Is the 2022 Mazda CX-30 a better SUV to BUY than a Honda HR-V? 

I don’t mind the cladding at all. Easy to replace if you scratch it rather than on the body paint. Speaking from experience the cladding saved us some money!

Better looking, faster (either engine) and a traditional geared automatic made in house by Mazda. Of course its better.

No CVT and no touch screen just sold me on this vehicle. Two of the reasons Subaru lost a loyal Outback owner. Great review on a very nice car.

Mazda hit the ball out of the park when adding the turbo to this vehicle. After owning my 2022 CX30 premium for 9 months, I know I made the right choice. I use it as a commuter vehicle. Fun to drive, quiet, comfortable, and confident.

Maaaaaaaan .... Mazda came out swinging for the fences with this CX-30 here!!! Personally not sold on the copious amounts of black cladding but that powertrain is something to experience and the interior looks great!!! Awesome review Joe and Lori and Steven!!! Onward to 1M subscribers!!!

As always great job Joe. I think the engine and handling alone make this a better choice than the HR-V. I looked at a CX-30, but ended up purchasing a 2022 CX-5 Signature and absolutely love it. I just didn't care for all the black cladding on the CX-30 and the extra cargo room on the CX-5 is nice when you need it

Hands down the better choice and a lot of fun to drive plus no cvt. The one thing that needs to be changed is the flat black fenders. It’s up way to high and looks ugly

Yes it is! I had two CX30s. 2021/2022. Fantastic value! Great color Joe! My sons Mazda3 front is dark chrome!

I've owned my non turbo CX30 for 2 years and it's been a great car. Rarely have I wished for the turbo, it does well, especially in Sport Mode. The handling is great, the suspension firmness settles down with some miles on it, it gets more comfortable but still handles well. It does very well in snow, I couldn't get it stuck when I tried. Only thing I can say is this is not a family car, the CX-5 would be the better bet. For a single person or couple, it's great. I've taken it on long 16 hour per day road trips and it does great. I average 35 mpg which is even better. No regrets.

This doesn’t have a CVT so it’s automatically better.

Even the no turbo CX-30 is fun to drive, throw some high performance tires it rides even better.

My dream Mazda SUV!! Amazing job Joe.

I just put my deposit on a 2022 CX-30 5 days ago. We a re a Mazda family but I did look over the Honda CR-V and the Hyundai Kona, but loved driving the CX-30 Turbo. My car is not the Turbo Premium or Turbo Premium Plus which is around $32K. So, I am getting the Turbo without the premium accessories. Thank you for your awesome and thorough videos. Today's video reaffirmed by decision. Thank you!

Another interesting, informative and fun review crew. This is hands down better than the HRV in just about every subjective/objective way except for all the cladding and maybe the infotainment on the Mazda. Even in base trim (sans turbo) the Mazda still comes out ahead than the gutless, CVT-driven Honda. Mazda is one of the few companies that still care about the driving experience vs. strict practicality or forever chasing another MPG at the cost of acceleration, handling and general fun factor.

Mazda is the best for making affordable car with luxury

buying a 2023 CX 30 Turbo for Christmas. Can wait. Love the videos Joe!

Great job as always Joe. Love the Mazdas ... pretty much all of them. I'm currently still driving a manual transmission 2015 Mazda 6 with 300K miles on it. So, perhaps soon I'll be looking at the CX-30. I'm kinda digging the CX-50 though. (If you can get one.) My bride has a CX-5. IMO Mazda did nothing a passed the Honda's because I think the new design of the Honda HR-V is a huge step backward in appearance. I liked the old one better. Keep the good stuff coming. Thanks Joe.

You'll like that cladding if you live where they salt the roads in winter.

(Canada here) The top trim here is the CX30 GT and GT Turbo. I have a GT Turbo on order. Supposed to arrive tomorrow (Dec 24 2022). We just had 3 big snow storms the last week. (west coast) Supposed to warm up tonite and for the next week with rain so snow should be gone. Just hoping the snow has not delayed the delivery. I assume the car is somewhere in Canada now? I have the VIN and VIN search shows up. I finally decided on the Mazda as the best for my use. It has the best looking interior and a sporty (zoom - zoom) ride. I had also considered the Subaru Crosstrek and Honda HRV. In fact i was 90% sure i was going to get the Subaru. Then i took a CX30 for a test drive and loved it. I am retired now so this could be my last car. And cool it is a Mazda, as my first car was a Mazda RX2. of the 3. The Mazda did excellent on light off road. (most i would do is forest service roads). Watched reviews of the CX30 doing some pretty knarly off road and that was more than i would do so good enough. I do not mind the black cladding around the car. It protects from rocks / dirt / snow. Looks like they be easier to replace if damaged.

