2023 Mazda CX-30 G25 Astina AWD Review

We’re big fans of the Mazda CX-30 here at DiscoverAuto. The company’s ‘Goldilocks’ (not too big, but not too small) SUV was launched just a few years ago and it’s already quite a popular offering locally. It offers a wide range of models and drivetrains, a high quality cabin, great driving dynamics and good value for money – plus, because it’s a Mazda, it’s bound to be reliable and have very cold air-conditioning. The small SUV segment is moving on a bit however, with new hybrid offerings stealing sales – just look at the two year wait for hybrid Toyota products and you’ll see what we mean. Is there still value in the CX-30, despite it not featuring a hybrid drivetrain? We tested the 2023 Mazda CX-30 G25 Astina AWD to find out.

There are a plethora of rivals to the CX-30: the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross, Hyundai Kona, Subaru Crosstrek, Kia Seltos, Toyota Corolla Cross and the Nissan Qashqai, which created the segment. Most of these cars sit above smaller SUV offerings, like the CX-30 does to the CX-3, and with 10,707 sales to the end of March 2023 in a market still struggling with big stock shortages, it’s an important segment locally. What separates the CX-30 from its rivals? Read on to find out.

Price & Equipment: 8/10

While CX-30s start at $30,210 plus on-road costs (or around $35,000 drive away) for the entry-level G20 Pure manual, we tested the second-from-top 2023 Mazda CX-30 G25 Astina all-wheel drive, which is priced from $45,310 +ORC (or around $50,000 drive away, depending on location). It’s possible to save around $4,000 and still get an Astina, however – by removing the all-wheel drive system and downsizing to the 2.0-litre petrol engine – something we’d consider if we were buying a CX-30.

Standard equipment for the top-spec 2023 Mazda CX-30 G25 Astina AWD includes 18-inch alloy wheels, dusk-sensing all-LED lighting, automatic wipers, keyless entry and start with an electric tailgate, a sunroof, heated and auto-folding mirrors that drop automatically in reverse, dual-zone climate control with rear vents, leather upholstery with heated front seats, a heated leather steering wheel and a leather gear knob, an electric parking brake, a 10-way electrically adjustable driver’s seat with memory, a 8.8-inch infotainment screen with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, satellite navigation, digital radio, a 12-speaker Bose sound system, paddle shifters, a frameless auto-dimming rear mirror and a 7.0-inch part-digital driver’s display.

Safety kit includes seven airbags, auto emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian, cyclist and intersection assist, lane keeping assistance with lane trace assist, blind-spot monitoring, front and rear cross-traffic alert (with braking), automatic low-speed rear braking, driver attention monitoring, traffic sign recognition, a heads-up display, Matrix adaptive high beam, front and rear parking sensors and a 360-degree camera. The CX-30 range earned a five-star ANCAP rating in 2019.

No-cost colour options include ‘Snowflake White Pearl’, ‘Sonic Silver’, ‘Jet Black’, ‘Deep Crystal Blue’ and ‘Platinum Quartz’ (gold), while ‘Polymetal Grey’, ‘Machine Grey’ and our test car’s ‘Soul Red Crystal’ all cost $595 extra. Black leather is standard while the white leather of our test car is also available for no extra cost.

While there are a plethora of rivals to the CX-30, we consider the Toyota Corolla Cross GXL Hybrid AWD (around $46,500 drive away) and Kia Seltos GT-Line AWD ($47,690 drive away) to be the main rivals to the Astina G25 AWD and in this company, the CX-30 looks expensive. The Seltos is around $3,300 less expensive than the CX-30, and while the CX-30 has Matrix adaptive high beam, full leather trim, a 360-degree camera, automatic windows, an extra zone of climate control, the Seltos has a wireless charger, rear USB ports, a full-size spare wheel, a fully-digital driver’s display and ventilated front seats. It’s also a larger and more practical car.

Against the $3,500-cheaper (and only mid-spec, unlike the Seltos and CX-30) Corolla Cross, the CX-30 adds a premium sound system, electric tailgate, real leather trim, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, larger wheels and Matrix headlights. The Toyota counters with a larger centre screen, a 360-degree camera, live services and, like the Kia, is a larger and more practical offering.

