Kia Picanto vs Mazda CX-30

What's the difference?

Australians are moving into ever-larger vehicles when really we should be embracing the small car now more than ever. It's great Kia is still here, with its Picanto showing what can be offered in such a compact form-factor.

While it's not as affordable as it once was, it looks like it won't be long before Kia is the last torchbearer of sub-$20k starter cars. Even so, this is a great choice for buyers on strict budgets.

About to enter its fifth year in market the Mazda CX-30 is holding up well and this GT SP FWD grade delivers solid value relative to its key competitors, of which there are many. It’s also space-efficient, practical and performs well with top-shelf safety, decent refinement and good dynamic ability.

Alternately, it’s crying out for a hybrid powertrain to improve fuel efficiency, the interior form and function is starting to date and while it meets the market the ownership promise could be sharper. But this little SUV is still worthy of a spot on your new-car short list.

You wouldn't know it in Australia, where our collective tastes are orienting toward larger and larger vehicles, but city cars are experiencing something of a golden age overseas.

Cars like the Nissan Sakura, Honda N One, and Hyundai Casper join a long list of others which are design leaders in the city-car segment, and this is why the Picanto needs to look sharper than ever to compete.

Particularly in the GT-Line form we tested for this review, the 2024 car has adopted a dramatic facelift which complies to Kia's incoming and much more science-fiction look, complete with an extremely angular design and frowny LED light fittings.

Around the rear, there's a reworked set of tail-lights with a contemporary strip which almost reaches the whole way across the boot lid, and the new alloy wheels round out the whole aesthetic.

Given this, it's a little disappointing to see how few elements have changed on the interior. From the inside, this Picanto feels basically the same as the pre-update version.

I like the D-shaped steering wheel the GT now gets, and the multimedia screen is great for such a small and affordable car, but all the other switchgear, including the steering wheel is from previous-generation Kia products, and not the shiny new design-led stuff which appears in cars like the Sportage, Sorento, or Niro.

Also, while it's feature-laden all things considered, the interior plastics are mainly the harsh, hollow, scratchy kind. The new digital instrument cluster isn't one big screen, instead it's constructed of a few basic sectors which aren't customisable outside of the background colour. At least the central portion shows some useful information.

Mazda continues to follow a disciplined design path with everything from the MX-5 sports car to the BT-50 dual-cab ute sharing key attributes like the brand’s signature trapezoidal grille, simple flowing lines and sleek head- and tail-lights, all wrapped up with a subtle hint of chrome here and there.

Car-spotters with the GT SP on their checklist should look out for 18-inch black metallic rims as well as black exterior trim, including the mirror caps. 

Inside, the CX-30 maintains Mazda’s restrained approach with smooth surfaces integrated across the multi-layer dash and primo leather-trimmed seats.

That said, this car is starting to show its age with the multimedia screen plonked on the top of the dash (in typical Mazda fashion) and a largely conventional instrument cluster.

Yes, the main dial is configurable courtesy of a central 7.0-inch TFT screen, but next to more recent arrivals boasting sleek, often twinned, flat screen displays the CX-30 looks and feels out of touch. 

Functionally, there’s a sensible mix of digital controls and physical buttons (points for audio volume and ventilation dials!), but… the multimedia screen can only be accessed by a rotary controller in the centre console once the car is mobile (it works as a touchscreen when you’re stationary).

Some say touchscreens take your eyes off the road so the controller makes sense, but with a sequential app like Spotify it can take a lot of twirls to get to where you want to go, which upsets concentration and takes your eyes off the road, anyway. I’d prefer the relative ease of a quick press on a screen.

Aside from all that, the materials used are high quality with soft-touch surfaces across key contact points and hard plastics confined to high-wear areas. 

Feeling a little old or not, the Picanto has a clever interior which makes the most of its limited dimensions.

There are huge bottle holders in the front doors, a further two with little flip-out sectors which sit below the air-con controls. These holders can be folded away to turn this space into a tray for the storage of large objects. There's even a centre armrest console box, but it's tiny.

On the topic of air-conditioning controls, these are, refreshingly, physical dials, which are increasingly going missing as manufacturers move such functions to touchscreens. The Picanto keeps things manual though, even including a volume and tuning knob for the touchscreen, with physical shortcut buttons adorning the bottom section of the frame.

