.

The part of the market the Mazda CX-30 plays in is a tightly fought one, with prize-fighters piling in from the garages of Honda, Toyota, Hyundai, Suzuki, Ford, Mitsubishi, Volkswagen, Kia… you name it.

Small SUVs are the jumping-off point for many customers for what will likely become a lifelong attachment to SUVs of varying sizes and styles.

At one end of the compact SUV buyer demographic, some purchasers might be younger folk climbing up into their first new car after student days in old bangers. With a young family possibly on the way, the high-riding small SUV offers a better chance of avoiding back injuries when loading junior into their car seat, along with the option of a cheeky colour scheme and a funky interior design. That is to say, they have a certain ‘yoof’ appeal.

Somehow the CX-30 slips in between the CX-3 and CX-5. Don’t ask us how, but it does it well.

At the other end of the buyer demographic are older ‘empty nesters’ wanting a smaller vehicle for popping down to bowls or the supermarket. Again, seats with high hip points promise fewer opportunities to dislocate something critical, and the tauter dimensions these vehicles pack mean scuffing a corner at the multi-story mall car park is less of a threat.

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The CX-30 is based on the Mazda3, so excellent handling and a refined ride are certain.

* Top Medium SUV: Mercedes-Benz EQC 400

* Top Sports/Performance SUV: Audi RS Q3

Like all Mazda passenger vehicles the CX-30 gets a Euro-quality interior.

* Top Large SUV: Land Rover Defender

* Top Compact/Small Car: Toyota Yaris

It really is an SUV. See; it’s even got big plastic wheel arches and everything!

So why the Mazda CX-30? Partly because it’s firmly planted in the ‘Goldilocks’ zone: not too big, and not too small.

Shouldering itself in between the smaller CX-3 and larger CX-5, the CX-30 offers a nice mid-point. Interior space is noticeably bigger for rear seat passengers than in the CX-3, yet the 30 feels more manoeuvrable in traffic than the CX-5.

Mazda has also drawn a very clear – and stylish – line in the sand when it comes to design. The familial Mazda face is as successful in tying all vehicles to the brand as the likes of Volkswagen or Mercedes-Benz. And the premium aesthetic this delivers is easily aligned with those European brands, too.

Inside, the clarity and restraint of the designer’s philosophy continues in a stunningly simple and uncluttered layout. No baffling array of buttons and knobs here, mate: the rotary Mazda Connect controller between the front seats can get most infotainment things happening with a minimum of turns and pushes. Head-up display with speed sign recognition, blinkers that pulse to match the human heartbeat, two-tone dashboards… the CX-30 gets an ‘A’ for effort.

There’s a number of configurations in the CX-30 range with 2.0 and 2.5-litre engines, front wheel or active all-wheel drivetrains, and even the recent addition of the super-clever Skyactiv-X Spark Controlled Compression Ignition engine variant in top-shelf Takami spec.

Mazda’s focused a lot on reducing NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) with this car. Mindful that old and young buyers alike will always favour a subdued ambience over a vehicle that fatigues with tyre and wind roar, Mazda’s engineers have installed lots of sound absorbing materials to gift the CX-30 with ‘large car’ serenity that its exterior dimensions belie. In short, it’s nice to ride around in.

And, because the CX-30 shares much of its underpinnings with the Mazda3 hatchback, you needn’t sweat rocking and rolling in corners. The CX-30 corners flatly and this only further endears it to those buyers’ keen on preserving the dynamics of a lower-riding hatchback. Think of the CX-30 as a Mazda3 on elevator shoes (and that’s a compliment for an SUV).

What else was in the running? This area of the market isn’t short of players. From the cheap and cheerful MG ZST to the Skoda Kamiq and angry little Audi RS Q3, there were lots of contenders for this gong.

Essential details: 2.0-litre petrol inline four with 114kW/200Nm, 2.5-litre petrol inline four with 139kW/252Nm or 2.0-litre petrol inline four mild hybrid with 132kW/224Nm. Prices range from $41,490 to $55,290.

Safety: 5-star ANCAP across the entire range.

At a glance: Goldilocks sized vehicle that looks good, is immaculately presented inside, can move humans around in relative serenity, and is available in multiple configurations to suit wants and wallet. And it’s a Mazda.

Who should consider it: Those making that step up to ‘one of those compact SUV thingies’, yet wanting luxury car-like ambience and ride comfort.

Things to consider: Can get pricey in the upper spec versions. Standard 2.0-litre engine more breathless than 2.5 and Skyactiv-X versions. It’s an SUV.

What else could you buy?: Pretty much every manufacturer has offerings in this segment, but the ones knocking on the CX-30s door would be Ford’s Puma (another late entrant that will be in the running in 2021), Volkswagen’s T-Roc and T-Cross, and maybe Hyundai’s Venue. It really comes down to what badge on the steering wheel you want to caress while waiting at the lights, doesn’t it?