I've been following the launch of this car and went to my local Mazda Dealership to explore in person when they were launched. I love it. The interior design is awesome; use of materials, layout etc. The exterior is fantastic too, certainly different to competition. Love the rear doors, the technology and the fact it's a hybrid. Rear seat room isn't the best as you mention. But it's got the cool factory for me. For me the price is a little high but that's where negotiating plays a small part. Certainly excellent quality, fit and finish.
Woo Hoo! ive been waiting for a review on this, funny enough this might be the first real review of this car ive seen, the other journalists have just judged the specs. Tis an interesting move from Mazda that's for sure!
I've got one on order from Japan. For me, the style of the exterior and, in particular, the interior makes this worth the extra money over the cx30. My purchase choice was purely a design thing. I wasn't really fussed about the mild hybrid to be honest but I'm looking forward to the smooth stop start function over the clunky operation of a standard set up. I'm in my 50's, kids have grown up so the rear cabin access and room will be fine for the rare occasion we'll take passengers in the back. Thanks for your honest review.
Completely agree, our Soul Red Astana arrives in his week, decision was purely on the style and design, no other Mazda interested us at all. Rear seats will rarely be sat in, so doors make sense for us.
@@CarrieKenny we’ve had the car since the end of August. We love it. It’s a great car, build quality is excellent. It’s quiet on the road and the access to the rear seats is fine. We put our 3 year old granddaughter in a seat in the back, it’s super easy. The technology is awesome. So far, so good.
@@TheSlagwerker oh forgot to ask, the brochure indicated that the Astina did not have high beam control but the lower models do, which quite surprised me unless the brochure is incorrect... Would you be able to confirm you have high beam control on the Astina?
Great review! This is a really interesting and confusing vehicle from Mazda if I am being honest. They are charging a 2K premium over the CX-30 but there is actually no fuel savings at all. In fact in your CX-30 review you averaged 8.2L/100km and here you were getting 10.1L/100km 😂. The digital aircon screen looks nice and so does some of the materials but the lack of rear aircon vents isn't great considering you get them in the CX-30. I like Mazda's but think they have missed the mark here!
It s not about running costs, it's more for people who appreciate the design and use if recycling etc, not for everyone, but it will finds its own market, which will probably be a small one in Australia
@@daweigo6851 Well it is about running costs, and Mazda say that all over their website. "Less fuel used means less time at the pump and more time to enjoy the open road." "Mazda’s first electric engine is the beginning of our commitment to a more sustainable, cleaner future." None of which is true.
Those rear seat adjustments make sense the drivers seat is electric the passengers is manual so that makes sense with the switches on the drivers seat back
For their supposed mild hybrid system it seems pretty bad for 10.1L/100km. I have a CX-30 and I’m currently averaging 8L/100km so there is literally no point to purchase the MX-30. Definitely needs more refinement. And fuel economy is only one aspect.
I’m averaging 7 litres ( ish ) per 100km in my mx30 mixed usage. You want refinement? This car is so much better looking, inside and out, over the cx30.
I've owned MX-30 M Hybrid for about 2 months and average 6.7L/100kms with a mix of highway and city driving. I expect that to improve as the car is broken in too.
Having owned this car for a while now, few things have let me down. The interesting door opening's can cause massive trouble if your a family of 3-5 people and logistically can be a nightmare with limited space. Another is the range, very poor. According to CarSales, the maximum range with a full tank shows around 890km, whereas mine on a full tank has shown 560 or 700km only, so it's fuel efficiency even for a mild hybrid is quite poor, however that just depends on driving type. Other than that, it's a decent product from Mazda. Awesome technology, incredibly easy to drive.
Interesting to see the HVAC controls mounted so low. You have to take your eyes a long way down to see where to press. I see that some manufactures are using the info screen to multi-task music and HVAC up nice and high where it is easier to reach & see.
10.1L/100km....my friends 2011 kluger does 12.5L/100km in the city. Mazda and Subaru need to work harder on the hybrid technology to cut the fuel consumption.
Drove one today as a service loan car. I liked the design; wife hated it saying it was a Frankenstein design mixture of small car and SUV. Easy to drive and nice comfy ride, but boy was it a struggle to get the thing moving, or stopping, without a lot of pressure on the pedals.
Okay, in the real world I’m getting 7.4l/100km and at 174cm there’s ample leg room in the rear for average sized adults. Yes, it’s a compromise and a styling exercise but drives nicely for what it is. Far better finish than most equivalent models and one of the few cars you can walk into a dealer and purchase without a six month wait.
What a peculiar car, was expecting something with four usable seats but instead it’s a SUV/coupe weird fake hybrid that doesn’t look useful lol. There are some nice elements in the cabin but I don’t know what market they are aiming at with this car. Don’t see Mazda selling many of these. What were they thinking?
I think this car is targeted directly to the 'sustainable' couple with no children. It has pointless rear seats. Just get a Mazda 3 hatchback or CX-30 if you need the 'SUV' feel.
Agreed. Great looking car and much more of a fashion statement than a practical suv (not that the cx3/cx30 is much more spacious). Kinda disappointed that they have gone ahead with bringing a non-hybrid ice here to Australia. Would’ve much rathered they make this their eco-friendly range and branded it as that. This will certainly cannibalise their Cx range and doesn’t really serve much for differentiation
Given the MX30 has basically the same dimensions as the CX30 and the boot space is the same, where has the rear passenger space gone - appreciate CX30 isn’t that spacious, but the MX30 is ridiculously tight
Thanks for another great review! I really value your work. I’ve been watching your vids a lot and every time I feel I’ve made a decision your next review changes my mind!!!😁 would love to see some more comparisons videos if possible! But love your work
Love the cork, hate the doors. If they were going to commit to maztech leather everywhere else, its annoying they didnt bother for the gear shift and the steering wheel.
