2022 Mazda CX-30 AWD Turbo Snow Adventure Review 

I got stuck real bad once while camping in a remote forestry area. 4x4 and mud tires weren't enough that day. I had to wait many hours until a guy with a winch happened to drive by. It was the only vehicle I saw that entire weekend, and I'm lucky he was prepared when I wasn't. Traction boards and a shovel permanently live under the back seat since then

Sorry I haven’t finished watching the whole video yet I just couldn’t wait to give everyone an extremely useful tip! A tip that should always work no matter the type of terrain your stuck in and it’s something that pretty much all cars have and it’s something that you first step on each time you get into your car…..It’s something that can save your day or maybe even save your life…so here it comes…in one…two….three….your car’s FLOOR MATS!!!! Before you start looking for sticks and twigs and rocks and or people, look in your car for those handy dandy mats and take them out and then put them under the driven wheels or in awd/4wd vehicles the wheels with better chances of getting traction and ultimately getting you unstuck…I had a stranger help me one time when I was stuck in snow and to my embarrassment he was able to very quickly and very easily get my car unstuck, he just simply pulled my cars floor mats and placed them under the front wheels (fwd car) and told me to drive forward and sure enough my front wheels were gripping the floor mats really good and so, short story long…..I was stuck no more!!! So much for those hours of brainstorming different things I could try to get my car unstuck when the answer was right under my nose or should I say, right under my feet….

The problem was you treated it like it was tracked tank when it didn't even have 3 peak snow rated tires. Those are simple all weather tires. Plus you treated the car like it didn't belong to you, which it didn't.

There was plenty of power in the rear you had 0 traction . Proper tires would have made a bit of difference . Also you were high centered . This is not a matter of not having torque . You could have a 4 wheel locker with 1000 ftlbs of torque ,but stuck in a rut uphill on ice with 0 traction torque is 0 regardless of the powertrain . The video clearly shows the awd spinning the rear wheel that shows it was doing its job well

"The dampers soaked up the bump nicely" as he flies out of the seat.

I have a 2022 CX30. Glad I watched this! Thanks.

I hate to say it because of all the pain you went through, but this was my favorite video of yours yet!

It's no joke to be in this situation but this was fun to watch! Make more videos like this 👍

All season tires do not work in deeper, especially wet, snow. The treads fill up with snow, packs solid and turns them into slicks. My wife has a 2021 CX-30 N/A and AWD. I fitted the car with 4 Michelin X-Ice snow tires. Last winter in New England that car never failed to go anywhere I pointed it, including some pretty deep snow and through snowbanks. It performed as well as the 2018 Outback she had previously. Dropping 1 wheel into a hole would likely stop most crossovers, including the Outback. Snow tires, without a doubt would have made all the difference.

Committed to your craft. Love it thx for the content

Thanks for the honest video, showing you got stuck. The worst time I got stuck in snow with my FWD Mazda 3 on winter tires, I used the jack to lift the front wheel that was spinning the most to put some big pieces of wood underneath. Traction-aids (which I always keep in the trunk in the winter) were not sufficient in this case.

Another great review. Been watching your channel for about 2 yrs and learned so much from your very informative videos. My next vehicle will be an Outback Wilderness for soft roading, nothing crazy, plus it will be easy for my wife to drive to and from work in inclement weather.

This guy would drive a crazy person nuts. No snow tires on this test vehicle, Ryan? You have no cred.

Great video!

You have done a mistake, Ryan. Right after vehicle stops moving you need to stop spinning wheels and deflate all tires to half a regular pressure(15-17psi). Often only this will suffice and car would move again. If that isnt enough then someone needs to push from behind and finally you always have at least 4 floor mats in your car, use them as traction pads. Digging snow and ice with bare hands isnt good for your body at all, but I hope you will be fine.

