2023 Cupra Formentor vs Mazda CX-30

What's the difference?

Cupra is a new brand under the Volkswagen Group, designed to be a cool, sporty, and youth-focused alternative to the likes of VW and Skoda, as contemporary and disruptive as it comes, and the Formentor we’re testing here treads the delicate ground between the world of hatchbacks and SUVs. 

The VZe spec we’re specifically looking at for this review is even a hybrid with a plug - arguably a concept Australians are barely ready for.

It’s very much a symbol of what’s going on in the car industry at the moment. New names, shapes, and technologies are coming to shake the status quo, and permanently alter the kinds of cars Australians buy.

It’s all well and good to be on the front foot. But does the Formentor VZe make sense in an increasingly crowded marketplace? Read on to see what I found.

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.