~ A DriveWays Review ~
by Frank A. Aukofer

With its 2024 CX-30 crossover sport utility vehicle, Mazda demonstrates again that it has the knack—that is, the skill to consistently do something well.

In automotive terms, it means delivering well engineered, high performing automobiles and SUVs that critics often conclude are “fun to drive”—even though that’s the worst cliché used in vehicle reviews.

The reader will notice that we sneaked the cliché here in the guise of denouncing it. But it also is meant as an objective compliment for Mazda, which has a history of marketing desirable and reliable motor vehicles.

Tested for this review was the Mazda CX-30 2.5 Turbo four-door crossover SUV with all-wheel drive and Mazda’s Premium Plus Package. It arrived with handsome “Platinum Quartz Metallic” paint and an interior trimmed in black, brown, gray and white leather and vinyl, and seats upholstered and well bolstered in perforated leather.

With a bottom-line sticker price of $38,310, including the destination charge and a short list of options, it’s an affordable five-passenger family hauler that delivers what almost any customer might seek.

Who would not want a quiet and comfortable highway cruiser for vacation trips? There’s room for five passengers and their luggage (sometimes using the roof rack), decent fuel economy on regular gasoline, responsive handling on twisting roads, and enough zip under the hood to joust easily with urban and Interstate traffic.

A disconnect comes in how the Environmental Protection Agency classifies the CX-30. The agency has a fairly detailed method for classifying passenger cars based on their interior volume—the total of space for passengers and luggage.

With automobiles, the classifications are mini-compact, subcompact, compact, midsize and large. But with crossovers and SUVs, there are just two: small and standard. The CX-30 gets a “small” rating, despite the fact that its total interior volume of 111 cubic feet (91 for people and 20 for cargo) would earn it a midsize rating if it were a sedan.

Left to their own devices, automotive journalists make up their own classifications, usually concluding that the Mazda CX-30 is a subcompact SUV.

It certainly is no behemoth. Overall length is just 14 feet 5 inches and it is 5 feet two inches tall. It weighs less than 3,500 pounds and has an EPA certified city/highway/combined fuel consumption of 22/30/25 miles to the gallon of regular gasoline.

The base CX-30 model comes with a sedate 191-horsepower, 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine. But the version tested for this review was the 2.5 Turbo, which makes 227 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque on regular gasoline, enough to deliver zero-to-60 miles an hour acceleration times in the five-second range. Both engines get the power to all four wheels through a smooth-shifting six-speed automatic transmission.

The tester also came with the Premium Plus Package included, which gave it a long list of desirable safety, security, appearance, comfort and convenience equipment.

Among the safety features: Automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane keeping assist with lane departure warning, radar cruise control, driver attention alert, blind-sport monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, a full complement of front and side air bags, rain sensing windshield wipers, tire pressure monitoring, and an anti-theft engine immobilizer.

An array of other equipment included: Leather upholstery, motorized glass sunroof which opens but no more than about a foot, dual-zone automatic climate control, navigation system with Mazda Connected Services, Bose premium audio with 12 speakers, wireless Android Auto and Apple Car Play, Bluetooth hands-free telephone, wireless smart phone charger, SXM satellite radio, power rear lift gate, black heated side-view mirrors with memory and automatic adjustment in reversing, and a 10.25-inch center color touch screen.

In short, the level of luxury and premium gear led at least one critic to contend that the CX-30 could compete against more expensive machinery like the Audi Q3, Lexus UX, BMW X1 and Mini Countryman.

The 2024 Mazda CX-30 has the advantage of appearing like a brand-new modern crossover sport utility vehicle, while at the same time feeling like an old friend when you get behind the wheel. Settle into the driver’s seat and the controls are easy to find and understand, though as usual in many vehicles it takes a bit of fiddling to operate the audio system. Mazda could become more imaginative in naming its models. This one could easily be called the Mazda Knack.

Specifications

  • Model: 2024 Mazda CX-30 2.5 Turbo AWD four-door crossover sport utility vehicle with Premium Plus package.
  • Engine: 2.5-liter four-cylinder, turbocharged; 227 hp, 310 lb-ft torque. (250 hp on premium fuel).
  • Transmission: Six-speed automatic with manual-shift mode and all-wheel drive.
  • Overall length: 14 feet 5 inches.
  • Height: 5 feet 2 inches.
  • EPA/SAE passenger/cargo volume: 91/20 cubic feet.
  • Weight: 3,472 pounds.
  • Towing capability: 2,000 pounds.
  • EPA city/highway/combined fuel consumption: 22/30/25 mpg. Regular gasoline.
  • Base price, including destination charge: $38,175.
  • Price as tested: $38,310.

Disclaimer: The manufacturer provided the vehicle used to conduct this test drive and review. Photos ©Mazda