I am not shocked at all. Most FWD based crossovers would have performed the same. Especially when they are clearly road-focused.

seriously the way you filmed this is fantastic. especially the outside/filming of the vehicle rolling up and down the road. is really great. I do like to see the overall vehicle in motion. the germans are the Top in exterior design. this Mazda looks great but like all Japanese automotive Companies. their tire specs are always narrow no matter the diameter of the wheels. still, tire specs are slim, unlike the Germans. their Tires Specs are wide. and that does change a lot. the overall character of the Vehicle. I have to add. I think if you have dedicated snow tires. probably it will be a different experience.

I am convinced This guy dislikes Mazda! Been watching for years and I am now convinced. 7:30

Thanks for upload, was thinking of buying one.

Nice see your dad by your side and keeping in calm. A real life driving problem vídeo.

Filmed 6 months ago?! 😳 I knew you were a little behind in stuff, but did not expect it to be that old. I would have been surprised if this was done in September, but wow! Super surprised. You were far more "adventurous" than I would have been in that car running w/out recovery gear or a back up vehicle. That single track road you took more spirited in that vehicle than I would have as well. lol I mean, that is 4Runner territory as far as I am concerned. Nothing like an AWD system that fails when you really need it. lol Big lessons learned/re-learned for you here. Always be prepared. Glad you had people coming and going that could find and help you in a timely manner. When I run solo(with gear)I am not always in the most traveled areas. But I def. try to be. (phone and CB is part of my gear)

Glad that you made it out safe and sound! Thanks for the very realistic review of the CX 30 and more power!

I’m looking at one of these tomorrow with the NA 2.5 liter and AWD for $24k. I need it for a new job I’m taking that extends up into the Sierra Nevada mountains in California so the AWD is a must. Looking forward to taking it for a test drive. We have a 2019 a CX9 touring and it’s been a great vehicle so far!

On the Eastcoast we have some brutal weather. Your video was very helpful and interesting. Always love your videos. Thank you

Your channel is interesting, Ryan. Not only are you cheesy but you make watching cheesiness enjoyable

I found it to be extremely interesting to see how this all-wheel drive transmission dealt with some of the stresses of off-road.

Great video! I remember on this channel, that Ford Explorer Timberline got stuck in deep snow in a similar way. So always get snow tires and bring recovery gear. :)

I was so confused when I saw the snow seeing as it's supposed to be 84 tomorrow in the Seattle area. 😂

I love my 2024 mazda cx 30 carbon turbo. I have heavy duty tires on it non stock, and its freaking awesome. The inside of the car is so premium and this car is definitely my go to. My wife has a subaru 2024 wilderness crosstrek and I think they are both on par.

Great video. Hope your dad was not freezing too much!

20:54 "be careful these sticks are super pokey". 🧐 🤣

Might be worth carrying a pair of recovery straps and a manual cable puller. Could have looped one strap through the drivers side wheel and the other around a tree. Then use the puller to drag the front end back on the road. Hindsights always 20/20

Can’t wait for the 2023 CX-50 vs. 2023 Outback 😬

The roughest terrain my 2022 CX-30 usually experiences out here in southern Arizona is the supermarket parking lot. 😝 I did take it out into the dessert along some off-road trails once though just for the heck of it.

Next time the floor mats will work better because of the texture of the bottom this work for us when we got stuck on ice at the crystal mountain resort

You can turn the floor shifter into a straight 6 manual instead of using the paddles. I much prefer that (see the M-D label).

Really appreciate what you do for us viewers. I’ve had my misadventures too! Eventually it’ll happen to us all. My takeaway???……vehicle u tested is not designed for this stuff. Also, great idea to bring along a manual come along Things I’ve learned to do…..the hard way! Lol, what happened to u? Oh I been there!

I am sure that turning the "traction control off', would have helped a bunch.

its cool seeing a city car being put to offroad stress

Interesting thing is that Mazda uses the same AWD system as Toyota GR Corolla and GR Yaris but with higher rear overdrive ratio (1%).

Not sure why you are blaming the car? You said yourself if you go off track, you are dead in the water, so what do you do? Exactly what you said not too. I think you are asking the vehicle to do things that other vehicles in this class wouldn’t be able to do either. You set yourself and the Mazda up to fail.