The CX-30 Astina is not cheap, however, it does feature a lot of standard equipment. What would make it better would be features like a wireless phone charger, extra charging ports, a panoramic roof, a fully digital driver’s display, touch capacity for the centre screen and live services for the infotainment system.

Performance & Economy: 8/10

While there’s also 2.0-litre petrol with and without mild-hybrid tech also available, our test car featured the most powerful engine in the Australian CX-30 range: the ‘G25’ 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine. It makes 139kW of power (at 6,000rpm) and 252Nm of torque (at 4,000rpm) and is mated solely to a six-speed torque converter automatic transmission. It can be paired to either just two-wheel drive or, in the case of our test car, Mazda’s ‘i-Activ’ all-wheel drive system for an extra $2,000.

The ‘SkyActiv-G’ engine used in this particular CX-30 has been used in Mazda products since the current shape Mazda6 was released in 2012, so it’s not a new engine. It has been upgraded since then, however – it now makes more power and also uses less fuel, thanks to the adoption of fuel-saving cylinder deactivation tech. It’s a quite subtle feature in real life and only activates when cruising. The engine itself is reasonably gutsy for the segment, and has a nice engine note as well.

It’s starting to feel a bit old, however, against turbocharged or hybrid rivals. Both the Seltos and Corolla Cross use different ways to make more power – the Kia has a smaller but turbocharged engine, and the Toyota’s engine is also smaller, but has an electric motor aiding both performance and economy. As a result, both the Kia and Toyota feel punchier. The Mazda’s six-speed torque converter automatic transmission is excellent, however – it keeps the engine in the powerband and is generally seamless.

The claimed fuel consumption for the 2023 Mazda CX-30 G25 Astina AWD is 6.8L/100km and we achieved 8.6L/100km in mixed testing. All-wheel drive CX-30s have a 48-litre fuel tank and can run on 91RON regular unleaded. While that’s far more efficient than the all-wheel drive Seltos 1.6T in our testing, it consumes double the petrol that the Corolla Cross does, thanks to the Toyota hybrid system. We hope Mazda is able to deliver a proper hybrid system for the CX-30 soon as it would really help in the drivetrain department. Until that happens, the 2.5-litre engine is totally fine, but it could be both punchier and a lot more economical.

Ride & Handling: 8.5/10

Based on the same platform as the well regarded Mazda3, the CX-30 also drives well for the segment. Like most other Mazda products for the past few decades, the CX-30 drives in a sporty way that other small SUVs just don’t quite match. The ride and handling balance in the Seltos is a touch better in our opinion, but if you’re buying a small SUV for a Sunday drive, the CX-30 is the one as its chassis is well set up for handling and driving fun. The steering is a touch heavy for our liking, but it’s meaty and adds to the driving fun. Words like balance can be applied to the CX-30 as it tackles corners with aplomb and for enthusiasts, it’s one of the only proper options in the segment. 

Because of this sporty attitude, the ride quality of the CX-30 is a touch firm. The rear end is noticeably firmer than the front and you do feel bumps more than something like the Aussie-tuned Seltos. But the rest of the CX-30 driving experience is positive; its road noise levels are quite low – especially against the loud Seltos – and while the visibility is not great, the active safety systems are very well tuned. The 360-degree camera is particularly well done with a high quality camera feed and multiple view points. 

Interior & Practicality: 8.5/10

As we’ve found with lower end grades of the CX-30 range, the interior of the 2023 Mazda CX-30 G25 Astina is excellent quality, it looks exotic and it’s quite comfortable – though if you’re looking for equal practicality to a Seltos or Corolla Cross, we’d suggest looking elsewhere. The quality inside the CX-30 is easily best in class, especially against the lacklustre materials used in the Seltos, and it really feels something like a Volvo XC40 in quality. There’s a nice stitched leather-like panel on the dashboard, as well as soft touch plastics covering the dashboard and front door tops. The switchgear quality – the window buttons, for example – are nicely damped and feel great.

