Mazda's CX-30 stands tall

Singapore

"Instagram/reality" is the new term for what you get after the glow of the filters fade and real-life sets in. In car terms, the equivalent is a luxury car that has the correct badge, but doesn't behave like one in real life.

Mazda is doing the exact opposite of that with its new CX-30 sport utility vehicle (SUV), which is a luxury car in everything but name.

That's not to say it doesn't look appealing. Since it's a small SUV and not a boring Dad sedan, it gains likes simply by being the very type of car that urban professionals are so madly in love with right now.

On top of that, it has a modern Mazda's athletic lines, a pert posterior, and a face that wouldn't look out of place on a sporty coupe, so it's very much on-point in design terms.

On paper, and with Mazda being a mainstream Japanese brand, the CX-30 is a rival to very popular cars like the Honda HR-V and Nissan Qashqai since it's roughly the same size. That means four adults will fit alright, but it's best for small families who have lots to carry. The boot space of 422 litres is considerably more than a small hatchback's.

But given the CX-30's nature, one should really see it more as a less expensive alternative to small SUVs from luxury players, like the BMW X1 or Lexus UX. For one thing, the Mazda's engine is bigger than the class norm, since it's only available with a 2.0-litre with 165 horsepower.

On the road, it's thus a step above the mainstream Japanese rivals in terms of pace, and quick enough in acceleration to match the above-mentioned luxury SUVs. It's a fact emphasised by the car's direct and enjoyable handling, which should surprise no one since the CX-30 is based on the Mazda 3, which is exemplary through corners.

It's not a performance SUV just yet, of course, but there's plenty of dynamic depth for a driver who wants a more than just the middle line choice for driving.

What disrupts the calm is the occasional thump when going over road imperfections and an unsettled ride quality. Disappointing, but not a deal breaker, considering that even luxury SUVs costing twice as much as the Mazda are guilty of the same.

The 2.0-litre engine is non-turbocharged, so while it lacks that low-end turbo oomph, it has a buttery smoothness that's becoming increasingly rare in this age. A 2.0 on a small car is considered large, but it's not a guzzler, since we managed fuel efficiency comparable to cars with smaller turbocharged engines during our drive.

Where Mazda has made tremendous strides is right in front of a driver's eyes. The cockpit has many features that would look at home in a Lexus or BMW here.

It has a clean, unified look and each interaction - such as with the switches or touching the materials - feels pleasant and smooth.

The infotainment screen is a generous 8.8-inch widescreen, and operation through the rotary controller is intuitive and free of touchscreen frustration. Using Bluetooth, Apple Carplay or Android Auto, you can stream your tunes through the ear-pleasing 12-speaker Bose sound system, dictate texts and let Google Maps tell you where to go.

But the Mazda even manages to go one-up here in an important aspect: Safety.

The version that The Business Times tested, the CX-30 Luxury, comes with all of Mazda's active safety systems on board, and there are a legion of them, covering everything from autonomous braking to monitoring your attention level.

Useful in daily driving, adaptive cruise control takes some of the attention load off, while the blind spot indicators show on the active instrument panel usefully if anything is lurking in your danger zone.

Luxury cars have similar systems, but they are often cost options, and you'd be hard pressed to find a comparable spread of features in a car costing less than S$200,000.

If there is a catch, it's that this is the most expensive version of the CX-30 available. At almost S$130,000 with Certificate of Entitlement, it's not quite in mainstream buyer territory.

Spending 10 grand less gets you the Elegance model, which makes the price tag more comfortable for the average salaryman, while the least expensive Standard model is S$113,888 with COE.

Even if you chose to eschew the advanced safety systems though, the CX-30 elevates what we should expect from a small SUV and keeps the luxury players honest. It might not get as many hashtags, but it doesn't make a hash of real life.

Mazda CX-30 Luxury

Engine 1,998cc, inline 4 Power 165hp at 6,000rpm Torque 213nm at 4,000rpm Gearbox 6-speed automatic 0-100km/h 9.7 seconds Top Speed 196km/h Fuel Efficiency 6.4L/100km Agent Eurokars Mazda Price S$128,888 with COE Available Now