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- An all-new small crossover SUV
- Set in size right between the subcompact Mazda CX-3 and compact Mazda CX-5
- Lots of style and a sense of elegance
- Pricing starts at $21,900 (plus $1,045 destination)
- All-wheel drive available at every level
- 186-horsepower Skyactiv-G engine
Slotting right in between the company’s compact best seller, the Mazda MZDAY, -0.12% CX-5 SUV, and its subcompact CX-3, the 2020 Mazda CX-30 has the looks to win every beauty contest it enters. It’s also got the dimensions to convince buyers who find the CX-3 too small for their city-based needs and the CX-5 too big that small can still be functionally beautiful.
Starting at $21,900 and reaching close to $30,000 at the top of its four trim levels, the new CX-30 is powered by a 186-horsepower 2.5-liter 4-cylinder Skyactiv-G engine that also delivers a meaty 186 lb-ft of torque. A Skyactiv-Drive 6-speed automatic transmission serves shifting duties. Those are impressive numbers. Every CX-30 SUV also offers the benefits of all-wheel drive for an additional $1,400.
Mazda The Mazda CX-30
From the outside, the new CX-30 is almost 5 inches longer than the CX-3 and a few inches wider, but the two are exactly the same height, so the CX-30 gets low-profile bonus points in the styling department, and it’s got a half-inch more ground clearance. But does it look good in Soul Red Crystal? Of course it does, for an extra $595. Mazda is offering seven colors on the CX-30, including Polymetal Gray, a color which already impressed us on the all-new Mazda3 last year.
Where 2020 Mazda CX-30’s extra length translates inside the little SUV is not completely clear, since its cargo area is nearly as small as the CX-3’s, and while the second row can now fit three adults in decent compact comfort, they won’t be lounging.
Also read: 8 new compact SUVs for less than $40,000
Your driver, on the other hand, gets to be king. The interior brings a good name back to simple elegance, and all the controls and readouts are focused on getting the pilot’s attention. Narrow A and C pillars, and a slightly elevated seating position contribute to outward vision and inner peace.
For all the occupants, Mazda tells us that extra time was spent repositioning the audio system’s speakers for better sound quality — we look forward to hearing the results. That goes double if the new sound-deadening work that Mazda did isolates the compact/subcompact’s cabin from the calamity of the outside world — which would be a huge plus for the small-SUV class.
On the fresh-tech side of the street, the available Mazda Connected Services gives you MyMazda-app control over things in the CX-30 like locking/unlocking doors and starting the engine or hazard flashers, as well as keeping a remote eye on tire pressures and fuel and oil levels. Mazda Connected Services also turns the SUV into a Wi-Fi hotspot.
The base CX-30 comes with an 8.8-inch center infotainment display, an 8-speaker audio system, dual front USB ports, automatic on/off LED headlights, and radar cruise control with stop-and-go function. On the safety front, you’ll get lane-departure warning and lane-keeping assist, low-speed automatic emergency braking, and automatic high-beam control to keep your headlight brights out of other drivers’ eyes. For passive safety advances, the new CX-30 adds a driver’s knee airbag, and front-end materials and design to lessen the damage done to a pedestrian’s leg’s and head if the worst-case scenario happens.
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If you want blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert (or Apple AAPL, +0.10% CarPlay, for that matter), you’ll need to step up to the next level (CX-30 Select, $23,900), which isn’t that big a price bump — $2,000 — and it’s got a lot to recommend it. For that money, you’ll also get leatherette seating, dual-zone climate control, rear-seat air conditioning, and 18-inch aluminum-alloy wheels (among other things).
The next two levels — CX-30 Preferred and the top-dog CX-30 Premium — put comfort and convenience front and center, adding goodies like 12-speaker Bose sound, heated front seats, and a power driver’s seat (Preferred, $26,200), and leather, head-up display, a moonroof, a power liftgate, and roof rails (Premium, $28,200).
Here’s our quick conclusion: If you’ve been sniffing around for an SUV, but the city owns most of your time, you might want to see what your heart says about the new 2020 Mazda CX-30.
This story originally ran on KBB.com.
