MT GARAGE
Arrival: 2020 Mazda CX-30 AWD (Premium)
EPA City/Hwy/Comb Fuel Econ
25/32/27 mpg
“Can the CX-30 convince us that Mazda is a luxury brand?”
Christian Seabaugh
Base Price $30,700 As Tested $31,625
Like the relationship of Jim and Pam on The Office, an automaker evolving from a mainstream to a luxury brand is compelling to watch. There’s a will-they-won’t-they tension as the product and marketing teams fight customer perception as they attempt to get from A to B.
Some brands have been successful. Hyundai, which went from selling Excels to Equuses (eventually spinning that off as the Genesis luxury brand), springs to mind. Others, such as Chrysler’s mid-’00s pivot, fell flat. The latest automaker to attempt the transition is Mazda, and we’ll be spending the next 12 months with the 2020 CX-30 Premium AWD to see how this brand in transition is faring.
Why the CX-30 instead of something like a Mazda 6 or CX-5 Signature, you ask? Simple: It’s Mazda’s latest vehicle, and it competes in a heavily contested subcompact SUV segment. This is a segment that’s seen downmarket entries from the luxury heavy hitters—Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz—as well as upscale attempts from mainstream automakers such as Buick and Kia. To paraphrase Frank Sinatra, if Mazda can make it here, it can make it anywhere.
Our new Polymetal Gray Metallic (god, I hate modern car paint names) CX-30 seems well suited for the challenge. For starters, our top-spec Premium model looks the part of a pint-sized luxury ute with crisp, elegant lines and understated brightwork. Inside, the CX-30 has an unmistakably upscale cabin with a lovely mix of colors, textures, and materials, with the soft and supple white and brown leather found on the seats and dash being our favorite feature.
As expected in a modern luxury SUV, our CX-30 Premium comes with the obligatory set of technology. On the entertainment front it has a crisp 8.8-inch infotainment display (don’t touch, though; it’s controlled via a scroll wheel on the center console), Android Auto and Apple Car Play compatibility, and a 12-speaker Bose audio system. On the safety front, the CX-30 has a color head-up display, radar cruise control with stop and go, lane keep assist, and automatic emergency braking.
If there’s a potential weak spot in the CX-30’s armor, for now it’s its engine. Whereas most competitors have torquey
