Mazda CX-30 vs Volkswagen T-Roc 2021 comparison review | Chasing Cars 

I purchased a CX-30 G25 Astina AWD & I was cross shopping it with a Golf which was my first choice (and dream car) 😂As soon as I sat in the Mazda I fell in love, it felt so lovely and fit me like a glove. I agree on the seats they are to soft and the bottom cushion isn’t long enough. The suspension feels a bit busy but its sooooo quiet on the highway. A big reason why I bought it was reliability over the VW, it may not be as ‘nice’ but at least (touch wood) I’ll be able to enjoy it longer without the VW reliability issues (touch wood again). Every time I get in it I feel like I got a bargain, it feels like it should’ve cost much more, It feels like a Lexus to me.

Just purchased the CX-30 In the turbo premium plus trim level and it’s a beast. Luxurious, fast, handles well, decent utility, 12 speaker Bose, every safety feature you would want, super fun to drive. I haven’t liked a car this much since my 1987 Corvette. Which, by the way, the CX-30 beats to 60mph. The CX-30 isn’t the best at any one thing but does everything so very well and feels great to be in.

Absolutely loving my T-Roc. Such an incredible car to drive in every way.

Great review as always Tom, I've always had great experiences and reliability with Mazda. Their quality is always there and they are made very well so for me it would be the Mazda.

CX-30 for me it a no brainer. Considering this are suv that will spend most time in city and for little family run around

The interior of the mazda inside the t roc would suit the package.

I bought a CX30 premium. The power is more than adequate and the handling is as fun as my previous ‘19 Civic Si. If the TRoc was available in the States, I would have definitely bought it for the looks and turbo.

Would go for the VW Troc with an updated (Golf 8?) interior and electric adjustable leather front seats but minus the hard plastics. Great review Tom, as always.

For me, Mazda looked better outside, Troc looked so simple.. I think CX 30 is more impressive..

Excellent review, extremely helpful!

Very happy with your comments parched a cx30 2.5 ltr and took note of your views before purchasing.I noted exactly what you said and found exactly what you said to be spot on .thanks .

I went for the CX-30 GT Sport(UK equivalent of Astina?) Discarded the T-Roc fairly early on in the decision cycle, and final choice was between the Skoda Karoq and the Mazda. Decision was made on which would make me smile most often when driving it, based on cabin ambience and drive experience. Very happy with the CX-30 and with the SkyActive X engine, which is quick enough, frugal and very quiet.

Wait for the CX-30 2.5 Turbo

Solid review 👍👍

Very detailed review. Love it.

I was looking for a review like this over the last 2 months to try to help me split between these two cars. You have summed it up perfectly... we have bought 4 Mazdas over the last 12 years and love the brand and reliability.... however when we test drove the Mazda we thought "yep its another Mazda" but after then hopping into T Roc i was immediately taken to driving dynamics which was more fun. After reconciling myself with the hard dashboard I bought a T-roc X Edition

Honestly depends on which demographic you classify. We were more into the European design language and style as well as performance. As a millennial buyer, It all came down to the what would look cool on the road and practical at the same time. We eventually decided that the TROC was the way to go after test driving the CX30 vs TROC.

I have the CX-30 shown and love it I prefer the dial as it’s so easy to use and no fingerprints. I would really love the turbo version from the USA as the U.K. don’t get those versions so I’m stuck at 186 BHP which isn’t too bad but solid build good economy and huge spec is an overall excellent package.

CX-30 for me

Great review

I think it’s worth test driving both. Online reviews had us concerned that the CX30 wouldn’t have enough grunt for the country roads and hill’s around our house. After a test drive of the CX30, overtaking on the highway, pushing the engine to see what it had & going up a couple of hills etc. we fell in love with the handling & the quietness of the ride. It felt smooth on the road (almost exactly like the Lexus we were replacing) and we loved that it outperformed every car in it’s ancap safety tests which was a big consideration for us. We felt the entry model which we drove was suitable for our needs so got away with spending a lot less than $50K. Moral of the story - don’t go in reviews alone - drive everything & decide afterwards.

