MX-30 EV is long on style
The Mazda MX-30 is the ZOOM! ZOOM! brand’s first electric vehicle and it brings Mazda mojo. It’s stylish, feature-rich and fun to drive.
It’s also a poster child as to why EVs are niche vehicles.
Entering Telegraph Road off Lone Pine, I flung the front-wheeldrive MX-30 through a 90-degree turn and it rotated beautifully. I stomped the right pedal and the front motor responded instantly with a satisfying, electric WHIIRRRRR! — the instant, buttery-smooth torque launching the EV forward.
On a recent test drive, I rotated heads with the MX-30’s nice looks. “Ooooh, I really like the design,” said my friend Laurie, lingering on the sculpted rear taillamps after I rolled into her driveway. But Laurie won’t be giving up her gas-powered Mazda CX-30 anytime soon.
That’s because the MX-30 and the CX-30 share the same platform and — thanks to its gas powertrain — the CX-30 is the better all-around car.
Pal Laurie’s gas-powered, $29,875 CX-30 Premium is one of the best values in the subcompact SUV class. Leather seats, head-up display, adaptive cruise control, auto headlights,
blind-spot assist, sunroof, 186-horsepower, 392-mile range, flat-screen TV ( just kidding about that last one). It’s a premium car in a mainstream badge.
My MX-30 tester Premium Plus matched it stride-for-feature, except ... it had 143 horsepower, 100 miles of range, and costs $38,550. Oh.
EV advocates never tire of pointing out that most drivers don’t travel more than 30 miles in a day. So what’s all this fuss about range?
True enough, most of Laurie’s business clients are within the Mazda’s 100-mile radius. But, ahem, anything beyond requires a charge. She, like most folks, needs the versatility of gas.
Within its niche electric segment, however, the MX-30 is an intriguing little morsel.
MX-30’s low battery helps Mazda maintain its ZOOM! ZOOM! heritage with nimble handling and a 45% stiffer chassis. But Bolt and Kona are no slouches in the handling department either.
Mazda, aware of its battery shortcomings, tries to divert attention to its style and affordability.
My $38,550 tester is $2,400 under a comparable Bolt EUV, and a whopping $8,225 less than the Kona EV. And that’s before you spend about two grand on each vehicle to outfit your garage with a 240-volt charger so you can charge overnight (Mazda helpfully kicks in $500 to help buy a charger).
That relative bargain, however, could be erased by Washington’s punishment of foreign automakers. Only American-made, UAW-assembled EVs are currently favored with a $12,500 tax credit in the massive climate legislation, while the small-battery Mazda gets thrown a smaller $7,500 bone.
Mazda recognizes the MX-30’s niche status and only offers it for sale in California (so eager buyers may have a long drive back from the dealer), which currently makes up about half of EV sales. There, green is religion and the MX-30 should find an audience of upscale urban buyers whose lifestyle is a perfect fit.