2023 Mazda CX-30 vs 2021

What's the difference?

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.

It wasn’t that long ago that the Mazda3 small car was the best-selling passenger vehicle in Australia, so it goes without saying an SUV version would sell like hotcakes.

Well, we got the CX-3 light SUV instead, with it based on the Mazda2 hatchback, and needless to say, it wasn’t quite the right fit (read: too tight) for some buyers.

However, patience is a virtue and the Mazda3 of small SUVs is finally here … actually, it’s been on sale for more than 12 months now.

And guess what? The curiously named CX-30 hit the ground running! So, it’s time to take a look at what is possibly its most appealing variant for the urban jungle, the G20 Touring FWD.