[Glenlivet]

We currently have a 2012 RAV4 AWD Limited (with that awesome V6) and a 2012 Prius C3 (with an incredible 53mpg). Being recently retired and no longer having to commute, we're looking to downsize to a single car. Living in northern Vermont in a small town with only one paved road, it has to be AWD. So we were looking at the 2020 RAV4 Hybrid, the Honda CR-V and HR-V, the VW Tiguan 4Motion, and the Mazda CX-3 and 30. It's just my wife and me with our three golden retrievers so cargo trumps back seat comfort.

• The RAV4 is a nice car, but overkill for us and it has a mushy feel on the road. Same for the Tiguan and the CR-V
• The HR-V is a very nice size for us, is lower than our RAV4 which would make loading our kayaks on the roof easier, handles our beat up roads well and has enough power for our needs. But the mpg is a weak point for such a small car...and the seats are among the most uncomfortable I've ever tried. A shame, as the dealer is fantastic and when I asked for a test drive he tossed me the key fob Friday afternoon and said bring it back Monday. I was in love with the car for about twenty minutes at which time my rear end started complaining.
• I've not yet looked at the Mazdas. The specs look promising and I've heard the seats are pretty nice, but the local dealer has a horrible reputation and has been charged by the state for rolling back odometers on used cars. If I buy new and never go there for service it wouldn't matter, but if I ever need warranty work...

I should probably look at the Subaru Crosstrek and Forester as well, but the way they failed so many customers with the coolant system and head gasket issues has me wary.

 

[#LFGM!]

The CX-30 is WAY too small for 3 full sized dogs. It's just me and my younger daughters and sometimes my dad or grown son and it's a tight fit. I can't imagine with two adults and 3 dogs. I guess it you folded the backseats down it might be ok??

 

[Glenlivet]

The CX-30 is WAY too small for 3 full sized dogs. It's just me and my younger daughters and sometimes my dad or grown son and it's a tight fit. I can't imagine with two adults and 3 dogs. I guess it you folded the backseats down it might be ok??

with three goldens the rear seats are always folded down

 

[savcom]

I had a 5-series, so looked at the X1. Didn't fancy the GLA and did not take to the interior of the XC-40. Considered the Q3 but rejected it as no dealer nearby to test one.

I'll pop my comparison between the CX-30 and the X1 in a post in this area:

Mazda CX‌-30 Versus The Competition

Discuss the 2020+ Mazda CX-30 relative to it's competition.

www.cx30talk.com

 

[Navii]

I test drove a Seltos, that was nice and I probs would have been happy with it, but I wanted a Mazda over a KIA. Also drove a Toyota Yaris Cross. The electric engine impressed me with how quiet it was, then the petrol engine kicked in and the noise was too much, like something was wrong with the car, it was also piss weak, put my foot down and all it made was more noise.

I wanted a reliable Japanese car. I had a mini cooper just prior and it was super expensive to maintain with things needing fixing way too early in their lifecycle.

Unless I win lotto I will never buy a "luxury" car.

 

[Phoenix]

It came down to the top trim versions of the:

• Kia Seltos
• Mazda 3 hatch
• Hyundai Kona

The Seltos had the best space but worst interior
The Kona looked the most interesting but worst space
The 3 hatch drove best but was like sitting in a cave
The CX-30 had the best interior and wasn’t the worst in anything so it won by default

 

[sc489]

I'm compiling a spreadsheet shortlist at the moment for options to replace my 2017 Mazda 3. I've had to rule out a new Mazda 3 since the ground clearance / breakover angle is now too low for my needs. These are cars available in the UK. I've ruled out those in italics and any cars having poor reliability which includes Audi, Mercedes, Nissan and others. I was surprised at the very poor depreciation of Subaru cars so ruled out that brand too.

Mazda CX-30 SkyActiv G (not driven yet)
Mazda CX 5 (but too large for needs & CX30 better?)
Toyota RAV 4 (note too large for needs on test drive)
Kia Xceed (note poor road noise on test drive)
Skoda Karoq (note average reliability, not driven yet)
Kia Niro Hybrid (small boot)
Skoda Kamiq (small boot)
Suzuki Vitara ( poor depreciation)
Honda HRV (many drawbacks including reliability)
Honda CRV Hybrid (high depreciations & fuel cost)
BMW X1 (expensive & poor reliability)

 

[sc489]

I had a 5-series, so looked at the X1. Didn't fancy the GLA and did not take to the interior of the XC-40. Considered the Q3 but rejected it as no dealer nearby to test one.