@@CarExpertAus lol. Also the seating trim is reminiscent of a 70s sofa. And I don’t like Mazda’s use of a recessed centre display sunken into the top of the dash. You are missing the point of “mild” hybrid. It’s nothing about saving fuel really aside from the benefits if any, of stop/start tech. The mild hybrid is to make stop/start smooth and not as rough as just killing the engine. It allows more electrics to run when engine is stopped and allow smoother takeoff. It’s not at all like hybrid tech which really pushes fuel savings.
Great review Paul. Mazda just doesn’t hit the spot for me. Charging a premium for not much car. On another note, would love to see a review of the H6 and/or Jolion. Currently in New Zealand and both cars are hugely popular from what I’m seeing on the road.
I had no idea this existed in a hybrid version. That explains SO MUCH why the electric version is so compromised. Like, a massive hood in an electric with tiny rear seats made no sense but makes more sense now that I know it wasn't designed to be a pure electric car. I LOVE the interior of this car, and the half-doors in the back are funky (so long as you never really need to fit more than 2 people in it). It's 50% a great car and 50% really quite bad, which is a real shame.
I am watching this now as I am looking at MX-30's second hand, and the missing buttons on the passenger seat makes sense given it is a manual adjustment and not electric, so nothing weird there at all. I found the fuel economy intersting given my 2010 BL Mazda3 can get well under 10l/100km
Rear end is reminiscent of a 2006 lexus rx. Interesting design language for mazda... Usually they have more appeal than this vehicle. But styling is always subjective. Nice review as always paul!
Hello CarExperters The front indicators are low, very low, you have to look real hard at roundabouts ( daytime that is ) you cant trust your ol instincts of just looking at the headlight cluster only
Great review. Interesting car. MX as in “Mazda Experiment”. As Mazda first electric model (albeit not in this version) I think it is worthy of the moniker.
I stumbled on your chanel Great reviews. Very detailed and Extensive. Better then dutch channels. God your prices are way lower than here in the Netherlands. Greetings from Holland.
I've owned an MX-30 M-Hybrid for 2 months and average 6.7L/100kms with a mix of city and highway driving and expect that to improve as the car is broken in. The car is fine with 2.0L (my previous car was 3 SP25) but would be amazing with a 2.5L engine, but I guess that goes against its eco-ethos. Still, a SkyActiv X with it's higher torque could be a good option too. P.S. the rear doors are a showstopper, I get asked about them all the time.
I like mazda but I would not buy this car. I drove it for a week. Noisy , no space in back for passengers , not a hybrid , found the seats to be narrow . Quality of materials and their sustainability approach with recycled materials was good.
That cork looks nice, but what's it going to be like to clean? Also that front seat adjustment from the back- is that locked when driving? Otherwise pretty dangerous.. cabin looks nice though!
@paulmaric did you happen to question Mazda as to why they didn't use the SkyActiv X engine in this vehicle? It seemed like a better fit than a more egalitarian SkyActiv G 2.0L tinkered around the edges? Great review btw, as always! Have migrated to the Car Expert website (yay), now that Car Advice has been killed off (sad face emoji).
MX-30 needs Mazda 3/CX-30 supercharged e-Skyactiv-X with 4WD as a sport crossover and then coming next 4WD Rotary ranger-extender the high performance crossover coupe; Mazda must make MX3 shooting brake coupe.
Nice review, got one of these as a courtesy car and engine sounds like a cx3 engine to sum it up not very efficient and I think they shall not call it hybrid after what Toyota has achieved with the prius
This is exactly what I was looking for, as I was considering getting a Mazda 3 Sedan with exactly this engine and MHEV technology (which was just launched in Mexico). After watching the video, I think I'll pass, mate. I was really expecting much better fuel economy, but it seems that, sadly, Mazda's MHEV is not worth it and is just marketing hype. Thanks!
Could I fit a Greyhound in the boot with the parcel shelf taken off? Lol Cool little car. Probably wouldn't suit me though, prefer sporty riding without a lot of performance but love full leather and very quiet cabins from road noise. A lot of plastic on the bumpers is not my taste.
The buttons at 10:30. Are these in the Evolve version? I saw an mx-30 but it didn't have those buttons so was wondering if the low version doesnt have it
The biggest negative in my opinion is the massive rear blind spots. Regardless of the Tech you throw at it you can't beat one's own eyes and a proper design! It's dangerous!
Mazda is kinda going very conservative with their designs nowadays. Especially with the alloy wheel style. And I have not seen a 2 door suv since the old rav4
Hey mate can you tell us when people change clearance on their suv and put bigger and wider tyres what is happening with th lights, aren't they start to make problem's to other drivers and is there some law for slow drivers, where is 80 some people are going 40-50 and making traffic lines... Thanks
I think it is designed for slow creeping traffic like in most of asian city so it can optimised the mild hybrid system. Definitely not for most Australian city
I asked you a similar question on the kluga video Paul.... But how do these hybrids perform on long highway trips. Does the hybrid add any advantage or do they settle to similar consumption figures to a petrol only?
@@daweigo6851 they do, but the motor will also be charging the batteries with "wasted" energy. So the question is whether this steady state efficiency is significant or not. Based on not getting an answer, probably no better than petrol or they'd be advertising it hard.
