2022 Mazda CX-30 vs Mazda CX-5

What's the difference?

At roughly $30,000 it’s hard to do better than Mazda’s base CX-30 in the small SUV space when it comes to cabin ambiance, premium looks, and safety equipment.

While popular variants further up the range sell well, I’d recommend you resist the urge to upgrade as this version has almost everything you could need in a good-looking and relatively fun-to-drive package. 

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. That's clearly Mazda's approach to the CX-5, which is no longer the newest kid on the block, but remains a strong option in the segment.

The cabin tech and the lack of electrification options certainly carbon-dates it, but the drive experience and style are still very much up to the job.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with meals provided.

The CX-30 embodies Mazda’s current design ethos to a T. It owns the swoopy lines, silver embossed grille, and tight light clusters which define the brand.

This Pure version is no exception, with even the more basic 16-inch alloy wheels finished in a more premium-looking gunmetal hue, and it maintains a sense of presence thanks to its standard LED headlights and dual exhaust.

Stepping inside, there is so little evidence pointing to the idea the Pure is the most basic grade. Sure, this interior feels as though it was built to be accompanied by leather seat trim, but this doesn’t take away from the sleek cabin ambiance built up by a digital dash cluster, attractive steering wheel, and luxurious-feeling centre console.

This basic version of the CX-30 is defined by a blue interior theme rather than the brown theme which appears on higher-grade models, and upon closer inspection you’ll notice the areas where the Pure differs from higher grades, like the more basic air-conditioning controls which replace a more premium looking dual-zone climate control set.

Sure, it’s missing some of the extra silver trims here and there, but for a base offering the CX-30 Pure is hard to go past, forgoing nasty plastics and major missing features of some of its rivals. For an SUV at this price, it is hard to do better.

Short answer? If you like the outgoing CX-5, you're going to like this one, too. And if you don't? Well you're bang out of luck.

Me? I'm in the former camp. The CX-5 was, and thus still is, a handsome and understated offering in the mid-size SUV space, somehow managing too look smaller, sportier and a little more polished than some of its key rivals.

This is the Where's Wally of design updates, though. You'll find the changes in a new-look grille, which has a new textured design that's intended to look and feel more three-dimensional.

The lights, front and rear, have been tweaked to better match the incoming the CX-60, too. Oh, and there's some body-coloured or gloss-black – depending on the trim – elements, too.

We also welcome a new trim level, the Touring Active, which includes some bright green grille and interior elements, and a new colour in Zircon Sand.

Inside, it's largely business as usual, too. There's new and more supportive seat materials, and wireless charging across some grades, but that's it really.

Still, I'd argue the CX-5's cabin is ageing like a fine wine rather than a glass of milk, and it still fills plenty polished and premium inside – even if the tech offering (led by the 8.0-inch central screen which is crying out to be made touch sensitive) is starting to feel a little off the pace.

Sadly, the CX-30 was never the most practical of the small SUV bunch, and more basic grades even miss out in some areas.

Front passengers are treated well with ample width and headroom on offer, and the big centre console box not only offers a large storage area but will accommodate two elbows on top with ease.

On the topic of elbows, the front seat also offers lovely soft trims in the doors, as well as a large storage bin and bottle holder underneath. There are also a set of two bottle holders in front of the gearshift, and a small tray for phones and wallets under the air conditioning controls.

The screen looks great and is mounted in just the right spot but is only controlled via a dial. While it is easy to navigate the simple menus of the stock software this way, controlling phone mirroring software with it is clumsy to say the least.

The back seat is nowhere near as accommodating as the front, with my knees close up to the front behind my own driving position.

Headroom is decent although getting in requires you to duck under the descending roofline. Amenities in the base Pure grade are also limited, with a single bottle holder in each door, a single pocket on the back of the passenger seat, but no power outlets or adjustable air vents. At least the soft elbow-pad is maintained in the door trim.

The boot is also far from the largest in this class, at just 317 litres. It could just fit the full set of three CarsGuide luggage cases, but required the removal of the luggage shelf, and would have had the medium case obscuring your rear view.

The CX-30 has a space-saver spare wheel under the boot floor, as well as dual ISOFIX and three top-tether mounts across the rear row.

The Mazda CX-5 range stretches 4550mm in length, 1840mm in width and around 1680mm in height. It rides on a 2700mm wheelbase, and has been pretty cleverly packaged to deliver enough cabin and boot space to satisfy most people.