I'll pop my comparison between the CX-30 and the X1 in a post in this area:

Mazda CX‌-30 Versus The Competition

Discuss the 2020+ Mazda CX-30 relative to it's competition.

www.cx30talk.com

In my spreadsheet review, the X1 is very expensive when you include like for like options with the CX30 and has worse short and long term reliability.

 

[jhaupt47]

We currently have a 2012 RAV4 AWD Limited (with that awesome V6) and a 2012 Prius C3 (with an incredible 53mpg). Being recently retired and no longer having to commute, we're looking to downsize to a single car. Living in northern Vermont in a small town with only one paved road, it has to be AWD. So we were looking at the 2020 RAV4 Hybrid, the Honda CR-V and HR-V, the VW Tiguan 4Motion, and the Mazda CX-3 and 30. It's just my wife and me with our three golden retrievers so cargo trumps back seat comfort.

• The RAV4 is a nice car, but overkill for us and it has a mushy feel on the road. Same for the Tiguan and the CR-V
• The HR-V is a very nice size for us, is lower than our RAV4 which would make loading our kayaks on the roof easier, handles our beat up roads well and has enough power for our needs. But the mpg is a weak point for such a small car...and the seats are among the most uncomfortable I've ever tried. A shame, as the dealer is fantastic and when I asked for a test drive he tossed me the key fob Friday afternoon and said bring it back Monday. I was in love with the car for about twenty minutes at which time my rear end started complaining.
• I've not yet looked at the Mazdas. The specs look promising and I've heard the seats are pretty nice, but the local dealer has a horrible reputation and has been charged by the state for rolling back odometers on used cars. If I buy new and never go there for service it wouldn't matter, but if I ever need warranty work...

I should probably look at the Subaru Crosstrek and Forester as well, but the way they failed so many customers with the coolant system and head gasket issues has me wary.

Had a Forester XT (turbo) for 10+ yrs. --- normal maintenance, no issues or problems. But it required hi- octane gas (pricey).

 

[Supercrewbear]

I had been wanting a CX-5 for awhile until a Jeep Grand Cherokee "Upland" edition caught my eye. I made a deal on a Jeep but slept on it and changed my mind. When I discovered the CX-30 I again changed my mind - I like its size better than the CX-5 for the most part and all of the positive comments about the interior swayed me. I honestly had considered a Porsche Panamera 4 (all-wheel-drive - basically a wagon) too while deciding what to buy - I had one in Germany a few years ago and liked it a lot. I'm past paying $500 per tire and expensive services. After driving my CX-30 for almost 6 months (not my daily driver) I can't imagine I'd be any happier with a car 3x the price.

 

[Navii]

One thing that reviewers leave out are the costs of running a car. On my mini cooper I never imagined that I would need new brake pads every 23,000km, then new discs every second change of brake pads, I was on my 3rd set of tyres when I traded in the car at 63,000km and I don't drive that hard. It's crazy how many things contribute to running a car that you take for granted.

 

[Tycho]

I liked the look of the Kia Seltos but they don’t sell it in the UK. The Volvo XC40 was probably the closest competitor for me. Other mainstream makes were lacking in style (exterior, and especially interior). For a while I was thinking of getting a Lexus, but I think the NX is too big for my purposes and the UX felt cramped. Also pricey. As for the German options, seems like despite their premium status, CX-30 has them beat on style, features, reliability, safety, with a lower price point. There’s probably some other good options I overlooked (I noticed the Peugeot 3008 the other day), but once I test drove the CX-30 I didn’t feel like looking any further. I’m not going to be driving every day so I wasn’t going to split hairs on certain things like fuel economy, acceleration.

 

[somers]

2018 SOUL RED MAZDA CX 3 Most likely the best car I have ever owned .
The ride is firm the car goes round corners on rails.

 

[gerntz]

I just don't like dragging large vehicles around all the time & parking is a pain. Always drove sedan till now. Last three were Lincoln LS (same platform as Jag S-type), M-B C300, & Inifnity Q50. LS was best driving car I've ever owned. But now my old bones need/want to sit up a bit for getting in/out.

Considerd Soul, Seltos, Crosstrek, Kona. All not bad for the money, but the 30 is clearly a better ride & feel. More $$, yes.