[Auto] Mazda CX-30 2021 long-term review

[Agent47]

 

 

 

There’s nothing like standing out in a crowd, right? Believe the adverts and choosing a compact crossover will mark you out as an adventure-seeking individual who won’t be bound by convention; yet as the picture above shows, the reality is rather more humdrum. Swing into almost any suburban parking space today and it’s virtually guaranteed that you will be slotting into a line of SUV-tinged family hatchbacks, none of them having tackled anything more terrifying than the school run.

Yet the more time I spend with our Mazda CX-30, the more I’m reminded why these things are so damned po[CENSORED]r. The marginally raised ride height makes it a little easier to see out of and a touch more straightforward to load people and things into; and while they’re all a touch bigger on the outside than the traditional hatchbacks that underpin them, these machines are pretty much just as wieldy to steer and cost as little to run.

As we predicted when it arrived, though, where the CX-30 really has one over on its rivals is its ability to throw driver delight into the mix. Perhaps it’s the effects of lockdown limitations on travel making any chance to drive something to relish, but I genuinely look forward to outings in the Mazda. Its increasingly rare blend of naturally aspirated engine, linear throttle response and delightfully snappy manual gearshift (there are bona fide sports cars that can’t match it in this regard) allow you to revel in the act of simply making a car go. It’s a surprisingly heady combination and one that allows you take satisfaction from even the most mundane journeys.

Sure, the 118bhp four-pot is no firebrand, but now that it’s run in, it’s proving that power isn’t everything. Yes, I have to wring its neck when I’m really in a rush, but it sounds good in a raspy sort of way, plus there’s something quite liberating about really extending an engine through the gears without having to keep one eye glued to the speedometer.

In fact, the only time that I really miss the muscle of turbocharged rivals is on the motorway, where sixth-gear roll-on acceleration is glacial, particularly when there’s an incline. It’s not that the engine lacks outright torque, but the 157lb ft peak doesn’t arrive until 4000rpm, which in the tall-striding top gear equates to somewhere well north of 100mph. On the plus side, a snifter over 40mpg isn’t a bad return for a 2.0-litre atmo petrol, particularly one that has spent a lot of time on short hops.

 

 

Get onto interesting roads and the CX-30 is more at home. Like any crossover, it’s not as eager to dive in to corners as its hatchback cousins, while springs and dampers that have been stiffened to cope with the increased roll rate induced by the jacked-up suspension result in a slightly more jarring ride, particularly over sharper blemishes.

Yet there’s more pleasure to be had here than with most, and once you’ve learned not to be too aggressive with your inputs, the CX-30 flows down the road with surprising poise and polish, the slick steering delivering just enough information and the well-spaced pedals allowing you to heel-and-toe to your heart’s content.

Okay, it’s no Caterham, but if you want to have a bit of fun as well as haul around a family, the CX-30 is proving that it’s most definitely the pick of the crossover class. Provided that you can find it in the car park...

Love it:

Rorty idle The MX-5 genes aren’t limited to the gearbox: the engine has a similarly rorty idle from cold. It’s incongruous but makes me smile.

Loathe it:

Mud sticks The upright tail means that when it’s wet, road grime is sucked onto the back, rendering the reversing camera useless within minutes.

Mileage: 1942