Speaking of which, the (auto-opening in some trims) boot opens to reveal a usable, though not massive, 438 litres with the rear seats in place, and that number swells to 1340 litres with the back pews folded flat, with both those numbers measured in VDA.

Backseat riders will find enough leg and headroom to stay happy, especially if they're my height, 175cm, or less. But the way the centre console and rear tunnel cut into the middle seat's leg room means its pretty much ruled out for adult riders.

I do love the pull-down divider's hidden USB charge points and twin cupholders in all but the base model, and the rear-sear air vents.

Elsewhere, you'll find the usual accompaniment of bottle and cup holders, as well as twin ISOFIX attachment points, one in each window seat in the back.

There has been some juggling of the CX-5 range for 2022, which has now resulted in five trim levels, four engine options, two fuel types and two transmissions offered across the CX-5 range, with prices spanning $32,190 for the entry level Maxx manual – or $2k more for the automatic – and $53,680 for the top-spec Akera auto. And to save you doing the math, that means prices are up somewhere between $800 and $1300 across most of the range. 

The Maxx cars deliver things like 17-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, black cloth seats, an 8.0-inch central screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a six-speaker stereo and leather on the steering wheel and shifter.

Maxx Sport models than add LED fog lamps, dual-zone climate, sat nav and hidden USB charge points in the pull-down seat divider in the back.

Next up is the Touring, which will give you keyless entry, a wireless charger for you mobile, front parking sensor and a neat boot floor which can be reversed when you’re carrying muddy gear for easier cleaning.

New for this update is the Touring Active, which seeks to up the style a bit with 17-inch alloys finished in a grey metallic, gloss-black side mirrors and Maztex seats with fluoro-green accents in the cabin and on the body work.

Still with me? Don’t worry, we’re almost there. Next comes the sporty-looking GT SP, which adds 19-inch alloys, a cool looking gloss-black treatment to the mirrors and grille, a black interior trim, a sunroof and powered boot, heated front seats, and a 10-speaker Bose stereo. You also get Mazda’s clever Adaptive Front-Lighting system, which turn with the vehicle to ensure the road ahead is always illuminated when cornering.

Finally, there’s the top-tier Akera, with it silver 19-inch alloys, ventilated Nappa leather front seats, adaptive LED headlights, and a second 7.0-inch screen.

Mazda CX-5 2022 Price List:

The CX-30 Pure has a decidedly low-tech 2.0-litre four-cylinder non-turbo petrol engine, which drives the front wheels via a six-speed traditional torque converter automatic transmission. It is the least powerful of the three engine options available in the CX-30 range, producing 114kW/200Nm.

It would be nice to see a parallel hybrid option here, but Mazda instead offers its semi-compression ignition engine technology at the top-end of the range.

There are four engines on offer here, and we’ll pop the details down below. But what you really need to know is that the pick of the bunch is the punchy 2.5-litre turbo, which is such a good fit for this vehicle. It pairs exclusively with a six-speed automatic and AWD, and it's a peach.

Elsewhere, you’ve got a choice of petrol or diesel, manual or automatic, and two- or all-wheel drive. Choices, choices, choices. There are plenty of them here. 

Mazda CX-5 2022 engine options:

This little 2.0-litre engine seems to have to push hard to keep up, and while the CX-30’s combined cycle fuel consumption number comes in at 6.5L/100km, in my real-world week-long test I saw an alarming 9.0L/100km average.

To be fair, my driving was almost entirely confined to city limits, but it is still above this car’s official ‘urban’ number of 8.0L/100km.

A small reprieve, this most basic engine option can consume entry-level 91RON unleaded fuel.

The CX-30 has a 51-litre fuel tank, which using my real-world average consumption translates to a range in excess of 550km.

Non-turbo vehicles are equipped with a 56-litre tank, while the turbocharged models nab and extra two litres for 58 in total. There’s no electrification on offer in the CX-5 family, and with petrol prices increasingly horrific these days, that’s also something that weighs on your mind. 

The good news is that petrol-powered examples of the CX-5 run on the cheapest 91RON fuel. The bad news is that with no electrification on offer (like hybrid or PHEV), and fuel prices reaching skyward everyday, there's no real way to mitigate those costs.