Physical controls is something Hyundai Group has committed to, and it's not until you use a vehicle without them you realise how essential they can be.

Despite its tiny footprint, there's also plenty of room in the cabin for an adult my size (I'm 182cm tall). I felt as though there was massive airspace between my head and the roof, as the Picanto's seats let you sit nice and low to the ground, and while it's limited in its width, it feels like I had enough room and adjustability for my legs.

Only one area brought me discomfort and it was the elbow-rest in the door. Sounds silly, but while the GT-Line has a little synthetic leather strip here, for some reason it has no padding, so it's seemingly for aesthetic purposes only and is still an uncomfortable place to rest your elbow on longer journeys.

It sounds unlikely, but I fit behind my own driving position in the back seat, with my knees almost up against the back of the front seat. Thankfully, the seat backings are softly-clad so even if you were slightly taller than me it might be ok.

Again, headroom is sufficient, and the seats are reasonably comfortable in the outer two positions. There are no amenities in the back seat. Rear passengers don't get air vents, door pockets, or a drop-down armrest in the centre position. There is only a small pocket on the back of the passenger seat. Can't say it would be the best space for longer journeys, but it fits adults for short city trips.

The boot measures 255 litres. It's small enough it may rule the Picanto out for some family buyers who need to wrestle with a pram or some such. The boot is large enough to fit either the largest CarsGuide luggage case on its own, or the two smaller ones, but absolutely not all three. It may surprise you to learn there is enough room under the floor for a space-saver spare wheel.

At just under 4.4m long, close to 1.8m wide and little over 1.5m tall (with a 2655mm wheelbase) the CX-30 is in the middle of the pack it competes with in terms of key dimensions.

And space up front is more than adequate, with an impressive feeling of roominess for a relatively small SUV.

For storage, there’s a large lidded box (which doubles as an armrest) between the front seats as well as a pair of cupholders in front of the gear-shifter with a bay for wireless device charging ahead of that.

The glove box is big, there are bins in the doors with room for decent size bottles and a drop-down tray for sunglasses sits overhead.

Move to the rear and the amount of space on offer is surprisingly generous. Sitting behind the driver’s seat, set for my 183cm position, I have plenty of head and legroom, although three full-size adults across the back seat will be an uncomfortable proposition for anything other than short trips. A trio of up to mid-teenage kids will be fine.

Adjustable air vents at the back of the front centre console are a welcome inclusion for back-seaters and storage runs to a map pocket (weirdly, on the back of the front seat only), a pair of cupholders in the fold-down centre armrest and bins in the doors with room for smaller bottles.

In-cabin power and connectivity includes two USB-C outlets and a 12-volt socket in the front centre storage box. No USBs specifically for those in the rear, which is a miss for road trips and no 12V in the boot which can be handy when camping or picnicking.  

Speaking of the boot, cargo volume with the rear seat upright is okay for the class at 317 litres, which expands to a healthy 1479L with the 60/40 split-folding backrest lowered. For comparison the Kia Seltos coughs up 433L with the rear seat upright.

The space is illuminated, there are tie-down anchors to help secure loose loads and there’s a space-saver spare sitting under the floor.

And if you’re keen on towing a tinnie or similar you’re good to go for a 1200kg braked trailer (600kg unbraked).

The Mazda CX-30 G25 GT SP FWD weighs in at $43,140, before on-road costs and our test example features the optional ‘Vision Pack’, the details of which we’ll get to shortly, raising the price $1300 to $44,440. 

Alternate options around that price point include the Hyundai Kona Premium N Line 2WD ($42,500), Kia Seltos GT-Line FWD ($41,850), Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross Exceed 2WD ($40,990), Honda HR-V e:HEV L 2WD ($42,900, drive-away), Nissan Qashqai ST-L FWD ($42,690), Peugeot 2008 GT FWD ($44,490), Renault Arkana Techno FWD ($41,000), Suzuki S-Cross Plus FWD ($41,490), Toyota C-HR 2WD GXL Hybrid ($42,990) and Volkswagen T-Roc Style FWD ($40,590).

That’s quite the automotive smorgasbord, the resulting price and specification cage fight meaning every included feature counts and the Mazda heads into battle with some significant weapons in hand.

