Mazda CX-30 2019 first drive

The Mazda CX-30 is yet more evidence that the third age of the crossover is in full swing.

If you’re a car maker, it’s probably already too late to jump on the first age’s Nissan Qashqai-sized bandwagon, given that every industry player and his dog already has done so; and it’s getting too late, even, to launch a cheaper and more compact, Renault Captur-sized second-age one. With any luck, it'll all be over soon.

It’s the high-design, fashion-item crossovers that have become the growth area now: the likes of the Mini Countryman, Audi Q2, BMW X2, Lexus UX, Volkswagen Volkswagen T-Roc and Toyota C-HR, which sacrifice a little bit of their added practicality for extra visual appeal.

Mazda is the latest to enter the sub-segment. The company’s sales pitch for the CX-30 claims that it offers the cabin space of the Mazda CX-5 in a footprint much closer to that of the Mazda CX-3, but exterior design appeal combined with a classy material finish inside is what the car is really all about.

It will arrive in the UK later this year with a choice of two petrol engines. The more powerful is Mazda’s new part-time compression-ignition 2.0-litre Skyactiv-X motor, which we’ve tested previously in a prototype. Both petrols have 12-volt mild hybrid assistance, and there will be no diesel option – at least not for us Brits.

The CX-30 comes from what Mazda’s designers describe as the second chapter of the firm’s Kodo design language. In practice, this means that, like the latest Mazda 3 hatchback with which it shares a platform, it eschews often fussy-looking ‘character lines’ in the body panels for a cleaner, simpler and more flowing sort of surfacing. The steepish windscreen and C-pillar work well on a crossover of limited height and body volume and of sporty proportions. Meanwhile, Mazda’s Soul Red paintwork would make anything look good.

You should take Mazda’s assertions about the CX-30's practicality with a good pinch of salt. There’s decent head room for taller adults in both rows, despite the relatively low and rakish roofline, although the car doesn’t offer a particularly raised or convenient driving position and its front seat cushions are a little bit narrow for perfect long-range comfort.

Rear leg room isn’t great, meanwhile, and boot space is a competitive-only 430 litres. Our test car’s cargo area had a fairly pronounced loading lip to negotiate, but there’s a clever split-folding false floor in the pipeline that should make loading heavy stuff easier.