Centre of the CX-30’s cabin is an 8.8-inch non-touchscreen that’s controlled by the wheel located in between the front seats. The layout of the screen is very simple, the screen quality is good and it’s quite easy to understand – when using smartphone mirroring like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto can be annoying, however, as it’s not controlled by touch. The same screen offers touch functionality specifically for smartphone mirroring in overseas markets, so hopefully that – and wireless phone mirroring too – migrates to Australian models soon.

The 12-speaker Bose sound system is excellent, however – it’s punchy, well tuned and quite configurable to different tastes as well. We wish the CX-30 had more USB ports for charging, though – there’s no wireless charger and only two USB-A ports located in the centre console, with no charging at all for rear occupants. The updated Mazda3 just upgraded to USB-C ports, however, so hopefully the related CX-30 gains them soon as well.

The CX-30’s front cabin offers reasonable practicality with big cup holders, reasonable door bins, a big box underneath the sliding centre console, a reasonable glovebox and a tray underneath the dashboard. The centre console’s cover is annoying, however, in that it slides back and up – rear passengers beware.

The rear seat of the CX-30 is unfortunately not quite as positive as the front cabin. Thanks to the car’s sporting focus and slinky roofline, the amount of room in the rear of the CX-30 simply isn’t as good as the Seltos or Corolla Cross. The main issue is the lack of knee room for taller passengers – even occupants under six-feet tall will feel cramped. In the Astina, the CX-30 features rear air vents and a centre folding arm rest with cup holders, but still just a single map pocket and small door pockets on offer and no charging ports.

The CX-30’s 317-litre boot is reasonable, but nothing special – a Seltos offers 468L and the Corolla Cross GX has 436L. The rear seats fold almost flat and although Mazda doesn’t give a figure, overseas reports suggest that it’s around 1,250L in total. What also disappoints is that clever boot features such as nets, hooks and a dual-floor height are nowhere to be seen. Under the floor lies a space-saving spare wheel, but that’s it.

Service & Warranty: 8/10

Like other new Mazda products, the CX-30 Astina comes with a five-year/unlimited km warranty with five years of roadside assistance. Five years/50,000km of servicing costs $2,048 ($409 per service), which is not cheap – especially considering that the CX-30 has short 10,000km service intervals.

Toyota gives you five years of warranty too, though that can be extended up to seven years in total for the mechanicals and 10 years in total for the battery if serviced at a Toyota dealership – though the company does not offer any form of roadside assistance. Kia gives you a seven-year/unlimited km warranty with up to eight years of roadside assistance if serviced at a Kia dealer. Five years of servicing the Corolla Cross costs just $1,250 ($250 per service) and the Seltos costs $2,178 ($435 per service) – but the former’s service intervals are 15,000km, unlike the Kia and Mazda, making it even more cost effective.

The 2023 Mazda CX-30 G25 Astina AWD DiscoverAuto Rating: 8.2/10

We’ve said before that the CX-30 is a great offering in the small SUV segment and the top-spec 2023 Mazda CX-30 G25 Astina AWD further proves that thanks to its excellent interior quality, sublime Bose sound system, great driving dynamics, long standard equipment list, well tuned active safety equipment and that it feels like it should be priced higher than it currently is thanks to its quality engineering and luxury car feel throughout. In fact, if you’re considering something like an Audi Q3, we think the CX-30 would suit your aspirations for quality quite well.

Of course, it isn’t perfect – the interior features excellent quality but the back seat and boot aren’t huge, the 2.5-litre petrol engine is starting to feel old and while the engineering makes it feel like good value, there’s no getting around that it costs $50,000 once pesky on-road costs are included in the price. The lack of a hybrid drivetrain is annoying too, because – as is the case with the Corolla Cross – it could transform the driving experience to be both punchier and more efficient. But go in knowing those issues and the CX-30 is still a really good offering in the segment and for car enthusiasts, it’s one of the only options thanks to its excellent dynamics and great engineering.