VW is sure great if you change your car every 2 - 3 years as the leasing contract expires but if you plan a longer ownership i would bet on mazda everyday.

If I were to choose between the two I'd opt for CX 30 Good comparison review

Great review! I did consider the Mazda CX-30 for my next car and it’s the clunky low speed gearing and the small boot that’s really stopping me from going ahead.

Bought T-Roc Style a week ago and I’d say I’m so in love with it! Yeah interior is simpler than the Mazda but it doesn’t bother me at all. Love driving it! Mostly everyone drives Mazda on the road, I prefer a little different but still in style!

Overall good review, however people looking for this style crossover should remember that the cx30 is almost 10 inches longer overall vs the T Roc which is a good thing for me,plus when you were in the back seat of the VW It looked like your knees were almost the same distance from the back of the front seat ,as when you were in the cx30,at least thats what appeared to me visually..so if there's a difference it cant be much ..I would consider the TRoc a sub compact suv and the cx 30 a straight compact due to the size difference..but that's just my opinion...again good job

I am going for the mazda for ease of repair (watch mechanical reviews of both vehicules) and low repair costs. They also have a better good reliability track record.

I agree there isn’t a wrong decision, I too like the Mazda’s interior for its price point but for most everything else the VW suits me better.

Seems to me like the CX30 having a white headliner makes it feel way roomier than the Mazda 3 hatch. Even if it’s the same size roughly, the hatch feels incredibly claustrophobic while the SUV seems much nicer in that regard, and better for families as a result

The review is a year old but as I am looking at these 2 now, thought I’d add my 2cents worth. Eliminated from the list early were Kona (a combination on minor things), Seltos (dct seemed a little annoying but didnt seem that way in Kona), XV (initially liked it but on second test drive was less appealing). T-Roc was brisker off the mark, & 9/10 for general driving & handing, but the interior just seem a little low rent. Instruments & infotainment are top notch, but the seats & door cards seem a match for a Hyundai Venue. Went for a 2.5 litre CX-30. Seats are softer but actually ok for longer drives, head up display & DAB are things I like, don’t really like touch screens (fan of BMW idrive) & engine / transmission combination is actually pretty could - perhaps reviewers something are a little harsh or looking to hard for weeknesses. Funnily the larger CX-5 doesn’t get as much criticism for the 2.5 motor as does the CX-30 with same motor. Probably would have been happy with either, but the drivers seat is a slightly nicer place to be in the Mazda.

First finally by the way great review mate

I absolutely love the CX30, and its interior is way better than the VW and would have bought one if it was sold here in Namibia with the 2.5 Litre Turbo engine. However, I opted for the VW T-Roc 2.0 TSi R-Line and I am very happy with my purchase. To be honest, I actually prefer the hard plastics in the VW because it will just last longer in terms of wear and tear I believe. Mine rides on 19 inch rims, which does produce more road noise and rides a bit harder, but I can't complain.

I have had 3 x near new VW in a row with manual gearboxes and had a few issues on the first 2 and none on the 3rd. I probably covered 250k miles in total but tbh none of the issues left me stranded and they were not too expensive to fix. I now own a 124 Spyder based on the MX5 and will definitely go back to Mazda for my next car.

T-roc for me , only thing worries me is the dsg long term reliability and runnings costs , Great review , thanks

Spot on, CX-30 rear bench is damn small with its boot

and here in South frica we just got all new T Roc after months of TV adverts coupled with a postponements of its launch, However it finally available countrywide.

I bought T-ROC X few months ago, and I am loving it. The driving is super good, and it's pretty fast. The features i like most in this car is the grip on the road, and it adjusts headlights adaptively from high to low beam when it sees car at front in both directions in night, Park Assist and the exterior quality, specially the body which is very strong and solid unlike all other Japanese or Korean Cars. The TROC X has the Beat's sound and panoramic sun roof which makes it more fantastic.

Hey Tom, will you be getting the T-Roc Style soonish?

