The 3-based Mazda CX-30 is the first SUV based on the Japanese brand’s latest hardware
Naming a new car is always a tricky business. Not only does it have to somehow suit the car – not always easy if you’re just mixing letters and numbers – but it also has to fit the wider range. The latter point is something that appears to have been forgotten when christening the Mazda CX-30.Although it sits between the compact CX-3 and large CX-5, the CX-4 moniker is already used in China for a crossover coupé, hence CX-30. At least it being a multiple of three makes sense when you consider that underneath the flowing lines and tough plastic wheelarch extensions, you’ll find the Mazda 3’s platform.Not that it’s just a 3 on stilts. The wheelbase and overall length have been reduced to help it feel more at home in town and the styling has been subtly tweaked to create a handsome, if not particularly lofty crossover. Indeed, even though I’m a mere 5’ 4in, I could easily see over the roof – not something that can be said of the Seat Ateca.Both four-wheel drive and Mazda’s clever Skyactiv-X compression ignition petrol engine will be available at launch, but neither were available for our early drive. Instead, we were limited to front-wheel drive and regular combustion engines.
Source: Autocar
