- Doors and Seats
5 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
2.0i, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
114kW, 200Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (91) 6.4L/100KM
- Manufacturer
FWD
- Transmission
Auto
- Warranty
5 Yr, Unltd KMs
- Ancap Safety
5/5 star (2020)
2021 Mazda MX-30 G20e Astina review
A compact SUV with premium credentials signals Mazda’s future upmarket aspirations. Is it a formula that works?
- Distinctive exterior design
- Clever use of materials and finishes in the interior
- A plausible alternative to prestige brands
- Rear seat and boot space are limited
- Despite flagship status, the engine is neither green nor powerful
- Struggles for relevance against the more traditional CX-30
The 2021 Mazda MX-30 Astina is a hard car to pigeonhole. It doesn’t fit the usual small-SUV norms.
It sells with mainstream rivals like the Volkswagen T-Roc and Jeep Compass, but it isn't quite like those. Even the closely related Mazda CX-30 falls into the same segment, making the MX-30’s job even harder.
Mazda sees the MX-30 as a car that sells not based on its performance or practicality, but rather on its technology and individuality. To that end, the MX-30 is the only Mazda to offer three-tone paint, touchscreen climate control, and ‘sustainable’ interior trims with cork highlights, and a mild hybrid powertrain.
The Mazda MX-30 is also the vehicle used as the basis for the brand’s first electric vehicle. Alongside the petrol-powered MX-30 tested here, an electric version is also available.
Rather than being a budget buy, though, the MX-30 range starts from $33,990 plus on-road costs for the cheapest model, and above the tip-in of similarly sized rivals. For the MX-30 G20e Astina shown here, a $40,990 price (around $45,000-$46,000 on the road depending on your location) applies.
You can spend more on some rivals, but usually you’ll also get all-wheel drive or a more powerful engine, which isn’t the case here. Instead, the MX-30 finds itself within reach of premium small SUVs like the Audi Q2 and Mini Countryman, but does it have what it takes to compete?
At a glance | 2021 Mazda MX-30 G20e Astina |
Price (MSRP) | $40,990 plus on-road costs |
Options | Three-tone premium paint ($1490) |
Price as tested | $42,480 plus on-road costs |
Colour of test car | Soul Red body, black roof, grey pillars |
Rivals | Audi Q2 | Volkswagen T-Cross | Mazda CX-30 | Peugeot 2008 |
Interior Comfort
Let’s address the elephant in the room: the Mazda MX-30’s rear seats.
Access via the freestyle doors, a feature shared to less glamorous effect with the BT-50 extra-cab ute, isn’t the most practical solution. You need to open the front doors first, then the rear door.
The aperture for access is huge, as there’s no pillar in the middle – it’s an integral part of the front door. This isn’t designed to be a family hauler, though, so rear seat space is limited and visibility out the tiny rear door glass is restricted.
I don’t imagine this is a major problem, though. Buyers of the MX-30 are more likely to be design-driven singles, couples, or empty-nesters.
Up front, the MX-30 feels as spacious and comfy as anything else in its class. The long front doors can be a challenge in tighter spaces, but getting in and out is a breeze otherwise. The front seats are firm but comfy, and cover a wide range of adjustment so you can get set just right.
The interior design is similar to other Mazda models, but the MX-30 also includes touches like a floating centre stack with storage space underneath. Eco credentials are spoken through the use of renewables (like cork) and recycled plastic bottles fashioned into a felt-like fabric on the front door uppers.
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Interior equipment includes keyless entry and push-button start, a tilt-slide sunroof, cloth seat trim with ‘vintage brown’ leather-look highlights, heated front seats and a power-adjustable driver’s seat.
The practicality side of things is taken care of by a 311L boot, which is at the compact end of the small-SUV class. There's also a high floor and a lack of useful storage innovations to make the most of the space – like bag hooks and hold-down nets.
At a glance | 2021 Mazda MX-30 G20e Astina |
Seats | Five |
Boot volume | 311L |
Length | 4395mm |
Width | 1795mm |
Height | 1545mm |
Wheelbase | 2655mm |
Turning circle | 11.4m |
Infotainment and Connectivity
Mazda likes to tout its infotainment interface as one of the points where it focuses on driver safety and usability.
The Mazda Connect system in the MX-30 is also seen in the CX-30 and Mazda 3 and doesn’t use a touchscreen, but rather all inputs are via the console-mounted rotary controller. It’s a big 8.8-inch display, but uses a narrow yet wide display format that limits how much of a navigation map you can see.