Actually, I prefer the practicality of a hard dash. I’m tired of sun damaged soft dashboards. I’ve owned cars with soft and hard dashboards and found the hard ones to be more practical. I’ve never had issues with the sun reflecting off the dash affecting the view. I guess it’s a personal choice. In my opinion, the interior of the T-Roc is aesthetically pleasing even without the soft dash.

Can you do a review on VW Troc 110Tsi . Is it worth spending 5K more buying Troc instead of Tcross.

An outstanding review Tom it's a real shame instead of building that engine that Mazda just didn't put the CX9 2.5 litre in it we own one and it's a fantastic engine

As a driving enthusiast I'm not buying either of these cars. The type of people that are buying these cars the CX30s better interior wins hands down!

Cool.....the more expensive car has cheaper finishes but more engine power!

Hi thanks for the review. Which has the least road noise?

The tested CX30 is one with an automatic gearbox. I read in several reviews that the Mazda auto gearbox robs some power from the engine (maybe subjectively). Anyone has experience with this ? Think I'd go with the manual transmission, more fun too as it's supposed to be one of the best on the market.

Great video Tom, once again easy to watch and quality content

I bought the CX30 and love it

I believe in car reviews, they should always bring in the service costs of the vehicles, that could also be a deal breaker as most European car service costs aren't s cheap as Japanese cars.

T-roc is more safe to drive, in special in winter time. Greeting from Luxembourg!

I must say, the location Cashing cars team pick are the best in all car review channels. I regularly check them all and Chasing cars is the best. All the credit goes to Tom. Keep up the good job Tom👌

I think you nailed it with the comment about compliance of the chassis in the Troc. Thats what sets apart vw from other competitors in my opinion and people who havent driven a vw seem to underestimate. After owning many cars in the past and now owning a golf mk7 estate i can say that the way the car drives over bumps and rough road is something that sets it apart. I know immediately what you meant when you said the comment about compliance. I admit the mazda interior looks 10x more appealing but thats not enough to own the car long term. Great review!!

CX30 by far ... no one mentions service costs and overall reliability ... Dealer follow up with a large network ... The 2.5 turbo is a sweet performer and i tried both of these and the driving dynamics and roadholding not to mention comfort turns me to the Mazda every time, in fact, I'm going out to buy one.

Just bought Mazda cx 30 2.5( 185 hp) 🇺🇸 definitely not regretting about I wouldn’t switch to tRock, never ( I’m 34 years old ) I spent tons of hours to search what’s the best for me !

I have this same Mazda and love it, it's very economical, the only thing that lets it down is no turbo and it's noticeable on long hills

loving the new into and as always, love your reviews :)

The problem with turbos is reliability. And the huge costs associated with a failure. Ask VW who scored very low in consumer reports for year 2020. Mazda was the best in the group.

Could you do I similar comparison for the two new light SUV's the Ford Puma and the Toyota Yaris Cross? Yes I know you've done a quick review of each, but a comparison similar to this one is so much more useful for a buyer. Thanks

Bought the cx 30 turbo no regrets

I feel the VW would be the pick for fun and comfortable to drive driving dynamics. But I've heard so much online and from colleagues about reliability issues with VW that I just don't know if it's worth the gamble. Mazda would offer better peace of mind and I'd be happy to sacrifice better driving dynamics for reliable motoring. That's not to say the Mazda drives like a Corolla either because I'm sure it's equally a good drive.

The T-roc looks better, more room in the back seats, and maintains more resell value

TRoc for me too 👌

One other thing might be worth comparing is (mild) off road. Of the two cx should be better on specs alone (dsg tends not to be too good in that scenario).

Mazda CX-30 seems a bettter choice. How about a comparison between Audi Q2 and VW T-Roc?

Love the look of the TRoc gut would go Mazda for the peace of mind if anything goes wrong.

Every review that I've seen that deems the Mazda CX-30's ride too harsh, including this one, was testing the version with 18" wheels, so I wonder if the 16" wheels that are available on the lower trims would go some way towards negating that issue. At any rate, the Mazda would still be my pick even with the harsher ride; I keep my cars for a long period of time and the peace of mind that the markedly more reliable Mazda gives would outweigh any other consideration for me.

the mazda has the most ergonomic seats. been looking at other brands. price quality wins mazda hands down.

