The 2023 Mazda CX-30 is a stylish choice with decent performance to boot. The CX-30 is a small five-seat crossover SUV. Shop it against the Hyundai Kona and Subaru Crosstrek. The CX-30 is a stylish choice with great road manners and lots of safety tech, though its kludgy infotainment system is a sore spot. For 2023 rear side-impact airbags are standard across the lineup, while base versions see engine tweaks that add a little more power and offer a 2-mpg improvement according to EPA estimates.
The CX-30 is a small five-seat crossover that splits the difference between mainstream rivals and costlier luxury models. Its coupe-esque styling means a daring roofline against competitors such as the Subaru Crosstrek. Unpainted fender flares and lower trim suggest a rugged attitude, which the CX-30 doesn’t quite deliver on—though all-wheel drive is standard.
Mazda bakes more car cues than rugged off-road hints into its CX-30. It’s almost as if Mazda took a conventional SUV and then streamlined it. The CX-30 sits lower to the ground than many of its competitors, and it largely discards any rugged hints. Sure, you’ll find unpainted fender flares, but they give it more of an urban look than, say, the chunky Subaru Crosstrek.
The CX-30 is tidy and clean, if hardly a departure from Mazda norm. The big, shield-like grille up front gives way to narrow LED headlights. From the side, the CX-30 is more like a hatchback than a small SUV with its squashed roofline and sleek rearmost roof pillar. Standard 16-inch alloy wheels on base versions grow to 18 inches on other models, which better fill its wheel wells.
The CX-30’s powertrains take a back seat to its admirable handling although all-wheel drive was made standard last year. The CX-30 sits low to the ground, though, so don’t expect it to go far from the pavement. The CX-30’s base 2.5-liter inline-4 adds 5 hp this year for a total of 191 ponies. The 6-speed automatic sticks around. In prior CX-30 trims, we’ve praised its shift quality but have lamented missing some extra cogs for more relaxed highway cruising and passing. The optional 2.5-liter turbo-4 pumps out a solid 250 hp (227 hp using regular unleaded), but it’s an expensive choice.
No matter what’s under hood, the CX-30 has long been a curvy road delight. Its balanced feel means impressive cornering, even if your version of a fun road is that cloverleaf on-ramp just before you clock in. The thick-rimmed steering wheel hints at the CX-30’s sporty nature, and it’s backed up by good heft and sports sedan-like precision. The short wheelbase means the CX-30 can ride a bit choppily on the 18-inch wheels standard on all but the base version, so try it out on your daily commute before signing on the dotted line.
Mazda posts a notable fuel economy improvement for the CX-30 this year. The EPA says the 2023 CX-30 gets 26 mpg city, 33 highway, 29 combined in base form. That’s 3 mpg combined better than last year, which brings the CX-30 more in line with rivals. Turbocharged models check in at 22/30/25 mpg, though they need premium fuel to extract all 250 hp.
The 2023 Mazda CX-30 has a good safety record and a lot of standard equipment. The NHTSA and the IIHS both consider it a solid choice, giving it a five-star and Top Safety Pick+ rating respectively. Every CX-30 comes with automatic emergency braking, active lane control, adaptive cruise control, and 10 airbags (two more than last year thanks to the addition of rear side-impact airbags). Blind-spot monitors are included with all but the base version, while a surround-view camera system comes on the top turbo trim.
Aside from too much glossy black trim, which scratches easily, the CX-30 has an upscale cabin for the sub-$30,000 price point at which most versions exist. Step up to the turbo versions and you might find yourself more impressed with luxury competitors for not much more money. Yes, you can put a price on vanity. The Mazda CX-30 wears slick styling that cuts into passenger space.
The front seats offer decent support, though power adjustment doesn’t arrive until the third trim level. Standard cloth can be swapped out for synthetic or real leather. Rear-seat riders will need to duck a little to slide in, and they’ll find tight leg and head room against competitors. Behind the rear seat, the CX-30 offers up 20.2 cubic feet of cargo space. That’s better than some small SUVs, but it trails rivals with more conventional rooflines.
The 2023 Mazda CX-30 comes fairly well equipped. A slew of trim levels helps justify a $12,000 stretch between base and fully loaded versions of the 2023 Mazda CX-30. The entry-level model comes with a big screen, active safety tech, and most of the convenience features we expect. However, all versions are saddled with a disappointing infotainment system. Mazda’s 3-year/36,000-mile warranty coverage is nothing to brag about.
Base CX-30 models run $24,225 to start, and they include 16-inch alloy wheels, LED lights, an 8.8-inch display, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. The infotainment’s lack of touchscreen input means near-endless fiddling with a knob on the console or on steering-wheel switches; we appreciate the concern, but hate its resolution.
The base version is a decent value, though the CX-30 Select adds synthetic leather seats, keyless entry, automatic climate control, tinted rear windows, and 18-inch alloy wheels. Mazda charges a somewhat eyebrow-raising $2,450 for those bits, however. Turbocharged models start at just over $35,000, though to be fair they build on the well-equipped Premium trim level that includes leather seats, navigation, 18-inch wheels, and a few other niceties. The Premium Plus version tosses in a surround-view camera system, automatic rear braking, and a garage door opener for $36,675.
The 2023 Mazda CX-30 remains what it always has been; a great handling SUV with killer looks and Mazda’s great reliability. It’s the smart small crossover that we’d want to be driving on a daily basis since it can put joy into any drive. Which one is right for you really comes down to what kind of driver you are. If you’re more concerned about fuel economy pick the base engine with its cost savings, but if you’re more power hungry choose the Turbo for the miles of smiles; regardless you can rest assured knowing you’ve picked a great small SUV.