In stark contrast to the no-touch infotainment, the MX-30’s dual-zone climate-control system is handled by a 7.0-inch touchscreen mounted lower in the centre stack. There are hard buttons for temp and demister, but if you want to make further adjustments, it’s an eyes off the road, no physical feedback journey.
I’m not sure what Mazda was hoping to achieve here, but the system feels disjointed and doesn’t always make sense. If a touchscreen isn’t safe for adjusting the radio, what makes it suddenly suitable for use as a climate-control interface?
The infotainment at least comes packed with AM/FM/DAB+ radio, satellite navigation, Bluetooth, and wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. The MX-30 Astina also upgrades from a standard eight-speaker sound system to a 12-speaker Bose audio system.
Safety
The Mazda MX-30 range carries a five-star ANCAP rating awarded against 2020 criteria.
Adult occupant protection was given a 93 per cent score, child occupant protection received 87 per cent, vulnerable road user (pedestrian and cyclist) safety scored 68 per cent, and safety assist systems scored 74 per cent.
Standard safety equipment includes 10 airbags, with a centre airbag between the front occupants, and front and rear side and curtain bags among the count. High- and low-speed forward autonomous emergency braking (AEB) systems, reverse AEB, and front and rear cross-traffic alert are also included.
At a glance | 2021 Mazda MX-30 G20e Astina |
ANCAP rating | Five stars |
Year tested | 2020 |
Safety report | Link to ANCAP |
Value for Money
The purchase price of the Mazda MX-30 is already a little steep, particularly alongside the more conventional CX-30. But if the MX-30 is to SUVs as coupes are to regular passenger cars, the premium is something you spend because you can, not because you have to.
Mazda includes metallic or mica paint finishes as standard, but now designates some of its available colours as premium finishes. If you want Machine Grey you'll pay $495 more, or for Soul Red – which is exclusively offered with a contrasting roof and pillars, or Machine Grey with the three-tone option – there's a $1490 surcharge.
Servicing for the Mazda MX-30 follows a capped-price schedule, but Mazda runs slightly shorter than average 10,000km intervals, so if you cover a lot of distance, you may need to squeeze in an extra service. Service costs are reasonable and average out to less than $500 per visit over the first five services.
At a glance | 2021 Mazda MX-30 G20e Astina |
MSRP | $40,990 plus on-road costs |
Options as tested | Three-tone paint ($1490) |
Warranty | Five-year / Unlimited km |
Service intervals | 12 months / 10,000km |
Servicing costs | $1166 3yr / $1929 5yr |
Driver Technology
As the range-topping variant, the Astina version of the Mazda MX-30 comes standard with what Mazda calls its ‘Vision Technology’ pack, which includes front cross-traffic alert, front park sensors, advanced driver-attention monitoring, a 360-degree camera system, and ‘cruising and traffic support’.
Across the range, the MX-30 also includes adaptive cruise control (of which the aforementioned cruising and traffic support is an extension of), lane-keeping assist and departure warning, driver-attention alert, blind-spot warning, auto high beam, and traffic sign recognition with smart speed limit assist.
The Astina also adds active high-beam shadowing and heated exterior mirrors.
Powertrain and Performance
While the Mazda MX-30 is a halo car for Mazda, it doesn’t come with a halo powertrain – at least not the petrol version.
The MX-30 EV is the star, sure, but Mazda also has a new type of petrol engine that uses a combination of spark and compression ignition, which blends the best of petrol and diesel in terms of performance and efficiency.
That engine isn’t in this car. It is in the Mazda 3 and CX-30, however. Instead, the MX-30 uses a regular non-turbo 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine – again found in the CX-3, Mazda 3 and CX-30.
In the MX-30 it is a little different, with the addition of mild hybrid technology, hence the full Mazda MX-30 M Hybrid G20e Astina title. M is for mild, and G20e represents a petrol (or gasoline) 2.0-litre engine with electric assistance.
It’s not a ‘full’ hybrid, but more like a more advanced stop-start system that can shut the engine down earlier as you coast towards a stop. And it can chip in under acceleration to take some of the load off as you accelerate, which is when your car is at its thirstiest.
The result is 114kW at 6000rpm and 200Nm at 4000rpm, the same as a CX-30 with a G20 (not G20e) engine.