The pick of the engines for the cx30 is definitely the 2.5L with the 6sp gearbox. Yes a bit old school but powerful enough, and super smooth, and that combo has proven to be extremely reliable in other models such as the CX5 (as long as you get the petrol - NEVER buy a diesel Mazda!).

I'd go Mazda. Plus in the states their turbos are trash lol. They don't sell the port injected one here.

I don’t understand the obsession motoring journalists have with hard surface dash, never once have I’ve seen someone driving with their arms, hands, feet on the dash, to me it’s much more practical, easy to clean and I would suspect last longer under our hash sun. I have the T Roc special edition and love it, I found the VW much easier to get in and out of as well. The other thing I find annoying is the infotainment screen, I prefer it integrated into the dash rather than sticking up out from the dash but that’s just me.

Whenever I see the T-Roc outside it appeals my taste but when you put it side by side with the cx-30 it looks so ugly. Mazda is killing the design in every model. No doubt I will get the cx-30.

I completely forgot about VW when purchasing a new car. Went with the CX 30 but I think it would of been very hard to choose between the two cars if I did go and see the T roc

I've been looking at buying a new car, just general question about VW quality, 4 friends that had a VW have all the same issue which is automatic transmission failure just outside the warrant of the car, has VW fixed this issue across the range or is it still a quality issue?

I would go a Skoda Koraq Sportsline. Better interior than the T-Roc but the same chassis and engine

Great review Tom 👍🏻 particularly like the comment on real v perceived quality. Really explains the difference. I see that the anti VW reliability propaganda is alive and well in the comments 😂

Great review. Loving your work. Thought the CX30 looked nice but struggled to get that brown layer on the dash out of my eye? What is that like in real life? Looks like a giant chocolate bar melted under the windscreen :-)

Hey Tom, where’s your “Budget Direct” cap and “Budget Direct” embroidered hoodie?

Mazda have always struggled when it comes to the rear seat passenger space it was a similar thing in its predecessor such as CX3. It was so cramped I love mazdas but I don't know why they always get it wrong.

Considering the type of person likely to buy this class of car the Mazda has the edge. Very few owners will take that T-Rock for a flog in the hills but will most likely drive down to the shops

I drive a Mazda 3 Skyactiv X and never even close to 8 lit / 100km. Combined 6.4 lit. And I don't drive very slowly, except that I have a manual transmission🤔

Thankfully Mazda did change the mapping of the AT on the CX-30 after this review. With regard to engines, I wish we had the Mazda 1.8L Diesel (Skyactiv-D). It's a peach of an engine, and quite a bit more sophisticated than the VW diesel. Mazda of course have used low compression diesel for the past decade (still the only manufacturer to do so). They rev more freely and because of the high rpm, low compression they lose a lot of the agricultural NVH that comes part and parcel of having 16:1 or higher. Park a low compression diesel next to a high compression petrol, and it's like parking next to a tractor. Other benefit of low compression is naturally low emissions (lower than the VW), albeit at the expense of a noisy low warm up (which is required on low compression - Mazda does an exhaust recirc that for first 5 mins thats the only real penalty). Kudos should be given to Mazda as well, who back in 2013 started working furiously on making their diesel pass US EPA legitimately - it took them 6 years, during which time of course VW took their higher emission diesel, had a nice dyno trick to quickly bypass the very strict US EPA emissions. Mazda was scratching their heads.... but we know how history played out with the VW emissions scandal. (Interesting article shows up anything high compression - www.forbes.com/sites/bertelschmitt/2016/03/05/japan-releases-nasty-diesel-test-results-germany-sits-on-them/?sh=6f5f5aff3d56) That said, the VW engine in this test is tried and tested. It's an aging engine now and I think Mazda playing it very conservative with the new compression tech they've used for this engine (as per being the only manufacturer to have low compression diesel, they're the only manufacturer that's managed to compress petrol). They've already started testing more aggressive versions of this engine, but the idea was initially to have such a lean mixture that you could fang the engine and not have too much of a penalty on fuel economy compared to fanging a turbo (i.e. real everyday fuel economy rather than on paper fuel economy). But as VW proves in this test, you don't need to fang a turbo in the same way to do a NA engine. What you're saving in being lean, you're losing in the need to fang in the first place. Fact is, down low the torque of a turbo makes it immediately easier to use on a day to day basis (albeit, potentially at the cost of reliability - because any mechanic will say, the turbo is the first thing you want to have nice easy access to, to repair and replace). Not sure why the Australian suspension tune differs so much in the CX-30 from the US. In comparisons there, they reckon its really firm but a drivers car. But I trust Tom's opinion here. That said, VW buyers would naturally want softer suspensions to drive more relaxed (sans GTI and R drivers). Mazda owners tend to want something to push in the bends.

