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From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.<\/p>\n
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.<\/p>\n
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.<\/p>\n
Your support makes all the difference.<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nRead more<\/span><\/svg><\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nS<\/span>ometimes you get cars that look incredibly exciting, exotic even, but underneath their highly styled exteriors lies engineering of a decidedly more unadventurous nature. The original Ford Capri, for example, (1969 and now highly collectable), had gorgeous looks inspired by its American cousin, the Mustang, but some basic engines and suspension. <\/p>\nThen again, some cars look fairly mainstream but harbour some extraordinarily smart and innovative engineering. Such is the Mazda CX-30, a compact SUV equipped with a new powertrain, which makes a strong case for itself. <\/p>\n
The \u201cTL;DR\u201d version is that the Mazda is fitted with an engine that delivers reasonably good performance but with excellent fuel economy, especially out of town, and relatively low emissions. It runs best \u2013 and most enjoyably \u2013 with the slick six-speed manual transmission, with the motor revved hard, and in front-wheel drive form. There are all-wheel drive versions available, fulfilling the off-road pretensions highlighted by its \u201ccrossover\u201d SUV styling and black protective cladding around the flanks, but two driven wheels are all that almost anyone will ever need. <\/p>\n
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open image in gallery<\/span><\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>Give it some stick: You get the best out of the Mazda in front-wheel drive making full use of the six-speed manual transmission (Sean O\u2019Grady)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nIt\u2019s surprisingly fun to drive, and as an older basic design than the Ford Puma or VW T-Roc, it holds up well. Against a more modern battery electric vehicle, such as, say, the Kia EV3, it certainly feels more old-fashioned inside, with more knobs and buttons and a smaller touchscreen that only functions on that basis when the car is stationary. <\/p>\n
Otherwise, you have to use a big click wheel between the two front seats; but as I say, all the most used features are readily accessible via traditional controls. Things are better and safer that way. \u201cHomura\u201d trim is the ideal one for value \u2013 heads-up display, parking cameras, powered tailgate and heated seats come with a modest premium. <\/p>\n
Now, may I indulge myself by discussing how Mazda\u2019s engineers, who remain enthusiastic about the internal combustion engine and the joys of driving, have created this little wonder car?<\/p>\n
It\u2019s full of bold choices. For a start, it boasts a uniquely large engine capacity for the class \u2013 2.5 litres, and \u201cnormally aspirated\u201d, so no turbochargers or superchargers to boost power output (and stress the engine), as you might find on the 1.0 litre Ford Puma, say. <\/p>\n\nThe Spec<\/h2>\nMazda CX-30 140PS Homura<\/h3>\nPrice:<\/strong> \u00a329,235 (as tested, range starts at \u00a326,435)<\/p>\nPropulsion:<\/strong> 2.5l, 4-cyl petrol engine with mild hybrid <\/p>\nPower output (hp):<\/strong> 140<\/p>\nTop speed (mph):<\/strong> 121<\/p>\n0-60 (seconds):<\/strong> 9.7<\/p>\nEconomy (mpg):<\/strong> 47.1<\/p>\nCO2 emissions (g\/km):<\/strong> 135<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThe Mazda engine still revs hard but produces more than ample power, even at lower revs. The sheer size of the engine means it thus has plenty of torque, and doesn\u2019t have to try too hard to deliver it. This makes it very flexible, and it\u2019s difficult to labour the engine or find yourself in the wrong gear. <\/p>\n
Normally, a big engine means high fuel consumption and emissions, but not here. The \u201ce-Skyactive G\u201d unit (\u201cG\u201d for gasoline) has an extremely efficient method of ignition, relying more on compression to ignite the petrol rather than spark plugs. <\/p>\n
When cruising, the engine will also turn off a cylinder or two, again promoting high economy with no less performance, as it can intelligently switch back if pressed. They\u2019ve also thrown in a light mild hybrid system that gives a little more boost when needed. Even something as innovative and bold as the CX-30 is never going to deliver the optimal blend of refinement, low running costs and acceleration as a battery electric car; but it\u2019s good value and will still appeal to some families. <\/p>\n
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open image in gallery<\/span><\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>Tight behind: Cramped back seats and lack of room in the boot are a drawback (Sean O\u2019Grady)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nThe CX-30 is such an impressively designed vehicle that it might even make normal people interested in the splendid technological feats being smoothly performed under the bonnet at a rate of 5,000-plus revolutions per minute. Less tempting is the CX-30\u2019s \u201cpackaging\u201d, which betrays what can only be a lack of interest in the task. <\/p>\n
Throughout the car, the materials used are of high quality, if uniformly sombre greys, blacks and silvers, and it feels like a solidly built machine that should prove quite reliable. At the front of the cabin, it can\u2019t be faulted except for being possibly too \u201cserious\u201d. The back half of the car is more disappointing \u2013 very tight, even with just two adults in the rear seats, and a small boot lacking any clever features (something the Puma is very good at). What does it amount to? A driver\u2019s car that no one much knows about. Which ain\u2019t right.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. Your support makes all the difference. Read more Sometimes you get cars that look incredibly exciting, exotic even, but underneath their highly styled exteriors lies engineering of a decidedly more unadventurous nature. The original Ford Capri, for example, (1969 and now highly collectable), had gorgeous looks inspired by its American cousin, the Mustang, but some basic engines and suspension. Then again, some cars look fairly mainstream but harbour some extraordinarily smart and innovative engineering. Such is the Mazda CX-30, a compact SUV equipped with a new powertrain, which makes a strong case for itself. The \u201cTL;DR\u201d version is that the Mazda is fitted with an engine that delivers reasonably good performance but with excellent fuel economy, especially out of town, and relatively low emissions. It runs best \u2013 and most enjoyably \u2013 with the slick six-speed manual transmission, with the motor revved hard, and in front-wheel drive form. There are all-wheel drive versions available, fulfilling the off-road pretensions highlighted by its \u201ccrossover\u201d SUV styling and b…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6165,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6164"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6164"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6164\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6165"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6164"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6164"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6164"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}