Consequently, the MX-30 isn’t a swift car. While it can keep pace with traffic, it tends to need some provocation from the driver to deliver its best. There’s not much left in reserve for overtaking, so while Mazda might like you to think of it as a sports-skewed brand, the MX-30 isn’t the product to showcase it.
All MX-30 variants are front-wheel drive, and the petrol versions come with a six-speed automatic transmission.
It’s a predictable powertrain, smooth enough, though the engine does tend to be a little buzzy as revs rise. There are more powerful options in the CX-30 if that’s what you’re really after.
Key details | 2021 Mazda MX-30 G20e Astina |
Engine | 2.0-litre four-cylinder mild-hybrid |
Power | 114kW @ 6000rpm |
Torque | 200Nm @ 4000rpm |
Weight (tare) | 1442kg |
Drive type | Front-wheel drive |
Transmission | Six-speed torque converter automatic |
Tow rating | 800kg braked, 600kg unbraked |
Power to weight ratio | 79.1kW/t |
Energy Efficiency
Mazda claims the MX-30 will use 6.4 litres per 100 kilometres in mixed use. Does the mild hybrid system make it markedly more efficient? Well, no. Again, the closely related CX-30 2.0-litre is the control car here, and it claims 6.5L/100km.
Minimal though the difference may be, consider it something of a first step for Mazda in the march towards electrification. Future products are set to use higher-voltage mild and full hybrid systems that should yield greater fuel savings.
After a week on the road, in largely urban use, the MX-30 settled on 7.2L/100km. Not a bad effort, though if you were expecting something with a hybrid badge on the rear to match a Toyota hybrid, that's never going to be the case here.
At a glance | 2021 Mazda MX-30 G20e Astina |
Fuel cons. (claimed) | 6.4L/100km |
Fuel cons. (on test) | 7.2L/100km |
Fuel type | 91RON |
Fuel tank size | 51L |
Ride and Handling
Although engine performance isn’t a standout, dynamically the MX-30 feels more in tune with Mazda’s aim of building driver’s cars.
No, it’s not a fine-driving sports car, but there’s a confidence-inspiring solidity to the suspension and steering. It feels planted on the road, and responsive and accurate through bends.
Some of Mazda’s recent efforts haven’t been great. In a CX-30, for instance, you’ll find the urban ride and feel a bit abrupt and jiggly. That’s not the case here, though.
There’s an underlying firmness to the suspension, but it isn’t rough, just taut. That means you can zip from point to point around town feeling both comfortable and competent.
Because Mazda prides itself on innovation, the MX-30 – as with most of the Mazda range – comes with something called G-vectoring control. It’s a system that’s hard to explain, but simultaneously aims to reduce the likelihood of weaving and wandering on straight roads, while also improving steering accuracy through bends.
It's hard to say definitively if it works, as it can’t be deactivated for the sake of comparison, but the little Mazda certainly feels dialled in and responsive from behind the wheel.
Fit for Purpose
Right now, Mazda is straddling the mainstream and prestige car markets, adding in plush and luxurious touches to cars in lower-priced premium segments. The MX-30 goes one step further by adding in a distinctly different alternative to most small SUVs.
Because of its boldness in interior materials and distinctive styling – including the model-exclusive three-tone paint treatment – the MX-30 certainly works as a halo for the brand.
Unfortunately, the high-tech little Mazda also needs to work in the real world. It’s fine as a one- or two-occupant urban runabout, but the idea of buying an SUV for its practicality is obliterated by the MX-30’s compact rear seat, narrow rear door apertures and small boot.
Those shortcomings certainly don’t bring the Mazda MX-30 undone, but they mean you’ll need to have a fairly specific purpose to make this one work for you.
Conclusion
If the Mazda MX-30 is indicative of the brand’s future, it certainly takes a longing look at Mazda’s past.
Did you know the outline of the grille and headlights is supposed to pay tribute to the first Mazda rotary-engined sports car, the Cosmo 110S of 1967? Or that the shape of the rear pillar recalls the Luce coupe of 1969, not to mention the cork-lined interior inspired by Mazda’s industrial inception?
There’s a lot going on in a small space with this one, and despite plenty of swings, the MX-30 racks up a lot of misses. Some in fundamentally basic areas.
Despite that, there are clever design details, plenty of technology and safety equipment, and a satisfying on-road experience that will at least delight, though perhaps not thrill.