* Mazda's new CX-30 SUV.
Mazda CX-30 launch by Steve Rogers
Meet the CX-30 a car that could be called Great
Expectations.
If everything goes to plan this will be Mazda's
biggest seller here and probably across Europe as well.
So a lot is riding on the new model but first let's
sort out what it is and why it is called CX-30.
This is Mazda's third SUV and slots in between CX-3
and CX-5 so maybe CX-4? Logical, but that name is already used on a model
selling just in China but in a perverse way CX-30 does make sense.
It sits on the Mazda3 platform and is more a pumped up
hatchback than full blown SUV. Face on the cars all look the same but that is
no bad thing because Mazda has the best looking range of cars on the market.
The company's Kodo design philosophy of sleek and bold has come up trumps again
and if anything the CX-30's profile is little softer than its SUV siblings.
The new model rounds off a busy year for Mazda which
has found it tough like all around but product activity has kept its nose above
water so there will be an increase in sales this year with the private sector
showing the biggest rise.
Heading into the new year CX-30 will be leading the
charge and is expected to take over from Mazda3 hatchback as the company's
traditional best seller. And we would be fools to argue because the great
British public has made it quite clear they prefer higher riding cars that
drive like the popular hatchback of old.
Has Mazda muddied its own waters with yet another
crossover style car? Not really, the 120mm shorter and three grand cheaper CX-3
is a full blown compact SUV and will suit those who don't have a big family and
older folk with gammy hips and stiff joints who struggle to heave themselves
out of a car that sits no more than a foot off the ground.
CX-30 does more of the same and will cater for a
larger family because it has more rear legroom, good sized boot and extra width
which is only a smidgen less than the big CX-5. It also has all bases covered
with an all wheel drive option.
This is a petrol-only model but that should not be a
surprise either because diesel sales are tumbling and Mazda has seen one of the
biggest drop offs. The company thinks it has the answer to the economy
conundrum with a clever petrol engine that has revolutionary spark controlled
compression ignition.
Without drilling into the complicated technical
details the upshot is economy and performance close to a diesel, they say, and
commendably low emissions, and that is fact.
There are two petrol engines but unfortunately only
one has the Skyactiv-X ignition technology. I drove both at the launch and
while the 120bhp version is smooth and refined it is woefully lacking in punch
so there is a lot of gear changing.
The 180bhp version is a completely different kettle of
fish and has the X factor on performance with smooth, crisp response at low
revs and a rather thrilling tendency to enjoy being taken to the rev limit
without so much as a squeal for submission.
Just how good it is on economy will be revealed in a
couple of weeks after I have road tested the engine properly in a Mazda3.
Like all Mazdas CX-30 is reaping the benefits in an
upgrade in quality and while the company hasn't quite reached its goal of
matching the premium teams it can fairly say it is leading the rest of the pack.
There is a good feeling of quality and style as soon as you get into this car.
Equipment level is good, too, with some exceptional
standard features. The driver's head-up display projects speed, speed limits
and navigation instructions, radar cruise control applies apply full on braking
in an emergency, and cross traffic alert could avoid reversing out of a blind
parking space into a passing car. That is just a snapshot, there is plenty
more.
Who is CX-30 up against? Uncle Tom Cobbley and all sums
it up, the opposition is vast and some of it mighty - Seat Ateca, Volkswagen T
Roc, Toyota C-HR, Vauxhall Grandland X, and the list goes on.
But CX-30 is good enough to take them all on.... and
win.
Model range: 5. Price range: £22,895-£33,495.
Key facts
CX-30 SE-L Lux
£24,195
2.0 petrol; 120bhp
0-62mph 10.6secs; 116mph
45.6mpg combined
116g/km. 1st year tax £170
Insurance group 16
Boot 430 litres
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