We were putting the 2.5-litre, turbocharged models to harder work than they would normally be subjected to, but we also retuned fuel use figures north of 10.0L/100km. And on today's prices, that means $21 every 100km.

The CX-30 feels slick and sporty from the get-go, with direct steering and an engaging ride. In most city-based scenarios this is a zippy little car which offers decent comfort levels and a lovely cabin ambiance, too.

Mazda maintains a traditional six-speed torque converter automatic transmission, which pairs nicely with the 2.0-litre engine to make for a predictable experience under acceleration, forgoing the nasty rubbery feel of many rivals’ CVT automatics, or the glitchy take-off from other dual-clutches.

The engine does leave a little to be desired however, with hollow power delivery in the mid-range meaning you’ll need to push it hard in overtaking and uphill scenarios.

It feels a bit rudimentary in today’s car landscape of hybrids and turbocharged engines, but Mazda has at least made it sound good, with a warm thrum rather than a nasty rattle at higher revs.

If you’re considering solving this problem by shopping further up the range, the alternate 2.5-litre four-cylinder behaves largely the same with a little extra power.

The CX-30 also maintains a particular firmness which permeates Mazda’s cars. While it imbues this small SUV with an engaging road feel and fun handling, big bumps and corrugations will rattle through the steering and A-pillar, making the whole car feel light and fragile and taking away from the CX-30’s otherwise semi-premium ambiance.

Ironically, the Pure improves this issue by having the smallest alloy wheel out of any CX-30 grade, providing a bit of extra tyre to soak up the worst jolts the road might offer.

The active safety items punch above their weight at this price point, making the Pure feel as though it has your back, particularly with those rare-at-this-price rear-facing items.

Like a lot of new-generation Mazdas though, the CX-30 suffers from a limited field of view from its disturbingly close rear-vision mirrors.

Overall, the CX-30 Pure offers an engaging drive experience paired with a lovely cabin ambiance. The engine and transmission are feeling a bit dated, and the ride trades comfort for sportiness, so it may not be for everyone, but ultimately Mazda’s signature drive experience is maintained, even at this lower end of the price scale.

Who says that buying a family SUV means waving goodbye to any sense of driver enjoyment from behind the wheel? 

Mazda has done a stellar job of making the updated CX-5 feel connected to the road below it, sit nice and flat through corners, and – with the right drivetrain equipped – deliver enough lusty grunt for easy overtaking or simply shortening the distance between bends.

It's no performance car, and nor is it trying to be, but it's also not some big and boat-like SUV that tips and rolls through bends and disconnects the driver from the experience.

Instead, it sits somewhere in the middle of those two polls, offering a firm-ish but comfortable enough ride in town, and a sense of athleticism when you're outside the city limits. 

One of the focuses for Mazda this time around was on the NVH (how much of the outside world enters the cabin when you're the road), and while I can't offer up a direct comparison with the outgoing model – it's been too long since I've driven one – I can report that this new car is mostly quiet and comfortable, even at speed, with very acceptable levels of wind and road noise in the cabin.

That sense of smoothness is helped along by really predictable steering, and a fairly seamless gearshift from an automatic 'box that swaps its cogs quickly and without much fuss. 

So, more of the same really from the CX-5. But to be fair, that's not a bad thing here.

Even the cheapest Mazda CX-5 gets blind spot monitoring, a driver attention alert, forward collision warning with AEB front and rear, lane departure warning with lane keep assist, active cruise, a reverse camera, rear parking sensors and rear cross-traffic alert.

Springing for the Touring Active adds front parking sensors and a head-up display with traffic sign recognition, while the GT SP adds Mazda's Adaptive Front-Lighting.

The entire CX-5 range wears a five-star ANCAP safety rating, but was last tested back in 2017.

Mazda covers its entire passenger car range with a competitive five year and unlimited kilometre warranty, which also includes five years of roadside assist.

Some notable newcomers are moving to seven-year warranty promises, which should increase pressure on established players like Mazda in this space.

The CX-30 needs to be serviced once every 12 months or 10,000km, and pricing alternates between $316 and $361 per visit, for an annual average of $334. It’s not as cheap as some Toyota servicing programs but is certainly at the most affordable end of the market.

The Mazda CX-5 is covered by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty - which is about middle of the road by today’s standard. You also get capped price servicing, and a trip to the dealership will be required every 10,000kms.

You can expect to pay around $350 for each of the first five services.