Specifically, dual-zone climate control, a head-up display, a 10.25-inch ‘widescreen’ multimedia display, 7.0-inch driver’s multi-information display, 12-speaker Bose audio (with digital radio), wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, ‘Burgundy’ leather seat trim, heated front seats, leather trim on the gearshift and heated steering wheel, wireless phone charging, power-adjustable driver’s seat (with memories), a glass power tilt and slide sunroof and a power tailgate.   

There’s also adaptive auto LED headlights, 18-inch black metallic alloy wheels, radar cruise control (with stop/go), a reversing camera, auto-fold (and tilt) heated exterior mirrors and keyless entry and start. 

It’s an impressive and competitive equipment list for a small SUV under $45K, even before we get to the performance and safety tech covered later in the review.

This is another area where the Picanto is feeling in need of a little innovation. It has the same very dated 1.2-litre four-cylinder petrol engine as the previous car, producing a sufficient but not exciting 62kW/122Nm.

It drives the front wheels via an equally old four-speed automatic transmission, or as tested, a five-speed manual transmission.

It's better with the manual if you can drive one, and a bit of a win for first time or young buyers who will still have the option to learn to drive one, so points there.

The CX-30 GT SP is powered by a 2.5-litre, naturally aspirated, four-cylinder petrol engine producing maximum power of 139kW at 6000rpm and peak torque of 252Nm at 4000rpm.

It’s a proven all-alloy unit featuring direct-injection as well as variable intake and exhaust valve timing with drive going to the front wheels via a six-speed auto transmission. 

The AWD version of the GT SP adds an electromagnetic multi-plate clutch pack (managed by a multitude of sensors) to selectively engage the rear wheels, as well. But its engine and transmission combination is identical to this FWD model’s.

An older engine and transmission combination makes for a less than impressive fuel consumption figure in today's market, but then the Picanto is a very light car, so it has lower fuel consumption than most of its contemporaries regardless.

The official fuel consumption on the combined-cycle test of the five-speed manual we tested is 5.4L/100km, and in our week of what I would consider fairly combined usage our GT-Line drank 6.0L/100km. Not great when you consider a much larger hybrid Corolla can use less fuel, but pretty close to the claim nonetheless.

The Picanto has a 35-litre fuel tank – enabling a theoretical driving range of 648km – and happily drinks base-grade 91RON unleaded fuel.

The CX-30 GT SP FWD’s official fuel consumption figure on the combined (urban/extra-urban) cycle is 6.6L/100km, the 2.5-litre atmo four-cylinder engine emitting 154g/km of C02 in the process.

It features fuel-saving stop-start and cylinder deactivation functions as standard and over a combination of city, suburban and some freeway running we saw an average of 8.4L/100km, which is average for an SUV in this class. A comparable hybrid package would easily better this result.

Based on the car’s 51-litre fuel tank theoretical range between refills is 772km, which drops to just over 600km using our real-world test consumption number. But the good news is this CX-30 runs happily on cheaper 91 RON ‘standard’ fuel.

You've got low power, a pretty low-tech engine and transmission, but this little Kia is still great fun to drive.

For a start, you can have it as a manual that lets you wring the best out of the little engine, which is easygoing but lacklustre with the four-speed auto.

To be clear, it's not a great manual - usually when you get a brand new manual in 2024 it's one of those fancy performance ones with nice damping and notchy gates, but as simple as it is, it also gives the car a raw mechanical nature which keeps it engaging to drive. There are real consequences for choosing the wrong gear and it takes a touch of skill to get used to, a lost art of the all-encompassing drive which is a welcome change of pace compared to a lot of cars today.

The Picanto also has keen steering helping the organic feel, and it has a firm ride, too, which makes it surprisingly sporty in the corners, but it's lightweight nature and firm suspension gave it a crashy and bouncy feel on some of the inconsistent Sydney streets I exposed it to.

It's also a bit noisy in the cabin, both in terms of engine noise (you have to rev the thing to get it going) and tyre roar on anything but the finest tarmac. This issue increases with your speed, and reminds you of its city-car intention when you're on the freeway.

Still, the city is where it's best suited to, and it's a joy to easily dart down alleyways which take a degree of caution in the usual mid-size SUVs you see around the place, and the fact you can park it anywhere can be a real blessing.

The visibility is great, too, which means multi-lane situations aren't a nightmare, and the full suite of manual adjustment for the stereo and air conditioning are super easy to use when you're on the go (who has time to adjust a touchscreen when you have a manual transmission to worry about?)

