00:00this is the mazda cx-30 a compact crossover and mazda's sales hit this particular model
00:06is with a 150 horsepower sky active g motor this is exactly what mazda needed why watch this to find
00:42out
00:43i'll try not repeating everything i already said in my other reviews of mazda models
00:48based on the new sky active vehicle architecture platform in the video description i'm linking to
00:55the mazda 3 reviews with the 122 horsepower sky active g engine as well as the 180 horsepower
01:02sky active x engine and to my first drive cx-30 launch video in this review i will focus on
01:10the
01:11150 horsepower engine and any changes that may have appeared versus what i've seen in the test
01:17vehicles i've driven earlier
01:34so what's the big deal with the sky active g 150 horsepower engine and why am i talking about
01:40it as if it was a breakthrough in the mazda lineup when the current gen mazda 3 debuted in 2019
01:48it was
01:48initially available only with the somewhat underpowered 122 horsepower naturally aspirated motor
01:54mazda promised a more powerful and thoroughly new 180 horsepower sky active x variant which appeared later
02:05the problem with the sky active x engine is the price it's like jumping up a spec level and adding
02:11some options on top or going from front wheel drive to all wheel drive the range topping engine doesn't
02:16offer performance which would justify the extra two grand so the 150 horsepower sky active g engine slots
02:24nicely in the middle now that you know the baseline let's talk sky active g you can choose it with
02:34a
02:34manual or automatic gearbox with front or all-wheel drive the performance is not far behind the sky active x
02:47mazda claims the 0 to 100 kilometers per hour time for the front wheel drive manual transmission model
02:51should be 8.8 seconds only half a second slower than the sky active x on my first test run
02:59i got 9.7 seconds it was a winter morning and the road was slightly slippery i suspect in the
03:06summer on a
03:06dry road i'd do at least what mazda claims or even better the claimed fuel economy is around
03:136 liters per 100 kilometers combined i'd say low 7 is achievable
03:22let's take a moment here to appreciate the fact mazda's still offering 2 liter normally aspirated engines
03:28in its compact lineup for example in the new c4 the biggest petrol engine is a 1.2 liter
03:35mazda's 2 liter engines are so-called mild hybrids short version better fuel economy longer version
03:41the system recoups kinetic energy during coasting and braking and uses it to power the car's electrical
03:47components the mild hybrid also helps the stop and start system as well as it adds a little boost
03:53during acceleration very little boost
04:02mazda uses a 24 volt mild hybrid system instead of a 48 volt one according to mazda this is due
04:09to
04:09weight saving like everything else with mazda also apparently it is cheaper the skyactiv g engine can
04:16also deactivate two out of four cylinders when the car is driving at a constant speed in the 122 horsepower
04:23version i did encounter some jerking and vibrating when the car was running on two cylinders it was
04:29especially apparent with the manual transmission in the 150 horsepower variant the vibrations didn't go
04:36anywhere i can feel them especially between 1500 and 2000 revs and before you say the car is probably
04:43stalling the eco nanny wants me to shift up
04:49how is it to drive mazda has a great manual shifter and if you don't plan driving this car around
04:55the city
04:56go for the manual the automatic is less great but if the city is where you spend most of your
05:03time
05:04automatic it is
05:08something we are slowly forgetting these days is how normally aspirated engines feel there aren't many left
05:14because it's easier to just downsize and slap on a turbo rather than optimize the existing technology
05:21and mazda is all about optimizing but in the end if you want to get anything out of this engine
05:26you have
05:26to drop a gear or two or preferably three
05:39that's what normally aspirated engines are all about but in a kia or citroen a smaller turbocharged engine
05:45is just more usable in everyday life one may wonder how long the 1.2 liter pure tech will last
05:52before the
05:53timing belt turns into oblivion but in city traffic turbo just feels more usable meanwhile mazda is all
06:00about longevity to a point where i get the engine up to temperature and the stop and start system is
06:05still unavailable
06:06in most cars stop and start system is ready to use before i get onto the main road from my
06:12house
06:16normally aspirated engine characteristics aside the 150 horsepower sk active g engine is
06:22in my opinion the optimum choice for mazda's compact cars taking into account price to performance ratio
06:29something i haven't noticed during the cx30 launch event was how hard the well i don't think it's a
06:35suspension i'm recording this right after the snow has melted and the roads are full of holes
06:40but this car hits hard even on small bumps i suspect the yokohama blue earth winter tires
06:46they get very mixed reviews visibility is better than in the mazda 3 but the high window line and the
06:54a pillar angle takes some getting used to
07:08finally mazda has fixed some software issues and using android auto no longer disconnect traffic sign
07:15recognition also android auto now uses more screen real estate making it easier to navigate
07:28inside nothing has changed mazda has high quality interiors even if one or two things drive me insane
07:35for example the smartphone cubby is too shallow and hidden behind cup holders mazda is not the only
07:42offender in this sphere it's just bed design regardless of the brand the center console is of course all
07:49scratch black plastic there are two usb ports one above the smartphone cubby and one under the armrest
07:55to open this storage you'll need to slide the cover rather than just lift it and if you slide it
08:01too far
08:01back you'll hit your passenger in the knee seat memory function requires a long press on the set button
08:08and then a long press on one or two position buttons why not skip set since you need to long
08:14press the
08:15position button anyway at least the glove box is fairly large and the door pockets are usable the
08:22infotainment system is easy to use and if you get the 360 camera you can set a priority view for
08:28example
08:28to see the image from the front camera on startup useful if you always reverse park and then you need
08:34to drive out of a tight spot with poor visibility in the back there's still no usb port but at
08:40least there
08:41are ac vents cup holders in the armrest and places for bottles in the door pockets there is no ski
08:46hatch
08:47doors cover the seals though the 430 liter boot is sort of the segment average here there are no
08:55shopping bag hooks no 12 volt socket however there is now a double floor something that was missing at
09:00the launch event and thanks to the double floor when you fold the back seats you get a flat loading
09:06area
09:06also this parcel shelf fits under the floor now as for the floor itself it's a two-piece job
09:14and it's kind of an origami thing so let's see how i'll manage putting this parcel shelf under this floor
09:21using just two hands and imagine there are kids dogs shopping around and maybe it's raining as well
09:28here we go this is the easy part
09:35and i already know that this parcel shelf has to go in like this because this way it wouldn't fit
09:44so easy
09:45peasy lemon squeezy right
09:53oh bugger
09:57and it's raining
10:12brilliant
10:15on the plus side there is a separate button to lock the tailgate so
10:21now that i'm wet i can run straight home
10:25bye
10:31later i discovered that as usual i have no idea what i'm talking about mazda has made a special animation
10:38to show off the very genius of the three-way folding boot floor i see what they wanted to achieve
10:44and i
10:45respect that if i have both hands free and i have a bit of patience the cx30 boot is my
10:51oyster
10:52and if i don't then i'm buggered
10:56price of the mazda cx30 started 24 790 euro for the front wheel drive manual transmission 122 horsepower
11:05skyactiv-g motor this test car is a 150 horsepower skyactiv-g with front wheel drive and a manual
11:11transmission with options it costs around 33 000 euro mazda cx30 is what the customers want and with
11:20the 150 horsepower petrol engine it's reasonably priced and you can also have it with all-wheel
11:25drive something that's not a given these days even among suvs and crossovers and how do you like
11:31the mazda cx30 let me know in the comment section below if you like my sarcastic down to earth and
11:38possibly mildly amusing car reviews join me every friday 3 pm central european time and don't forget
11:45to subscribe and like this video as it helps me with the youtube algorithm thanks for watching
11:51and i will see you in the next one
