2020 Mazda CX-30

The 2020 Mazda CX-30 base trim brings good value and offers a decent set of features including a standard active safety suite. But at a premium of $2,000 over the base trim, we recommend the CX-30 Select, which gains Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, along with more safety tech including blind-spot monitoring, and synthetic leather upholstery.

The 2020 Mazda CX-30 is offered in 4 trims, namely Base, Select, Preferred, and Premium. The base trim offers a long list of features, more than some of the competitors, and starts at an MSRP of $21,900 for the FWD model. The CX-30 comes standard with the Mazda's i-Activsense safety suite that includes a lot of advanced driver assistance tech including forward-collision warning, pedestrian detection, and lane-keep assist. All CX-30 models come standard with a four-cylinder engine and a six-speed automatic transmission. Front-wheel-drive is standard across the lineup and the All-wheel-drive is available at a cost of $1,400.

The mid-level CX-30 Select trim begins at $23,900 and adds synthetic leather upholstery, Android Auto, Apple Carplay, and dual-zone climate control. The higher Preferred and Premium trims offer features like a premium sound system and leather upholstery. A wireless charging pad has been kept as a separate option at $250 for all the trims. Overall, the CX-30 has all the options and features that an individual might want or need, just keep a tab on the pricing while you add all these up.

The front-wheel-drive Mazda CX-30 delivers decent gas mileage, EPA estimated at 25 MPG in the city and 33 MPG on the highways. The highway economy is much better than the rivals, only except Honda. With the optional all-wheel drive, the fuel economy of the CX-30 drops to 24 MPG in the city and 31 MPG on the highway. At 13.5 gallons the fuel tank capacity of the 2020 CX-30 delivers an overall driving range of about 378 miles, which is average in the class.

Subaru Crosstrek has done well as far as fuel efficiency is concerned. Even though the fuel economy figures aren’t the best, the overall fuel carrying capacity of 16.6 gallons delivers a class-leading driving range of more than 400 miles in mixed situations. The 2020 HR-V is the most efficient of the lot offering a combined 30 MPG, thanks to its laid-back engine.

The 2020 CX-30 has the best interior in this segment, thanks to the upscale material quality, thoughtful design, and elegant style. No matter what trim level you get, the cabin just looks and feels more expensive than its class. The dashboard design is funky, and the color is Denim blue. The steering wheel is probably the most basic thing present in the cabin. The seats on the base trim would be cloth-lined, and you can get leather ones in the top trim. The comfort of the seats is exceptional for this price range. You get an eight-way power-adjustable driver's seat with memory settings in the Select trim and above.

The second row on the CX-30 is cramped, and the legroom really depends on the person you will fit here. Even then there might not be any room to adjust yourself, it is just tight back in here. Headroom is of no issue thankfully. The seats themselves are flat but are soft and comfortable. Overall, the second-row experience isn’t going to be any good in the CX-30. The CX-30's trunk space has enough room for your shopping sprees or some light weekend trip luggage. The 60/40 split mechanism seats fold down to create more space, but there’s no room to keep the parcel shelf sadly.

The base trim CX-30 is blessed with an 8.8-inch infotainment screen that can be controlled via knobs on the center console. It's not touch-enabled. Mazda even excludes the Android Auto & Apple CarPlay on the base trim, you would need to jump on the Select, Preferred, or Premium trims for that. The standard infotainment system has an 8-speaker setup with SiriusXM and general music playing abilities. The top-of-the-line Premium trim adds a premium Bose sound system with 12 speakers.

Mazda deliberately hasn’t included a touchscreen as they say it is distracting to use while driving, and it really is. Moreover, the way Mazda has designed the dashboard just doesn’t allow them to have a screen be fitted on the center console itself. The rotary dial placed near the drive mode selector does the job well in controlling the infotainment system.

Standout infotainment features include:

• 8.8-inch display
• 8 speaker sound system
• Navigation
• SiriusXM
• Bose premium audio (Optional)

Mazda is on top of the design game in recent years, producing elegant and beautiful cars and CX-30 follows the suit. The 2020 CX-30 doesn’t have any sharp body lines, and the body panels are nice and smoothly curved around. The front end has a car-like vibe to it overall. The gloss front grille on the CX-30 Preferred models and minimalist LED headlight and taillights along with roof rails look aggressive. The sideline exterior language of the CX-30 has some unique body flow design elements that can only be revealed in the light plays.

As the Jaguar has moved on from their old style of tail lights, Mazda quickly took a slight inspiration from them. The LED strip setup inside the taillights does make the CX-30 look much more premium than it is. The 2020 Mazda CX-30 comes in 8 color options, 4 of them being metallic and the red color looks the best in all. Overall, this Mazda CX-30 has chosen to stay away from the trend and has rather decided to create its own identity. The CX-30 comes standard with 16-inch aluminum-alloy wheels and a matte grille. The higher trims replace those with 18-inch alloy wheels.

Even though the wheelbase of all the SUVs is similar, the actual length is very diverse in the segment. On one hand, we have the Ford EcoSport with the lowest length, but it has the height to its advantage. On the other hand, we have the Crosstrek, which is the longest in the segment. Honda HR-V has compact dimensions, but it has the best interior space. Having more cabin space means more headroom for the passengers.

Standout exterior features include:

• 18-inch aluminum-alloy wheels
• Front grille in gloss Black finish
• Roof-mounted "shark fin" antenna
• Power sliding-glass moonroof
• Rear Power Liftgate
• Roof rails

Safety is one of the strongest points of the 2020 CX-30. Not just the active safety features, but the structural integrity of this SUV has been proven in the crash tests. The NHTSA gave the CX-30 the highest 5-star overall safety ratings with a rollover score of 4-stars. IIHS awarded the Mazda CX-30 the "2020 Top Safety Pick" designation for its splendid performance in the crash tests. Moreover, the new CX-30 comes standard with Mazda's i-Activsense safety features. Only the blind-spot monitor & rear cross-traffic alert are reserved for the higher trims.

Standout safety features include:

• Lane departure warning
• Lane keep assist
• Adaptive cruise control
• Forward collision warning with pedestrian detection
• Automated emergency braking
• Blindspot monitor
• Rear cross-traffic alert

2020 Mazda CX-30 vs 2020 Ford EcoSport

The Ford EcoSport has some advantages due to its size. The height of the EcoSport is much better than the CX-30, and that allows comfortable seating for the second row. The overall interior space is good despite the size, and that also comes in handy if you are planning to use this in urban areas. EcoSport has scored poorly in safety tests and the fuel economy too isn’t amazing.

2020 Mazda CX-30 vs 2020 Subaru Crosstrek

The name Crosstrek itself suggests something. This Subaru is very much capable of adventures, and the design language just screams off-road. The SUV also comes standard with AWD, which is a boon for treacherous terrains. The Subaru has an underpowered engine, and if optioned with the CVT transmission, it just doesn’t have that fun feeling of the CX-30.

The 2020 Mazda CX-30 definitely is a change of pace SUV in the segment. We have been seeing the same old Honda’s & Toyota’s for such a long time, and the all-new CX-30 feels like a fresh breeze of wind. The design itself is polarizing. The 2.5L engine performs very well and is suited for city and highway rides as well, just don’t be adventurous with it. The interior is especially great in the CX-30, only except for the second row. All in all, the 2020 CX-30 is a practical overall performer which you shouldn’t miss.

Read the review of the latest 2022 Mazda CX-30 >>