The problem isnt the car.......no sane person takes a compact cuv up in the mountains with 2 feet of snow in the odd spot with 7 inches of ground clearance and Turanza all season tires. Stop complaining how bad the awd system is. When all 4 wheels are spinning, its the tires not the awd system. You might as well be driving on rims up there. And as far as the on road driving characteristics of the car go.....its the champ in its class. Nothing even comes close. If you want something more, pony up and buy a Macan........horrible review and super unfair to Mazda and to the value of this vehicle.

Expected result, I would have truly been surprised if it were easy to get out of that mess. Subaru is considered to have one of the best AWD systems, but results with a Crosstrek would probably be similar on all season tires. The truth is you'd probably be better off with a FWD CX-30 on winter tires vs AWD on all seasons..which really aren't remarkable in any season.

My experience on other vehicles is that turning off traction control helps when you'r taking off in deep snow. They should allow it to be disabled in this vehicle.

This guy probably thinks “it’s just a rebadged ford” even though ford hasn’t touched a Mazda since 2015💀

Maybe the floor mats will work as track pads? And when your getting in snow they make tire gloves much less bulky than tire chains FYI ..... I have a mazda se cx30 will upgrade to cx30 turbo p+ really like it fits in garage well front doors very good opening in tight spots

Use the rubber matts under the wheels, and i think the screw in thing is with the spare tire kit.

What tires is he using? Is it the stock tire?

I’d say it was as much the tires as the faults of the awd system. I don’t know how many crossover and suv vehicles could have gotten out of that situation with all seasons.

One of my complaints with this in the snow... The headlights get packed with snow way too easily, it's a pia. Same with the wipers, but you can blast the heat to help with that. Headlights you have to use your hands.

“I’m not seeing bouncing!!” 😅🤣💀

They should have tried using the floor mats in the trunk 😂

Impressive for the price and what it's designed for.

😂😂 Man you're the only one who can think of using a Cx30 with less than 7 inches of ground clearance in 1ft deep snow situations. Mazda's AWD has nothing to do with getting out of that snow. From what I saw your awd system did work but it didn't send traction to the rear wheels because the tires hadn't detected traction (even with 3 guys in trunk) that's because the front stall was so deep that the Cx30 kept sending all its power to the front. remember it's not 4x4. Next time don't go too deep into a crossover that's a multi-terrain but not an all- terrain.

You could try the Jack to jack up the front wheels and put the floor carpets under to get tractions..

Why are you complaining about the 0-60 thats plenty of fast anything under 8 secs is more than enough

A slightly taller tire that will give you a half inch more ground clearance with some decent grip makes a world of difference. The Mazda does great on snow but it's just not capable in really deep snow conditions.

Learned something about reversing in snow, so not to get stuck.

My wife has the exact same car but with black interior and I put some vredestein quatrac pro tires on. For everyday driving and driving in snow in NE Ohio it’s awesome.

Could u have used the floor mats for traction?

The limiting factor in this video wasn’t the car, but the driver.

Best quote: Luckily I brought my dad with me, the way we always want to use our dads. 🤣

Apparently the engine doesn't give you full power until broken in which is 3 tanks of premium gas. And then you only get 250 with premium.

Mazda watching this like 😳👀😬

It is interesting what tyres were on this car: proper winter tyres or 4 seasons.... In this case when a car gets stuck in snow it is useful to have a car hand lifter to lift a car and place branches or car mat under tyre for additional traction...

Manufacturers ground clearance measurements are almost always questionable. Personally I like the way Subaru does it, since they give the minimum measurement which to me is most useful. A lot of manufacturers love giving the max ground clearance so it sounds more impressive but for anyone that actually goes off road the minimum number is more important. Mazda does build a great looking car but nobody does AWD like Subaru.

Nice video. I might have tried putting rocks or branches behind the front right wheel to help it “step” out of the snow hole. I have seen that method work before.

Would love to see the Trailblazer Active trim AWD. Perform this test. I’m planning on getting one next month.

It did GREAT for a car without 3 peak rated snow tires.

I’ve heard Mazda awd system wasn’t good now I can see that !

