Mazda CX-30 2023 review: G20E Evolve

At first glance, it looks like a jacked version of the Mazda 3 but the rear is a lot larger making it feel wider and taller from the rear wheels to the boot.

The Evolve still has the classic Mazda sharp nose and black grille, which makes it look more aggressive than it is. However, it also sports black plastics on the panelling that look a little heavy-handed, especially where the doors meet as there are wide gaps between the panels. It makes them look like they haven’t been finished as nicely as they could have been, which is at odds with the sleek interior.

The interior is the drawcard for looks. The Evolve sports contrasting blue leather accents and while not my favourite colour, it certainly makes the interior pop. The driver gets all of the attention, though, with most of the detailing happening with the lovely shaped instrument panel that feels intuitive to use and is great to look at.

The steering wheel is a particular highlight and feels superb under the hands. But it’s a shame the drivers aesthetic hasn’t been carried across to the passenger’s side, where you’re left with a rather bare looking dash and severe rectangular air-vents. Which, curiously, are positioned rather low and aim at your waist.

Overall, the CX-30 doesn’t break Mazda’s SUV mould too much and with such similar cousins, it would have been nice to see more differences.

I often forgot this was a hybrid. It doesn’t sound like one or drive like the hybrids I’ve sampled. The 2.0-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine lets you know that it doesn’t love being put under pressure but will perform when it needs to.

Fact is, it’s a ‘mild hybrid’ using a small electric motor powered by a 24-volt battery pack, focused mainly on boosting low-speed response and helping efficiency. It’s not really in the same league as full hybrids with bigger batteries and motors.

The CX-30 is a 'mild hybrid' using a small electric motor powered by a 24-volt battery pack. (Image: Glen Sullivan)

2023 Mazda CX-30 I G20E Evolve I Driving

2023 Mazda CX-30 I G20E Evolve I Driving

It’s not super quick off the mark but there is enough power to overtake when you need it to and cruising on the open road seems to be its sweet spot.

The cabin is quiet, which was nice but the hard manual flops around a lot in the glove box during stop/start traffic. So much so, that I tossed it underneath my handbag. The side mirrors feel too high in my drivers position and I felt like I was looking around them a lot this week but the head-up display has been a good feature. Especially since it can be customised and pulls through the traffic sign recognition, which is always handy in variable speed zones through the city.

Front passengers will enjoy the most space because it’s a bit snug in the back seat. There is an okay amount of headroom but nearly no legroom behind my driver’s position and I’m 168cm (5’6’’).

There is the standard drink bottle holder in each door plus two cupholders in each row. The outboard seats are the most comfortable but an adult could handle the middle seat in a pinch.

The window ledges in each row are quite high, so despite the higher ride position it can feel a little boxed-in for passengers and my five-year old didn’t like that he couldn’t see much out of the window.

The glove box and storage bins in doors are average for a car of this size but the middle console is a good space to use. The USB-A ports are housed there, with a shelf for your phone, so there’s no trailing cable in the cabin (a pet peeve of mine).

Boot capacity is 317L (VDA). (Image: Glen Sullivan)

2023 Mazda CX-30 I G20E Evolve I Boot

The boot is rather small, even for a compact SUV. It claims only 317L (VDA) when all seats are in use and I believe it. It has a narrow aperture which widens towards the rear and it feels a little like a hatchback in that regard. The floor is shallow but that does mean it’s easy to slide in bulkier items like a pram. You just won’t fit much else in.

The Evolve is a simple car to use and not much thought goes into operating it – which is good. Some manufacturers make the user experience far too complicated but ease of use is something the Evolve does well. Anyone can jump in and go.

The 8.8-inch multimedia system isn’t laggy and the graphics are clear but the rotary wheel can be a little annoying to use. It’s also nestled rather deeply in the dash and from my position the bottom of the screen is cut off. That might just be my experience, though.

The car sits at a good height and you slide into your seat without trouble. My five-year old was able to get in and out easily, too. The cloth seats are comfortable and the electric adjustments (including lumbar support) for the driver is a nice touch. I would have liked hard kick plates for little feet because I can see the cloth getting dirty but my son might be more boisterous than others!

The CX-30 is very easy to park and its an operation made simple by the 360-degree view, reversing camera plus the front and rear parking sensors. I haven’t found a car park that’s trumped me yet! This is definitely the sort of car that excels in tight spaces, so city dwellers will benefit.

The CX-30 has a lot of the important safety and tech features that I would want to see, including adaptive cruise control, driver attention alert, blind-spot monitoring, forward collision warning plus front and rear cross-traffic alerts which are great in a car park or busy school zone. It also has autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection which is operational between 10-80km/h.

The CX-30 doesn’t break any new ground with its seven airbags but it does have a driver’s knee airbag and curtain airbags covering the second row. This has a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating from testing conducted in 2019, so it’s still relatively fresh.

There are two ISOFIX mounts plus three top tether child seat mounts but I’d be surprised if you could get three child seats side by side.

It wasn’t too much trouble fitting my harnessed booster with the fiddliest part being fitting my top tether to the rear. Unfortunately, front passenger space is limited when a 0-4 rearward facing child seat is installed. I couldn’t have it behind my driver’s position, so this does limit on flexibility for parents with infants.

The tech is pretty good for a model that isn’t top-spec, and should satisfy most. The 8.8-inch multimedia system is easy to use and has built-in sat nav. The wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is simple to connect to and the eight-speaker sound system is crisp.

The head-up display is great and my eyes were more on the road than the instrument panel, which is how I like it. This model enjoys keyless entry and push-button start plus paddle gear shifters on the steering wheel.

The driver’s seat can be electrically adjusted 10 ways and also has a two-position memory function, so you can make sure your comfortable every time you get in, no matter who drives it before you.

Surprisingly, this model makes do with halogen daytime running lights but does have LED headlights. The air conditioning is efficient and the front has dual climate control. The highlight is the camera system, as this model has a 360-degree view, reversing camera, plus front and rear parking sensors, making it easy to park.

The G20E Evolve is $35,840, before on-road costs, and is competitively priced for the market with contenders like the Kia Niro and Ford Escape.

The CX-30 comes with Mazda’s five-year/unlimited km warranty, which is standard for the class but it also comes with a great five-year roadside assistance service.

There is five years capped priced servicing and it averages $347 per service, which is good for the class. However, servicing intervals are a little painful at 10,000km or every 12 months, whichever comes first.

The official combined fuel cycle is 6.3L/100km, which is high compared to the competition (the Ford Escape plug-in hybrid claims only 1.5L/100km!).

On mostly longer open road driving and some town trips, I managed to achieve 7.5L/100km. So, despite being a hybrid, the fuel economy wasn’t as great as I was expecting. That’s the mild hybrid factor.