SPLENDID ISOLATION
AMID ‘THE BIG PAUSE’, THE CX-30’S CHARACTER SHINES
IHAVE TAKEN to keeping a copy of Wheels in the seatback pocket of the Mazda CX-30. That and an email from Victoria Police ought to prove to any testy roadside rozzer that this is a test car that requires driving, something I clearly can’t reasonably do at my desk at home.
That said, a couple of other engagements have meant that my use has been strictly local, the CX-30 doing a sterling job of bumping up dirt tracks in the hills to spots where my partner and I can go for a walk in complete isolation. As a result, the body surfacing that Mazda is so proud of is frequently plastered with mud. Inwood claimed to need the CX-30 recently for a TV shoot, so I took it to a jetwash and removed the most egregious spatters only to find that the plastic body mouldings, which look pristine when wet, later dry to a muddy brown. A bit of elbow grease is required for these to come up clean.
As time passes, I’m appreciating some of the CX-30’s genuinely thoughtful touches. I love the subtle red line on the analogue speedo that indicates where the speed limit is. The deep central storage box can keep all manner of gear out of sight when you leave the car for a few minutes, while the keyless go is a boon if, like me, you’re particularly pernickety about hand cleansing and cross-contamination.
One thing is irking me and it’s the standard sat-nav. It’s directed me up roads that don’t exist, and I haven’t discovered a way for it to auto-dim the glaring white screen when the sun dips behind the horizon. Thankfully, there’s always Android Auto to the rescue. I’ve just treated myself to a new subscription to the Tidal music streaming service to keep me sane at home, and flicking through tracks on Android Auto’s interface is simple using the wheel-mounted controls.
The front-drive CX-30’s fuel economy, which looked worryingly high when Cam Kirby handed the vehicle over to me, has now settled nearer to what I’d originally expected from it – a more modest 7.4 litres per 100km. Good, but not great in the overall scheme of things, and still a little way off Mazda’s 6.6L/100km ADR figure.
Would I recommend the CX-30 to a friend? Certainly. It’s a very good thing, and the longer I spend with it, the more I’m keying into its lowmaintenance, easygoing personality. It just takes a bit of knowing.