Mazda CX-30 review

It’s more or less the same as the Mazda 3 in here, which is fine by us. The dashboard is as simple as they come, with easy-to-use tactile climate controls separated from the infotainment screen, which can only be operated with a clickwheel on the centre tunnel on the move, or also as a touchscreen when the car is stopped.

Alternatively there’s now also Alexa voice assistant, which all CX-30s now get as standard. It works as well as you’d expect: pretty useful at simple tasks, less so at anything more complex. And as with all voice assistants we pretty much ignored it, and you will too.

Helps the user interface is solid, mind – it looks smart and is devoid of any unnecessary complication, something German systems specialise in. Conventional dials, too. Well, the speedometer is technically a screen, but it still looks like analogue dials that flank it. Clear and easy to use – very Mazda.

It looks fancy inside.

It feels quite fancy, too – the quality of materials is impressive. If the last Mazda you travelled in was a shonky holiday hire car or tired stag night taxi, don't dismiss this CX-30 (or any current Mazda) as cheap and not-very-cheerful Japanese white good fare.

The soft-touch dash, grown-up switchgear and crisp graphics all lend a feeling of deep quality to this car. We'd argue it's a much more fancy environment than you'd find in a VW Golf or Audi A3, but sadly the badge lacks the same air of classiness as those German brands. Maybe it's one for the real cognoscenti.

Is it comfortable?

The front seats are superb, though the bases could be longer to better support your thighs if you're tall. And the driving position is particularly good, with loads of adjustment in the steering wheel (you can pull it right the way out of the dashboard). Mazda claims there's as much space between the front seats as on the CX-5, so there's something you can show off to your friends.

Things are less good in the back. The Mazda 3 isn’t especially spacious, and remember the CX-30 is yet shorter. Headroom is okay and more glass means it’s brighter back there than the hatch, but taller adults may struggle for legroom. You can at least slide your feet under the front seats (getting them out again is a bit awkward), but if you’re 6ft (or even a few inches shy) your knees will be rammed right up against the backrest of the seat ahead of you.

The boot isn’t bad at 430 litres, but the load bay itself isn’t as clever as some rivals. No tie-downs, cubbies or split-level floors in the cars we tested. You’ll get 1,406 litres of space with the seats knocked down.