I don't understand why Mazda only offers electric adjustment on the driver's seat and not the passenger seat. I've been to check out the Ford Escape Vignale and it has the same omission. Surely it's not that hard to make the passenger seat electrically adjustable too? Hopefully a future update will rectify that.

No digital radio on T-Roc in Australia? :-0

It's time for Mazda to introduce turbos to their small car engine range. Their excellent 2.2 litre diesel in the previous 3 was (of course) turbocharged, so why not boost their petrol engine performance? Being different is not a good enough reason to come second best in the driveability stakes. I think that this battle against the T-Roc would be easily won with the addition of a turbocharger.

Mazda for sure!

Any idea when the turbo charged engine for the CX-30 is coming to Australia?

CX-30 for the win 🏁

Sir please say DSG ( Direct shift gear box ) automatic seven speed or you could call it dual clutch this is important as consumers do not know this in your review

50k for Skyactive X? Prefer T-Roc with all options for the same money. Got mine on order

You didn’t mention the costs of servicing, i had a Tiguan and it always cost between $500 & $1000 to get serviced by a dealer. I know dealers are more expensive but they have the training and tools to do the job properly

I do like your reviews. They're very informative but accessible to the driving public. One thing that auto journos never ever touch on is Volkswagen's (and Audi) reliability issues. You would no doubt be across the on-going transmissions issues with the DSG gearboxes that have meant recalls in Australia for more than 80,000 VWs, Audis and Skodas. So how can you as a motoring journalist not review a VW without discussing its major short-comings. Surely that fact should be mentioned right upfront no matter how cool a car is.

Really good of Ed Sheeran to do this review. Respect

Still waiting for Skoda Kodiaq review 😍

Mazda has real quality long term than TRoc Perceived Long term quality. I ditched my 2020 tiguan Ts32 for rav4 hybrid 2021 and never want to look at any VW cars on any road anymore..😅

Since when heavy door and sound closing it is actually a quality?.. That's definitely a perceived quality.

T-Roc all day, amazing engine, perfect handling, compact and smaller from outside yet more spacious inside. People buy Mazda because they look pretty, nothing else there.

I think $50k for the CX-30 is too much to pay. You highlighted the ordinary engine performance and lack of rear and boot space. Three years' ago we wanted an SUV to ferry around our grandchildren and chose Mazda's CX-5 in Touring guise which ticked all the boxes with AWD, decent performance, and plenty rear space. Cost to us was $40k - three years on and the CX-5 still seems abetter value proposition for young families. BTW, thoroughly enjoy your reviews.

T Roc for sure is the best package - skyactiv-x great innovation and needs a turbo - cx30 package is a strong showroom competitor but the VW wins in driving dynamics for me

Tom, would you choose the T-ROC over the SKODA Karoq?

I’d hardly call the thunk of a door real quality, they’ve just engineered it that way to make you feel that way. Real quality comes down to which car is going to cost you less money in terms of repairs over its lifespan and in that area VW is sorely lacking (and I have owned a golf 5 & 6 for reference).

As a Golf owner, I love the pragmatic design and driving dynamics of the VW but poor reliability and customer support in Australia sway me to the Mazda.