Naming a new car is always a tricky business. Not only does it have to somehow suit the car – not always easy if you’re just mixing letters and numbers – but it also has to fit the wider range. The latter point is something that appears to have been forgotten when christening the Mazda CX-30.
Although it sits between the compact Mazda CX-3 and large Mazda CX-5, the CX-4 moniker is already used in China for a crossover coupé, hence CX-30. At least it being a multiple of three makes sense when you consider that underneath the flowing lines and tough plastic wheelarch extensions, you’ll find the Mazda 3’s platform.
Not that it’s just a 3 on stilts. The wheelbase and overall length have been reduced to help it feel more at home in town and the styling has been subtly tweaked to create a handsome, if not particularly lofty crossover. Indeed, even though I’m a mere 5’ 4in, I could easily see over the roof – not something that can be said of the Seat Ateca.
Both four-wheel drive and Mazda’s clever Skyactiv-X compression ignition petrol engine will be available at launch, but neither were available for our early drive. Instead, we were limited to front-wheel drive and regular combustion engines.
How does the Mazda CX-30 perform on the road?
With the petrol and diesel offering around 120bhp, performance is adequate two-up but nothing more. The latter certainly feels easier going thanks to its far greater torque below 2000rpm, but it’s the petrol that would be our pick. Not only is it much more refined, but there’s something rather appealing about a naturally aspirated engine in today’s downsized, turbocharged world.
