Mazda's handsome CX-30 crossover goes turbo for 2021
It's getting the same 2.5-liter turbo-four that's going in the Mazda3.
Mazda's not fixing what isn't broken, so the CX-30 keeps its good looks while gaining bulk power.
Mazda's
CX-30
crossover is a handsome little fellow with a lovely interior and a chassis that makes it a whole lot more fun to drive than you might expect. Unfortunately, it also has kind of a lame duck engine, which, while efficient, left a lot to be desired in the acceleration department.
Thankfully, according to an announcement made Friday by Mazda, we know that's going to change. Specifically, the 2021 CX-30 will be getting the 2.5-liter turbo inline-four-cylinder engine that Mazda debuted in the Mazda3 Turbo. In the 3, it makes 250 horsepower and 320 pound-feet of torque on premium gas. The CX-30 Turbo also gets Mazda's i-Activ all-wheel drive as standard, which most buyers will expect on a crossover these days anyway.
The 2021 CX-30 isn't just getting upgrades under the hood, either. Mazda is also throwing some decent safety tech at it. The new features on deck include automatic emergency braking that works in reverse at speeds between two and four miles per hour and ties into the cross-traffic alert system. Also new is Mazda's Traffic Jam Assist, which can provide limited steering input at speeds under 40 miles per hour while adaptive cruise control is enabled.
It's not all sunshine and roses, though. Mazda is seemingly not addressing some of the more prominent criticisms we had with the compact crossover -- specifically the sluggish infotainment system and a lack of USB ports around the cabin, particularly for rear passengers. Now, neither of those is likely to be a dealbreaker if you value an involved drive and good looks, which is probably why you were considering the CX-30 anyway.
Mazda tells us that the 2021 CX-30 is set to hit dealers by the end of 2020, though it's keeping both pricing information and package structuring to itself. That said, we'd expect pricing to land somewhere north of $30,000, given the $29,900 asking price for the Mazda3 Turbo.