In conclusion then, the Picanto isn't to be underestimated. This is a spritely fun little thing which makes the most of its limited hardware, but it truly is best suited for the confines of a city, and gets less impressive as you get it out on the open road.

It’s rare in 2024 to find a small SUV that doesn’t have at least one turbocharger attached to its engine, the CX-30’s 2.5-litre ‘atmo’ four being one of those increasingly scarce examples.

But Mazda’s been laser-focused on extracting maximum power and efficiency from its non-turbo petrol engines for yonks and this one stands up well.

It doesn’t have the low-down punch a turbo typically delivers but maximum pulling power arrives at a useable 4000rpm and it’s eager enough for easy city and suburban running as well as confident freeway cruising.

Although Mazda doesn’t quote an official number you can expect a sprint from 0-100km/h in around 8.5 seconds, which is quick for the class.

Worth noting engine noise and a raspy exhaust note make their presence felt under acceleration and the throttle isn’t as refined as it could be. Not a huge deal, but a slight jerkiness is evident on initial, especially moderate, acceleration.

The six-speed auto is smooth and fuss-free, the steering wheel paddle shifters on hand if you need to intervene and select a specific ratio. ‘Sport’ mode peps things up, causing the transmission to shift down earlier and up later. But it’s aggressive in that it often holds onto a gear for too long and you find yourself diving back to the default normal setting.

Tipping the scales at just under 1.5 tonnes, the CX-30 is underpinned by a MacPherson strut front, torsion beam rear suspension and ride comfort on typically pock-marked urban surfaces is average for the category. That is, a bit jittery over bumps and corrugations but there’s no bone-jarring going on here.

Steering feel and response is good and the grippy steering wheel helps with a connection to the front tyres. Speaking of which, the standard rubber is high-performance (215/55) Dunlop SP Sport Maxx 050 which is  grippy and commendably quiet. 

Push on into a corner and the CX-30 remains balanced and predictable with body roll well under control. Torque vectoring, by engine and physical braking, is also onboard to reel things in if you overstep the mark.

Braking is by discs all around, vented at the front and solid at the rear, and they wash off speed effectively with a satisfyingly progressive pedal action.

Vision is good, which combined with the CX-30’s compact dimensions and 10.6m turning circle, means parking is easy. Especially when you factor in the hi-res reversing camera and front and rear parking sensors. 

The CX-30 carries a maximum five-star ANCAP assessment from early 2020 when the car was introduced locally.

It scored a stunning 99 per cent in the adult occupant protection category and an impressive 88 per cent for child occupant protection.

Active (crash-avoidance) tech includes AEB (operating from 4.0-160km/h) as well as lane keep assist, lane departure warning, traffic sign recognition, intelligent speed assistance, blind-spot monitoring, front and rear parking sensors, rear cross-traffic alert, a reversing camera and tyre pressure monitoring.

Mazda’s ‘Vision Pack’ is also standard which includes a 360-degree camera view, ‘Cruising & Traffic Support’, driver fatigue monitoring and front cross-traffic alert.

The airbag count runs to seven - dual front and front side, full-length side curtains and driver’s knee.

There are three top tether points for child seats across the second row with ISOFIX anchors on the two outer positions.

Kia's stand-out seven-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty isn't as stand-out as it once was, but is still the standard to beat for this segment, and is especially impressive considering the up-front cost of the Picanto.

You also get seven years of roadside assist included and a seven-year capped-price servicing program.

Over those seven years the price averages out to $438 annually, which is not as cheap as it could be, especially considering many Toyotas cost about $250 a year to keep on the road for their (shorter) warranty period.

The Picanto needs to visit a workshop once every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever occurs first.

Mazda covers the CX-30 with a five-year/unlimited km warranty which is the norm in the mainstream market, and it’s worth noting a growing number of competitors are now at six, seven or even 10 years, although the latter are typically conditional on authorised dealer servicing. Roadside assistance is provided for the duration of the warranty.

Service is recommended every 12 months or 15,000km and Mazda’s ‘Service Select’ program sets maintenance pricing out to seven years, the lowest over that period being $352 and the highest $626, for an annual average of $459, which is reasonable but not exceptional for the category.

For comparison, a similarly specified Toyota C-HR averages $330 per workshop visit over the same period.