Mazda CX-30 not just a pretty face

Gather around, everybody, for a history lesson. Students of Greek mythology often refer to Helen of Troy, the daughter of Zeus and Leda, as the most beautiful woman ever born.

Married to King Menelaus of Greece, she eloped with Prince Paris of Troy. This brought about the Trojan War, when an enraged King Menelaus mustered a vast army and navy to go and fetch his errant spouse.

In the process Helen became famous for having “the face that launched a thousand ships”. Which is where we differ from the popular perception. We do not think it was just the loss of Helen’s face that caused her spurned husband to launch the ships and incite widespread genocide in another country.

Maybe is was rather her entire presence in the flesh which caused enough royal loneliness to justify the enormous backlash. We and Greek mythology students throughout the world have agreed to disagree on that point.

Good looks

Which brings us to our week-long test drive of the all-new Mazda CX-30 2.0 Active. We really liked the car’s stunning appearance, but were pleasantly surprised to find its dynamics pretty much lived up to its promises.

We normally do not expound on test vehicles’ looks, because we think it is a subjective matter, but in this instance, we will state the Mazda CX-30 is simply beautiful, from all angles. Peruse ace motorsport photographer Dave Ledbitter’s pictures of the vehicle herewith, and we are sure you will agree.

Sexy curves

Grabbing us was the large black front grille, the ultra-slim, aerodynamic front lights, the distinctive front bumper air intake with narrow LED fog lights, the prominent rear light clusters, and the sleek body lines with sculpted wheel-arches, enclosing 16-inch spoked alloy wheels in 215/65 R16 rubber.

Rear facia an obvious nod to the Mazda3.

Mechanically, the CX-30 comes powered by a normally aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine, that produces 121 kW of power at 6 000 rpm and 213 Nm of torque at 4 000 rpm. This goes to the front wheels via a six-speed automatic gearbox.

Full house

ABS disc brakes all round, with stability control, brake-assist and hill-start assist systems help with passive safety, while seven airbags will protect you if you still crash.

Inside, the vehicle will seat four adults in comfort and five if you really must, on comfortable cloth covered seats, It boasts keyless entry, central locking, electric windows, air-conditioning, a rake and reach adjustable, multi-function steering wheel, a reverse-view camera, retractable rear-view mirrors, an eight-speaker sound system, USB ports front and rear, plus rain-sensor windscreen wipers.

CX-30 interior

A dashboard mounted infotainment system offers Bluetooth connectivity, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality. Finally, it has a full-sized spare wheel, which counts for many points with this writer.

Road trip

We generally do not drive test vehicles over long distances, on account of the fact that our business around Ekurhuleni basically entails trips between our Alberton home and The Citizen’s Industria West office.

But, twice per year we travel to the Phakisa Raceway between Welkom and Odendaalsrus, and doing so in the CX-30 was an unexpected pleasure. With a gross mass of 1 937kg the Mazda will never be mistaken for a race car, but the two-litre four-pot got it going in reasonably brisk fashion out of the blocks.

Old-fashioned, this writer enjoys normally aspirated engines that get the job done without complicated turbos and electronics. The CX-30 is such a beast, and proved it would comfortably coast at 120 km/h all day, with the cruise control on to confound the speed-trapping brigade permanently encamped next to the highway past Kroonstad.

The gearbox changes cogs efficiently – kicking back a gear or two when we needed to pass trucks in a hurry, and then snicking back into sixth so smoothly, you would hardly notice.

Steering sensation

The Mazda offers steering wheel feedback – something difficult to describe, and rare these days, when car builders increasingly seek to insulate drivers from their cars. Let us just say you feel involved when driving the car, with its handling sure-footed and steering direct. That was needed when we had to take huge evasive action from massive potholes in the road between Welkom and the Phakisa circuit gate.

Speaking of money, the CX-30 returned an overall fuel consumption of 6.8L/100km during the test, even though we never attempted to drive it frugally.

We were sorry to part with the Mazda, and not just because of its looks. This Mazda will attract buyers on the strength of its looks, but they should buy it for its capabilities. At R469 000, it comes with a three year/unlimited distance warranty, a three-year/unlimited distance service plan and 15 000 km service intervals.