2020 Audi A1 vs 2023 Mazda CX-30

What's the difference?

The Audi A1 2020 range offers something for everyone, and in the case of this particular variant, it’s the one you buy if you want as much grunt and gear as you can get.

It’s the top-of-the-range Audi A1 40 TFSI model, which gets the zestiest engine, the lengthiest equipment list, and offers performance to match some hot-hatches out there. It’s essentially an Audi-ised version of a VW Polo GTI. 

This test wasn’t so much about the wow-factor, though. We put it through its paces as an urban runabout to see how it coped as a real-world city car. 

Sometimes it’s good to check in on your friends.

You might not have seen them in a while, and they might not be the most recent addition to your circle, but it’s still good to see how they’re doing once in a while.

For this review, we’re checking in with the Mazda CX-30, which we loved when it first arrived, and we of course made some great memories with.

A few years have passed since, and the small SUV space in which it competes has become ever more crowded since.

The question is, should we be spending time with our old pal, the CX-30? Or, is it better spent with one of its new, trendy rivals?

We’ve grabbed a top-spec G25 Astina in front-wheel drive guise to find out.