Auto123 returns to review the 2022 Mazda MX-30. Were our first impressions correct?
We got our first taste earlier this year of the new Mazda MX-30, the Japanese automaker’s first-ever all-electric production vehicle sold to be sold here. The model launched at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show with a design conceived to maximize esthetics value and fully incarnate the expressiveness of the "Kodo - Soul of Motion" styling language so central to Mazda’s design signature.
This 2022 model is, as mentioned, the brand's first all-electric vehicle to be introduced in Canada. Our first contact earlier this year confirmed that this is, yes, an original car with a lot of personality that, yes, stands out from other electric vehicles. But it’s also one that could disappoint those who have certain criteria in certain areas. We returned to the model this fall in order to get a more in-depth idea of its qualities and faults.
What we liked:
An original design
The MX-30's design is undeniably Mazda's, as it deftly incarnates that Kodo design philosophy, and that's precisely what Mazda wants to inspire with the design of its cars. So, on that level, we can say mission accomplished.
The MX-30 features sharp headlight lines, a long, dominant nose, doors from a past concept, and a curvy rear end all bathed in classic styling that flirts with luxury. More Mazda than that, you die.
That said, since it offers a unique format, it's hard to easily categorize the thing. For one, the MX-30's body is 4,395 mm long - the same as the CX-30, with which it shares the platform. For two, although the model has five doors, it lacks a central B-pillar, and so the two rear side doors open to the rear, similarly to the Mazda RX-8 or BMW i3.
The roof slope is more pronounced than in its sibling and it turns into a double-diamond ski slope at the rear, the goal being to create a semblance of a coupe silhouette, which leaves us with smaller rear side windows. The taillights resemble those of the CX-30, though they’re shorter and thinner. The rear bumper is all black plastic to help reduce the overall weight of the sheet metal.
Great interior feel
Inside, the quality of finish is very good, definitely better in fact than most electric cars in this price range. There’s synthetic leather, good-quality fabric, recycled plastics and even cork - a discreet nod to the company's origins as a cork products company.
The upper part of the dashboard and the doors are padded, and in the floating centre console area where the knees rest, there’s a padded surface as well.
Inside, there are three screens (in addition to the head-up display): the 7-inch dashboard, the 8.8-inch main centre screen and the 7-inch climate control screen, which is also very easy to operate.
A car that's fun to drive
From the first few turns of the wheel, the MX-30 makes it clear that it is not a conventional electric vehicle. With 145 hp and 199 lb-ft of torque, its permanent magnet synchronous motor has plenty of power to move the car with confidence. But if you accelerate with purpose, you don't get the usual brisk acceleration feel of most electric cars, even those with equivalent output. Acceleration is smooth and gradual. In fact, the MX-30 behaves like a vehicle with a gasoline engine.
To wit, the artificial noise emitted in the MX-30's cabin imitates a gasoline engine. Even from the outside, the car emits the hum of a small combustion engine. In both cases, whether you’re standing outside or sitting inside it, the impression that delivers is average. After all, one buys an electric vehicle also for its quietness, no? Here, even from the outside, you can hear a fan noise coming from the engine.
Pop the hood, and there’s the electric motor, of course, and to the right of it there’s a pretty big empty space in front of the driver’s seat. Why is that? I'll come back to that later.
Like any self-respecting electrified vehicle, this Mazda is equipped with an energy recovery system, which can be set to several levels of force. The MX-30 offers five of them, controllable via the paddles behind the steering wheel. Our comfort zone was at +2, which allows the vehicle to coast, which is important on the highway. In -2 mode, the vehicle will use speed to regenerate the battery.
What we didn't like:
Problem is, the regeneration force is not strong enough to stop the vehicle completely. From 8 km/h upward, the vehicle goes back to freewheel mode. So be careful and be ready to jump on the brake pedal. At which point, you’ll discover the brakes are very firm and biting.
There are no drive modes that allow you to adjust the vehicle's temperament. Mazda chooses a mode that it considers good for everyone.
In reality, that one driving mode is not terrible. Enhancements introduced in this model, such as the Electric G-Vector Control Plus (e-GVC Plus) technology, ensure smooth vehicle movement in all directions and work together to provide an intuitive driving experience, whether in a straight line, in a corner or at a stop. The MX-30 is almost as agile as the CX-30 and in addition to absorbing most irregularities it finds in its path, the MX-30 literally sticks to the road.
All this doesn't mean that it's a thoroughbred, far from it. 0-100 km/h time is a pedestrian 9.7 seconds and top speed is electronically limited to 140 km/h.
The restrictions are not only limited to its speed, but also to the distance it can travel on a full charge. With only 161 km of range, this makes it the new electric vehicle offering the smallest distance on a full charge on the market.
This short range is the result of Mazda equipping its SUV it with a small battery: a lithium-ion accumulator with a capacity of 35.5 kWh, with Panasonic cells. It can be recharged up to a maximum of 50 kW, in which case you can reach 80 percent charge in 36 minutes, according to Mazda. Except that in practice, we tried several times to go charge it on 350-kW fast terminals, and the maximum speed that the battery was able to take was 9 KW with a battery at 63 percent and only 97 km of autonomy on the dial.
Mostly, a small battery is something you can live with, as fast charging stations are becoming ever more common in Canada. But if you have to wait 2.5 hours to recharge 80 percent of a battery, because it can't take in juice any faster, that's where this car has a serious problem.
Another point that makes this very first electric Mazda stand out are those rear doors, a sure subject of conversation with anyone you show this car to. The suicide doors do indeed allow a very large opening, and deliver a feeling of space and freedom to occupants. Except that an average-sized adult will have a hard time getting into the back. Moreover, a colleague explained to me that it's almost impossible to install a child seat without having to move the front passenger seat really far forward. So there’s that. But hey, it makes for great conversations!
The Mazda MX-30 range
The MX-30 is available in two versions, the GS and the GT. The first of those is pretty well-equipped, featuring a large 8.8-inch screen with CarPlay and Android Auto as well as an 8-speaker audio system. The i-Activsense safety feature that includes adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring with rear cross traffic monitoring, automatic braking and pedestrian detection among others is standard.
Head-up display and traffic sign recognition as well as a navigation system are also standard in this entry-level model. The MX-30's battery capacity may be limited, but in this entry-level version, the equipment is generous.
The GT is more opulent with leatherette seats, more-powerful audio system, 360-degree view camera and front parking sensors. The one option worth mentioning in this version is the front cross-traffic alert. Similar to the rear alert, if a vehicle is approaching too fast in front, there’s an audible and visual alert that will be displayed on the dashboard and head-up display. For this to work, the vehicle must be traveling at less than 10 km/h.
The GS is priced at $42,150 and the GT at $47,150, plus $1,950 for shipping and preparation.
In our view, the GS version should deliver enough to satisfy you - as long as you can live with the vehicle's range.
On that note, as mentioned, Mazda recently announced that it will introduce a new extended-range variant next year for the 2023 edition of the MX-30. Remember that empty space under the hood of the model we referred to? Well, that void will be filled by a rotary engine that will itself be fed by a 9-litre fuel tank. We’re not sure that will be enough to make this model into a winner, but let's give it a chance. Maybe that all-electric-vehicle-turned-plug-in-hybrid variant will do the trick with consumers!
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