The TCX-30: Mazda’s quiet achiever

THINK OF this one as a CX-4, a vehicle that’s between the CX-3 and the CX-5 in size. Mazda can’t use that nameplate as it’s already fixed to the rump of a Chinese-market SUV, hence CX-30. The CX-30 is the second ‘nextgen’ product on the Skyactiv platform after the latest Mazda 3 and, even after a short drive, it’s clear that it’s a step on in terms of refinement and polish from what went before.

About the biggest compliment you can give it is that it doesn’t feel too different to a hatch like a Mazda 3, despite the centre of gravity being 45mm higher. The wheelbase is actually 70mm shorter than the Mazda 3 hatch, but clever orientation of the fuel tank allows toe room under the front seats, and combining deep cutouts in the back of the front seats with making the rear seats more upright, means that the rear feels more spacious. Its designers have ensured that 184cm adults can sit comfortably in the back.

On the road, it feels light and manoeuvrable, and ride quality was more than acceptable on some very smooth German roads, although we’d need to get the CX-30 on some seriously scabby Aussie bitumen before making any definitive pronouncements there.

Bodyroll is extremely well controlled, adding to that impression of agility. The automatic gearbox shifts cleanly but, like the CX-5, retains an annoying propensity to hold on to gears for too long. A subtle lift of the throttle pedal or a flick on the right-hand gearshift paddle rectifies this. That and a slight wind rustle around the door mirrors are about the only refinement gripes.

Australia is set to get a choice of three petrol engines. We drove the unremarkable 90kw Skyactiv-g 2.0-litre lump; the other two powerplants that look likely to appear are the 132kw Skyactiv-x 2.0-litre compression-ignition engine and the 140kw 2.5-litre normally aspirated Skyactiv-g unit as seen in the CX-5. Although our test car was a pre-production version not necessarily representative of what we’ll get next year, from our initial drive, I’d probably be tempted to hold out for the superior Skyactiv-x unit.

It’s also not certain whether manual transmissions will make the boat, so count on the six-speed automatic. Both front- and all-wheel-drive versions will be offered, so there will still be a broad selection of permutations available to Australian customers.

They’ll be rewarded with a vehicle that feels mature and extremely considered inside and out. The quiet-achiever CX-30 doesn’t rewrite any rules; it merely understands them better than most.