Review: 2026 Mazda CX-30

Mazda’s delightful little CX-30 is now the smallest crossover they offer in Canada, starting the line-up size-wise below the CX-50 and the CX-5, which is one of my most recommended vehicles.

Exterior

I really like the styling of the CX-30. It is quite sculpted with plenty of curves and swoopy surfaces. I look at it like a Mazda 3 Sport on stilts. In a good way.

The wing grille incorporating the headlight pods is pretty sweet.

Unfortunately I have always disliked how much visual space the plastic cladding at the bottom of the vehicle takes up – it’s way too much for my taste. Now that the CX-30 can be seen all over the place and I’ve gotten used to the look, it doesn’t bother me as much as it used to, but I still don’t love that part of the exterior.

Otherwise, it’s quite a handsome ride – complete with LED lighting all around and nice black finish 18-inch rims with perfect-sized 215-55 tires. Little hints like a Turbo badge on the rump and bigger exhaust tips hint at what lurks under the hood.

Interior/Tech/Convenience

The interior is simply styled – it’s clean and modern and follows Mazda’s overall interior look for the last number of years closely. Materials are great and feel upscale – plenty of soft-touch surfaces surround the cabin. I really liked the swath of synthetic suede across the dash.

The centre console’s flat black trim is great – no glossy surfaces to become fingerprint and dust magnets and in the long run, the console should resist scratches and marks well. Great move, Mazda!

The leatherette and synthetic suede-trimmed seats are fantastic – comfortable and really well-bolstered. The gauge cluster features a fully digital and customizable speedometer nestled between analog fuel, temperature and tach indicators on the sides.

Mazda’s crisp screen is controlled by the rotary knob on the console – everything works pretty well but at this point in time, the interface is really showing its age. In an effort to appease the calls for a touchscreen over time, Mazda made an interesting move a few years ago. When the system is in Apple CarPlay or Android Auto mode (and only then), it functions as a touchscreen. Of course it’s way too far away on the dash to comfortably function that way but it’s better than nothing I guess. As per the all-new CX-5, I believe we will see Mazda shift to full touch-screen set-ups across their model line shortly versus the wide screen controlled by a physical input device that we have seen from them for over a decade now. The BOSE sound system is great.

Mazda includes plenty of driver assistance technology here including adaptive headlights, pedestrian detection, forward obstruction warning, smart front and rear crossing brake support, rear parking sensors, blind-spot monitoring, a heads-up display, traffic sign recognition, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning and lane keep assist. There’s also a heads-up display.

Rear Seats

There are three rear seats, each with a headrest. Rear passengers get adjustable air vents and a middle seatback that folds down to become an armrest with cupholders. No charging ports are provided.

Rear seat comfort is fine but the space is a tough sell. Adults will not be uncomfortable and I would say, for me at 5’10”, the leg and head room is adequate. However I think for longer trips or bigger-sized people, the back seats would become challenging.

Storage

There are a few spaces for your stuff in the console – including a wireless phone charging space at the front – and a small bin under the armrest lid.

Pop the power liftgate and you’ll find a big-enough 572L trunk – it’s not super wide nor super deep, but has enough space to make it useful. There is a bit of a drop down into the trunk over the rear lip.

The rear seats fold down in a 60/40 split and that increased the cargo space to 1,280L.

Under the Hood

The CX-30 is available with both of Mazda’s gas engines, the normally aspirated one and the one in my review vehicle, a juicy 2.5L turbo 4-cylinder rated at 250 HP and 320 lb.ft of torque (with 93 octane fuel). It will run harm-free on regular gas as well, which drops those numbers to a still-respectable 227 HP and 310 lb.ft of torque.

All-wheel drive is standard on this trim, and the transmission is a 6-speed automatic. Fuel economy is rated at 10.5/7.9 L/100km (city/highway). We actually averaged 10.8 L/100 km after a week of mostly city driving, with no real effort to drive economically. Not horrible, but about 15% worse than I managed last time I reviewed an almost identical CX-30.

The Drive

I have often noted in my reviews on turbo Mazdas that the performance doesn’t quite seem to match the numbers. Again, and for the sake of clarity, it’s a wonderful engine. The meaty torque is on tap at all times, and it happily launches the CX-30 off the line with a surge of power. Same story for passing at highway speeds. Around town, it’s highly tractable and easy to drive in a commuting scenario too. I just wish it would feel a bit more powerful as the numbers suggest.

I should add that I’ve driven what is essentially the identical vehicle with the standard engine and around town, they feel nearly identical. If you don’t need to dip into the deep reserves of power the turbo provides, you’ll be more than happy with the “base” engine’s performance.

The transmission is smooth and intelligent. Gears can be shifted manually using paddle shifters or with the gear selector.

While the Turbo is no slouch, putting it into Sport mode really wakes things up and makes it feel a bit more responsive.

Completely aside from the power on tap, the CX-30 is a blast to drive – it handles beautifully and it’s very athletic. The ride, while sporty and firm, remains comfortable enough. It’s quiet on the road, even at highway speeds, and it’s a rock-solid vehicle.

Visibility is mostly great. Shoulder-checking gets a bit iffy because of the huge pillars and the high beltline. That also makes it hard to rest your elbows on the window sill, because it’s very high.

The Verdict

WAF (Wife Approval Factor) was quite high. She enjoyed driving it and said it drives and feels like an expensive car but the styling with the plastic cladding hasn’t aged well with her.

I have aways liked the CX-30’s modern, sophisticated design which reminds me of a jacked up Mazda 3 Sport. The well-appointed and intuitive interior has everything the typical driver would want and need. If you don’t need significant back seat room all the time, it’s perfectly sized. Its nimble, athletic character and outstanding driving dynamics and the optional turbo engine make this a legitimate little hot-rod that’s also super-easy to live with. It’s a well-made, well thought-out and engaging little crossover.