Mazda’s MX-30 moves in a different direction

WHILE most car companies are marketing their electric cars by boasting about extended range, Mazda bravely (and perhaps with a degree of foolhardiness) has gone the other way. After considering a 95kWh battery for its first EV, it decided instead on a 35.5kWk power pack, which will offer range of a modest 200km, compared with the 450km of rivals such as the KIA eSoul and eNiro, and the electric Hyundai Kona. Mazda says it has done its homework and believes most drivers use EVs for work and school commutes rather than long drives. For someone like me, who lives almost 100k from Dublin city centre and has to travel there frequently,that definitely would leave me having to find an on-street charger. To allay such fears, the MX-30 will also be available with a range extender in which a rotary engine will power a generator feeding power to the battery, not directly to the drivetrain.

Mazda has gone with MX-30, rather than the more obvious e30, because it believes the drive will be as engaging as in its MX-5 roadster. The freestyle doors (the rear one opens ‘backwards’) mean there’s no B pillar, and the smaller battery also dispenses with unnecessary weight. Last December, there were no preduction models of the car available, so I tried out the electric powertrain in a modified CX-30, on hilly roads near Lisbon, and I was impressed by the smooth power delivery of 143hp. Mazda is positioning the car as a lifestyle choice, so the interior door covering is made from recycled PET bottles, the upholstery is vegan leather, and many of the inlays are made from cork stripped from trees without felling. The MX-30 is available to order now, and the First Edition model costs €32,295 net of the SEAI grant and VRT rebate, and also qualifies for the SEAI €600 grant towards a wallbox domestic charging unit .