2020 Mazda CX-30 Overview, Reviews, Ratings & Specs

Naples Mazda Per on March 6, 2024

I purchased this car after getting hit head on in my Mazda MX five, which was totaled, but thankfully protected me from serious injury. I’m a big Mazda fan having owned a brand new Miata for 20 years prior to trading it in for the MX five. I looked at BMW, Audi, Lexus, Mercedes, and several other type SUV vehicles and chose to purchase the CX 30. I love the size and the nimbleness of handling. The reliability of Mazda’s can’t be beat in my opinion. I have essentially had no issues after buying this car brand new in December 2019 and still owning it as of spring 2024. Other than the normal maintenance I’ve had zero problems. It is easy to park maneuver and has good storage. If someone has really long legs and it’s going to ride in the back seat, they may not be perfectly comfortable. There are several things I wish I could change. One the size of the key fob is too big to fit into small purses And pockets. The center console top opens weirdly, and if you have the back seat full of items, it is often impossible to get into that compartment. It would be better if it open side to side, as is more traditional than tilting to the back where there isn’t adequate clearance when the backseat is full. The only other thing I wish is that it had electric seats. I also find that the shoulder strap on my neck given my height, and it would be very helpful if the shoulder strap was adjustable for people who are not tall. I agree with the reviews describing the easiness of the entertainment system. There is very little not to like about this car. I will definitely buy this model again.

Mike on May 6, 2021

My new CX-30 is excellent. Design handling ergonomic quality marvelous. The infotainment system is not easy for me as an older person but eventually I get it going. The dogs love it.

Condor6121 on April 26, 2021

Overall I enjoy driving the Mazda CX-30. It hugs turns very nicely and has good speed. This was a new model so their were not a lot of reviews on it yet. Some minor issues were recalled but it did not affect the performance of the vehicle. CarPlay feature is nice and it has a lot of cool features like wiper blades that come on automatically if water splashes on windshield, remote start, lane assist and tire pressure monitor. I do not like the fact the gas cap door does not lock and the seats are not electric.

My1stMazda on October 21, 2020

This is my first Mazda, and I already suspect it won't be my last. The quality of this car vs. the price is really outstanding. I feel like I'm driving a luxury vehicle. It's only my first week with the car, so I can't speak to reliability yet but everything else has been stellar. Quiet, comfortable cabin, plenty of power for my needs (I feel like some of the complaints about this vehicle being underpowered are unfounded. That said, if this is your major concern, the new turbo engine is out this year). Thoughtful design elements throughout. I hate fingerprints on touchscreens, so I actually appreciate the large screen is not touch-enabled and have found the dial and shortcut buttons very easy to adapt to. The exterior styling of the CX-30 has its detractors, but I love the look personally -- just the right amount of class and ruggedness. If you're in the market for a small/subcompact SUV, the CX-30 definitely should be on your list.

Dennis C on October 20, 2020

My wife and I LOVE our new Mazda CX-30. I literally look for excuses to drive it. “Honey, we need pickles, I hear there’s a great new grocery store three hours west of here, I’ll be back tonight” kind of thing. I’m a little over 1k miles after owning the car for not quite three weeks. Before getting the Mazda, we were going to get another Subaru Crosstrek to replace the 2018 Crosstrek we gave to one of our kids. We also really liked that car – the Crosstrek is the perfect size for us, lots of great safety features, it’s been super reliable for the first 30k miles. But it has two problems: it’s underpowered, and it’s noisy, especially at highway speeds. So, when Subaru came out with the bigger engine for 2021, I thought – great! They’ve fixed the power issue, I can live with the road noise. Then my brother said I should look at the Mazda CX-30. I did, and I drove it. I went back to drive it again, then I drove a 2021 Crosstrek Sport, then went back and drove the Mazda. Hands down, the Mazda was the better driving car. It’s quick, quiet, comfortable, great handling. Re the comfort – before buying the CX-30, I watched about every review on YouTube there is for the vehicle. There were a couple that complained about the front seats, especially the passenger seat. I have no idea what they’re talking about. I recently drove it for six hours in one day and was perfectly comfortable, and I’ve previously had back problems and hamstring problems. This car didn’t bother my back or hamstring at all. My wife was in the front passenger seat for three hours and found it to be extremely comfortable. The cabin of the CX-30 is way more luxurious than the Crosstrek, and, as mentioned above, much quieter. The CX-30 also has a ton of features the Crosstrek lacks: rain-sensing windshield wipers, power lift gate, memory seats, and heads-up display. All of these you don’t think you need, but once you’ve had them for a day, you will never get a car without them again. My wife and I also both really like the Mazda’s infotainment and nav systems, it took no time at all to get used to the dial control; in fact, now, I prefer it. I also really like the location of the screen on the dash, compared to the Crosstrek, which has it lower down. And it’s fabulous that navigation directions appear in the heads-up display. The Crosstrek is still a great car. It has three advantages over the CX-30 that I can think of that might be more important to others than they are to my wife and me: 1. More back seat room. If you need more rear-seat room (eg if you will be driving around adults, or children in rear-facing car-seats), you’ll probably want to go with the Crosstrek. 2. The Crosstrek also has more ground clearance (I believe about another inch) so it should be better off-road. 3. The Crosstrek also has a much larger gas tank. That’s my one gripe about the CX-30 – for some reason, the gas tank is only about twelve gallons, compared to about 17 for the Crosstrek. Initial impression of mileage for me is that the two cars are very similar, or perhaps the Crosstrek is a mile or two better. I just put three quarters of a tank in the CX-30 this afternoon, after a mix of highway and city, and got about 27 MPG. In the crosstrek, I was getting around that, maybe one or two MPG better. All of this is in very flat (non-mountain) conditions. Now, excuse me, please I just heard there’s a grocery store a couple hours north of hear that’s got mayonnaise on sale.

LisaD on October 12, 2020

Love this car! It’s like a luxury car at an affordable price. Safety features brought my insurance down from my old 2002 vehicle! Performance is wonderful!

CillaR on September 30, 2020

It is the perfect size and has all of the safety features that I was looking for. It rides so smoothly and responsively. It's zippy too!

chaim on September 27, 2020

We found this car to have excellent reviews and the price was right. We need the car for commuting and the safety features and automated features are important to us.

Skyle on September 18, 2020

I previously had a 2017 Mazda CX 5 I was not shopping for a new car but got a letter from dealership that was worth looking into a trade. I was going to drive both the CX 30 and CX 5. The sales person asked which one I wanted to drive first I took the CX 30 because of course I already drove a CX 5. It was love at first site! This is a very attractive sporty looking vehicle. First thing I said was wow that is a good looking car! It had all the upgrades. Roof racks Utility mats throughout. Very attractive color. It can sometimes look blue. But it is the Metallic Gray. The interior is beautiful. It drives great and has a few upgrades that the CX 5 didn't have such as the set seating and sunglass holder. I did not mind the smaller style one bit! It actually fits me better than the CX 5. This car has all the features you could possibly want. The connectivity service app that is included for 3 years is awesome! Needless to say I never drove the 2020 CX5:-)I plan on keeping this one for a long time to come!

Margo on September 1, 2020

Designed by engineers, beautiful exterior styling, nice drive, 12 speakers, extremely clean dashboard, low noise level, fun to drive, good size rear compartment, fits babyseat.