If Mazda wants the CX-30 to be a real winner it should do the following: 1) Add connectivity to the back seat. 2) Come out with an off-road oriented CX-30 that keeps the thick plastic cladding, but for all other trim levels make the cladding body color. 3) Make the infotainment the same as in the CX-50. Those simple fixes and this one may be worth $35K.

just got one of these a few weeks ago after driving a 2018 audi a4 for the past few years and this is truly a great car and leaves me wanting nothing coming from my audi. was looking at the new generation q3 as well and this is a much better value and feels just as or even more premium.

I have a 2021 CX-30 Premium in Soul Red with beige interior it’s beautiful and I never get tired of looking at it! It’s a perfect car has everything you need with a luxury feel 😍 I honestly don’t think I will buy any other type of car Will be sticking to the CX-30s for a long time 👍🏼

Joe: Today I'm excited to be reviewing the 2022 Mazda CX-30 Absolutely no one: Joe: But before we do that, let's talk about 100 years of cork

I've driven unreliable cars, reliable cars, cars without bumpers, some with just 1 headlight. Even driven cars with just 1 seat and barely any room nor comfort. After all these trials, i want to say: a reliable running car is whats best for me; just need to start everytime per key turn. 😊

I've the CX30 186 skyactiv X, in France, and very happy with it.

Joe, you never mentioned Mazda started out making cork in any of your previous videos, great info Joe!

Just read on reddid on what owners discovered about the thick cladding. It's useful in snow.. It protects the car paint. But this red one reminds me of an J11 breds.

Just today I have been watching CX-30 videos because I love the Mazda 3 ❤️ (And this is that in CUV form) How did you read my mind Joe? 😂✨

I love this sub-compact class of SUV's I used to have a 2005 Rav4 that was on par with the size of what these new cars are today. The size of the so called "compact" SUV's are GIANT compared to what they used to be, this is the size of SUV that I would be comfortable in myself, I like the HR-V but the power really seems to be lacking whereas this is just no competition.

I love it Joe and Lori and keep up the good work 👏 and I love the video 👍 💯💯💯

maybe Honda went with 17” wheels on top trim to get a better ride quality for that model, seeing how larger wheels can result in harsher ride?

Even the non-turbo 2.5L 186/191hp CX-30 provides plenty of juice for this size vehicle, & certainly more than the HR-V. I've had a 2022 CX-30 CE for 17-18 months now & no issues/problems whatsoever yet. Great little crossover, though it is borderline criminal that Mazda doesn't black-out the front/side chrome trim & silver roof rails from the factory on the CX-30. That alone does a lot to make the thicker cladding less offensive & a more integrated part of the vehicle styling.

17:43 homeboy was about to test the cx-30s safety lol

love all ur videos!!!!!!!!!

Turn single: a relationship status that occurs after a breakup. Also: an exterior illuminated indicator on a vehicle.

Definitely better looking, faster( turbo charged engine) more torque. I would definitely consider the Mazda over the HRV and the Crosstrek.

Really a great vehicle. Totally dependable for many, many miles. Stylish exterior and sensible interior controls and casual interiors make this a winner; especially if it has a Hybrid. Good value!!!

Mazda has crawled their way through the obscurity of the crowd of Asian imports to become an absolutely stellar product at such an amazing cost for now. It will go up! Strike while the iron is hot but Mazda is shooting at the luxury high end brands and they are achieving that metric to me

Lower cladding!! 6:26 Definitely!

The answer is yes. I ordered my 23' Black/Red Leather Turbo 2 weeks ago. One of a kind spec. (can't find it online) Waiting will be the hard part.

Definitely taking this over the HRV, Thanks for all your great reviews and stay away from those Twinkies!

The first thing I noticed is all the plastic, black cladding, it's just a bit too much. Other than that, it's easily the better choice over the HRV.

None of you on youtube talk about small gasoline tank. That was a deal breaker for me. Disappointment. Then when you go to test drive it they always give you the luxury trim. Unless you are purchasing a luxury trim, people should not be tricked like that on top of all the tricks that dealers pull off.

