The Route Hunters team will be testing the new 2020 Mazda CX-30 for the first time when this write up goes live. Before we bring you the full report on Mazda’s latest crossover, here’s 10 on-paper highlights about the CX-30 that you should know about.
1. 2 engine options
The CX-30 will come with a 2.0 liter Skyactiv petrol engine, and surprise surprise, will also come with a 1.8 liter Skyactiv D Diesel engine. The two liter cars will come in two trim levels, while the diesel comes in the High trim level only.
2. Trim levels
The High trim cars enjoy a whole load of features like powered tailgates, parking sensors front and rear, sunroof, keyless entry, LED daytime running lights, Dual-Zone climate control, leather seats and even GPS navigation. More crucially, it will come with a whole host of safety technologies which are not available in the entry level 2.0 car. We will talk about the specific features further down in the write up.
3. Under the Hood
The petrol engine puts out a healthy 162bhp of power and 213Nm of torque. That’s considerably higher than most 2.0 liter naturally aspirated engines on sale today. That’s actually closer to the Honda Accord 2.4’s output, especially in the torque figures.
The diesel car puts out a more modest 114bhp and a whopping 270Nm of torque from 1600rpm. That gives it a claimed consumption figure of 4.9l/100km. The petrol cars have a claimed consumption figure of 6.4 liters / 100km. All variants are driven via the front wheels via a 6 speed Automatic.
4. Kodo Design Exterior Styling
This is where the official press release becomes really mystical. Mazda claims the exterior is designed with the concept of “Charge and Release”, with 3 key elements of Kodo which are Yohaku; the beauty of empty spaces, Soru; curves with poise and balance, and Utsuroi; the interplay of light and shadow.
In the real world though, the design of the body is sleek with simple lines and curves. Yet has a very strong visual impact in the real world. We love how the Mazda 6 and the CX-9 looks, and the CX-30 is somewhere between these two, taking a coupe’s sleekness and incorporating it on a crossover dimension.
5. Sound Studio Interior
Mazda is making big claims with the interior layout, with an extensive amount of attention given to how Mazda has optimized the cabin for the new audio system. In their own words, the cabin has been reworked based on how sound travels within the car’s cabin. The 8 speaker system features woofers mounted on the side, 2.5cm tweeters, and 8cm squawkers on the upper section of the front door.
The objective is to transmit the sound output to the occupants ears as directly as possible. If its true then the standard audio system in the CX-30 would be exemplary. Other than that, the high spec car comes with leather seats, and there’s a heads up display called Active Driving Display which is standard across the range.
6. Size matters
Size wise, the CX-30 sits between the Honda HR-V and the Kia Sportage. Its 61mm longer than the Honda but 85mm shorter than the Kia. Its the same story with the width too. The CX-30 sits the lowest here even when compared to the comparatively petite C3 Aircross at only 1540mm.
Weight wise the petrol powered Mazda is lighter than the current Peugeot 3008 SUV Plus and the Kia Sportage. The diesel powered CX-30 weights more than the Peugeot 3008 SUV Plus but is still lighter than the Sportage GT at 1514kg. Both petrol and diesel high spec cars rides on 18 inch rims and 215 section tyres.
| Dimensions | Honda HR-V 1.8 | Mazda CX-30 | Citroen C3 Aircross | Peugeot 3008 SUV Plus | Kia Sportage |
| lenght | 4334mm | 4395mm | 4154mm | 4510mm | 4480mm |
| width | 1772mm | 1795mm | 1976mm | 1850mm | 1855mm |
| height | 1605mm | 1540mm | 1637mm | 1662mm | 1635mm |
| wheelbase | 2610mm | 2655mm | 2604mm | 2730mm | 2670mm |
| weight | 1271kg | 1441 / 1453 / 1514 (D) kg | 1134kg | 1492kg | 1499kg (petrol) – 1733kg (Diesel) |
7. Torsion Beam Suspension
Since the car comes in only 2WD, the rear suspension sports a torsion beam setup. This is just like the Mazda 3, and just like that car, the CX-30 also comes with the Mazda G-Vectoring Control Plus tech. The torsion beam setup should free up plenty of interior space at the back and in the cargo area.
But we would have to wait and see if this setup has compromised the ride and handling of the car.
8. Safety first
One thing’s for sure, its a safe car. Since this car is built on a global platform, it conforms to international safety standards. The CX-30 sold in the UK sports a perfect 5 star Euro NCAP Rating wiht an excellent 99% protection for adults, and 86% for child occupants. We have yet to confirm if the variants that reach Malaysia sports similar ratings.
7 airbags are standard across all variants, with ABS, DSC, EBD, and traction control as standard. The car comes with ISOFIX child seat harnesses too. For the High spec cars you get active safety features like Blind Spot monitoring, Lane Departure Warning, Lane Keep Assist, and Radar Cruise Control.
9. Warranty and Service options
There will be a 5 year manufacturers warranty offered for all CX-30s. More importantly though, they come with a 5 year, 100,000km free service maintenance package. Under the package, everything from parts, labour and lubricants will be covered.
Compared to that, Honda only offers free labour for selected service intervals, while Peugeot offers a 3 year free service maintenance package for their 3008 SUV Plus cars. Whichever way you calculate that’s a huge convenience offered by Mazda Malaysia.
10. Price and Colors
But at what price does Mazda provide you the CX-30? There are a total of 8 color variants to choose from, with 4 of those colors being different shades of grey / silver. However, the asking price of RM143.059 for the base CX-30 2.0, RM164,059 for the high spec 2.0 and a whopping RM172,943.60 for the diesel 1.8 is definitely high.
To put that in perspective, the highest spec Honda HR-V only costs RM124,800, while the GT spec Diesel Sorento comes in at RM145,000 only. Even the far bigger Peugeot 3008 SUV Plus is cheaper than the highest spec 2.0 car at RM163,888.
On paper, the CX-30 does justify its price to a certain extent when compared to its rivals in the form of equipment, safety features, and warranty / service packages. But is it enough to justify such a big gap in pricing? Stay tuned to find out!