I mounted Michelin cross climate 2 tires and have yet to have any issue in snow or mud in Michigan's back country trails and my trips to Tennessee mountains during winter time. The OEM tire are well crap, but not even close to the Michelins.

I own the 2021 cx30 and it's great in the snow in my opinion I think that was on you not the car

I almost bought one but instead went for a Subaru Crosstrek. At times I need to plow through a foot of snow, and I know I can trust the Subaru awd, and wasn't sure about the Mazda system. Thanks for showing me that I made the right choice, as I really wanted the turbo, but the awd system was what made me not pull the trigger.

Waiting on that Crown review.

Mazdas have the cutout in the spare tire area for the "eyelet" recovery bolt, I'd call it. But not the eye bolt. People need to buy these for like 30 bucks and save a lot of money in these situations

I had to stop the video to get popcorn.

“We don’t have any snow recovery gear.” 😂

Even with the rear spinning, they’re 3 season tires and have no grip. This would have been a most likely better outcome with winter tires :) even though down the mountain, winter tires would be useless lol

What is the color of this cx-30?

I assume mazda lets the front wheels spin even though its an AWD system to prevent the engine bogging down keeping the engine in its powerband and having a more aggressive launch, like look at the honda HRV, the AWD models are nearly a second slower then 2WD models simply because the AWD system fully locks up on launch, good for super low traction situations but for simply just trying to drive it can defs make a car feel more sluggish then it actually is.

What’s better this or Crosstrek?

Good to see someone is making a WRX hatch.

Throw some good winter tires on this and it will be more than enough.

Only a fool would take low profile all season touring tires into a snow and ice off road .

Can u do this test with subaru and other awd cars? This should be your go to test from now on lol

Well, this is one of my worst nightmares. Thankfully, you weren't alone, at night. :)

Same debacle once with a buddy and an old crv... I took my jacket off and used as a traction gripper... Not sure the smartest but it worked!! And the awd was not as technical and tires weren't as wide but hey I got out...

That's the like the biggest fear is getting stuck in snow up the mountain.....You gotta be prepared bring all the tolls you need just in this type of situation.

Snow tires are not going to get you unstuck from a drift like this. If they had chains, maybe. Snow tires have a softer rubber compound that helps with ice and gives you much more flexibility when it is cold...for me that's less than -25 degrees Celsius. Winter tires wouldn't get you out of that either...they are made to keep you on the road so you don't have to get pushed out of a rut.

Pushing stuck vehicle on snow can be rather dangerous, I hurt myself last year as something released in my upper back, so I was weak for a few weeks.

Good example of real life scenario.

This is a problem with all unibody rigs now a days . It may have 7-8” of ground clearance but after that you only gain another inch or two so it’s super easy to high center . Compared to a frame on body rig where after the low point of clearance you probably have 12-18” at least of Clarence .

My guess was near Entiat, until I saw the house. Lion rock is near Cle Elum.

Report back to Mazda, build an AWD system that works or better yet just a regular old school 4WD system with enough ground clearance to get out of its own way in 6 inches of snow...and pre-installed permanent recovery hooks mandatory.

Tires, tires, tires. ❄️

This is what I always say on Mazda Facebook groups when new buyers ask about the AWD, that they feel like AWD...I don't like that feeling, even when Mazda makes people believe it's an extraordinary intelligent system, still makes the driving experience like a FWD biased system. And people on those groups says that I'm wrong. Probably they are driving for first time an AWD vehicle and they don't know what to expect :/.

First time visitor here and this was enjoyable to watch AND I learned a few tricks. Living in New England with a 2-hour commute to MA every day I have had my share of snow issues. My BMW x1 is a breeze and have been curious about the CX-30 and now I am even more curious but not in a good way. Even on sunny day here in NE, I never leave my house without my bag. (Sneakers, food, water, snow shovel, blanker, etc. All the things. Great video.

The general opinion is that the stock EL440 tires are not very good. OK when new, I keep them for one summer. Won’t use them in cold weather.

Next time you can use 4 good winter tyres, without dad e without friends

next time you can use the floor mats . thats how we doit here. great video . cheers