Never thought I’d see someone measure a door holder using Taco Bell chalupas as a unit of measurement LOLOL

JJ - I'd pick the Mazda - the end, tony

Im trying to buy a used car this month. Is this Mazda CX-30 better than a 2022 terrain awd or should i stick with an acadia with the 6 cylinder. I live in colorado so AWD is a must which car will do good in the snow?

It's a great car for people who dont have kids or are not taller than 5ft10in. The front will work fine for folks even 6ft2in, but in the back anyone taller than 5ft9or10 is going to feel pretty cramped especially if the front driver and passenger are tall people who need to push back the seat. Otherwise if everyone in the vehicle is 5ft10 or under, it works just fine. The plastic cladding is visually the worst part of an otherwise great looking car. Its a lot better on darker colors where the plastic somewhat blends into the rest of the car. The turbo is a great, the handling is good all season. I got the Base turbo which is no longer sold which I thought was a great value, you have to go premium turbo or premium plus turbo now to get the turbo. Fortunately mine was produced after the whole valve seal issues leading to excessive oil consumption were addressed by Mazda. I've had the car for 4 months now and its been a joy. I still look forward to driving it when I jump in in the morning.

Got my ‘22 Premium Plus Turbo in Quartz Metallic. Insanely awesome.

It's a good looking SUV styling looks amazing and superb fast.

Hope Mazda offers a black edition. I’ve seen some CX-30’s with the cladding covered in body-colored vinyl…looked great!

Yes I am buying this car great review 😀

Mazda builds gorgeous vehicles with the exterior and everything but lag behind on the infotainment screen. Tiny, far away and non-touchscreen makes it seem dated. Lexus had a similar system for years but finally started to offer a touchscreen instead of a stupid joy stick or pad on the center console to control the screen on top of the dash.

It supposedly does 0-60 in like 5.7S which is as fast as my 55k Ford Edge ST. Granted I'm sure my Edge Handles better but for just an average everyday cuv that's pretty good

For some reason, every time you work your way to the back, I expect you to say, “Let’s pop the trunk/hatch.” instead of the hood. 😄 You work your way to the back, then switch it up and are back to the engine bay.

Haven’t driven the all new Honda HRV but had the first generation as a recent rental. It was a cheap feeling underpowered POC.

The 2020 CX-30's (2.5 L AWD) front differential, has a major problem. The fill plug has a metal bracket that partially covers it. You cannot remove the plug as it is. Could you make a video that would show how to move the differential enough that drivers could do a fluid change? Mazda fixed the problem on the 2021 and newer CX-30's. Maybe it would be possible to swap a older bracket with a newer one? So far Mazda has blown me off for any kind of a fix. The dealerships have told me that the differential is "unserviceable". Thanks

Why is this a question? OF COURSE! No CVT transmission

I love my Mazda cx30. I have a bit of battery problem. I have to make sure to disconnect my charger after turning off the engine and cannot keep Dashcam because they drained out the car battery. I feel they need to put bigger battery?

Haha. On the HR-V, the passenger dash has a full row of vents. One check for my recently purchased HR-V.

ur hilarious which makes it tons better lol!!!

No CVT is already winning

What would you rate the car overall in a scale of 1-10?

Alright Joe I really love the CX30. The big issue for me smiles the plastic cladding above the wheels. I don't know why they did it for this model. It just really cheapens it for me. I thought it was. Forester Wilderness for a second lol. You know Joe, the rule is, each piece of plastic cladding lowers the resale value of the car by 200 dollars each.... 💸 🤣. I'm afraid the value just got, dare I say it, ZONKED. 😆

I heard there might be some issues with cylinder deactivation and with the 2023 Model they did an update to it. 🤔

I'm curious to hear what others think about comparing this to a Corolla Cross?

Great option for that price.

The cladding doesn't bother me so much. This car looks good in certain colors. In white and silver it looks great as for some reason the cladding blends well but in red the cladding feels like it's too much. I also think it looks good in black

Using Taco Bell and Gameboys for measurement. This man speaks my language fluently🤣

The plastic is clad is killing and the only way to hide that black plastic if you get the car in all black. Someone needs to holla at Mazda ceo ask them why they don't paint that black knee pad to match the car color or shorten it at least. 😂

I think what you said about the chrome if they had a darker chrome that would make it look more sporty but all in all looks good, but I think the trim on the bottom, the black trim is a little wider. It could be just a little bit slimmer I think you know and the the chrome on the bottom in the front I wish it was like the black trim in the back that would make it a little bit more sporty overall, it does look OK.

I don't mind the black cladding as much as I mind the very cliche black wheels. I like Mazdas and I like Hondas. I have owned two MB Miatas an RX8 and he last generation Mazda6. I have also owned 2 Civics (including the first year of the Civic Si) two Del Sols, and two Accords. If the new HRV had retained the "magic seat" it might be more of a contest. But as it stands, the Mazda is head and shoulders more appealing to me. Besides being more powerful, better handling, nicer inside the Mazda is not cursed with a CVT. I hope to live my entire life never owning a vehicle with a CVT. It's harder and harder to find cars that offer a manual transmission, but that is my absolute first choice. Of all my past Hondas and Mazdas only one of the Accords had an automatic transmission. The Mazda6 did too but it was officially my wife's car. Something that is appealing to me about Mazda is that they are still built in Japan. I guess that idea makes me nostalgic for the 1980s (😀)

For sure, it's a much more premium alternative to the Honda. And the best part..No CVT!

I agree, the black cladding looks clunky

The CX 5 and 9 have the best screens 😂

Cladding too high. When will that trend stop?

Mazda's styling is on point. Honda's reliability is solid. They're both great vehicles. Based on styling, I'm going CX-30. The cladding...big ol' zonk. Thanks for another great review, Joe! Steven, your videography is awesome!

Can anyone comment on the excess oil consumption with the 2.5 Turbo? Mazda has acknowledged the problem, but hasn't initiated a recall or corrective action.

💯% better than honda hr-v because of styling.

Can we get a review on the updated hyundai tucson 2023?

I test drove both. Road & track said the HRV bottoms out & digs into large potholes for the front wheels. I test drove a brand new one & I concur. AWFUL! Would never buy. Test drove 2022 CX-30 Turbo Premium with 2,400 miles yesterday. It's now in my garage!

Would you look at that,it has the two cup holder engine cover. I wouldn’t mind the flat black as it takes a better beating over time,but body color would be a lot better and cleaner and make the color pop in the sun. I wonder how it’s going to compare with the rest of the pack. Well done you three! 😊😊😊

Thumbs up for the review. Thumbs Down on that price! For $1k more my wife got a 2021 CX-5 GTR trim that has at the very least everything this has minus the 360 camera but a powered passenger seat and rear USB ports.

It's funny when in the US I hardly see any Mazdas. Here in Canada Mazda seems to be as popular as Toyota and Honda's. Especially the 3. Find it interesting that the US never really embraced Mazda. Never owned a Mazda but definitely good looking cars and SUV's.

Beautiful suv

Is this new ?💯

Choice gets even better when you compare the the power stats of this and an Audi Q3... And then the prices....

I'm considering this and the wrx. Shame the Crosstrek or Impreza doesn't come turbocharged. Like the hatch but ...

Short answer to Joe's question: yes.

Dude driving a Mazda is not boring.

The cladding makes it better. I know that doesn't seem like it makes sense but this car had a high belt line. Painting the cladding body color doesn't look good, not to me anyway. There are renderings on the interweb of red CX30s with body colored cladding and it doesn't look that good.

Kia Seltos - Mazda CX30 - Honda HRV - which is the best for you and why?

Is it better than Toyota Cross?

Zonk the black wheels...and a HUGE zonk on all the black cladding !

They need to put black headliner in the Turbo trims like they do on the CX-5 Turbo. That plus a different body trim option to replace the black plastic. It’s too thick to be gloss black.

I test drove a cx30 today and I wanted to love it but every time I went over a pothole or a bump on the road the steering wheel would vibrate. When I researched it online, it turns out it’s an issue with many people and many cars. Sigh, I genuinely wanted to love it.

I like more this Mazda

I feel like the windows are too small...just doesnt look right. I got the cx5 instead.

I don’t understand the decisions they made on the interior. The Mazda 3 interior is perfect, they shoulda just stuck with that. I agree with the headliner needing to be black too, and I’m not a fan of the brown accents. I’m still waiting to see what they deliver with the upcoming CX-90!

I agree with you, TOO MUCH CLADDING!

I wonder if this is where the name cork sport comes from?