The 2022 Mazda MX-30 Is a Weird, Disappointing Electric Car
2024 ж. 18 Мам.
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2022 Mazda MX-30 review! The 2022 Mazda MX-30 is a weird electric vehicle -- and also a disappointing one. Today I'm reviewing the MX-30, and I'm going to explain why it's not so great, and I'll show you all the weird quirks and features of the MX-30. I'm also going to drive the 2022 Mazda MX-30 and show you what it's like on the road.
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Doug: “I’m going to review the quirks and features.” Mazda: “ Oh, we thought you said corks and features.”
Underrated comment
Came here to make this comment. Glad the world of puns is thriving.
Lmao
Came here to make a cork pun, glad to see someone else thought of that already.
Agreed. I’m sad he didn’t say corks and features. Missed opportunity Doug!!
Thank you Doug for showing us all the corks and features of the MX-30.
underrated
NICE!!
was gonna say the same thing, disappointed doug didnt say it first though
Good one!
@Joseph Castro watch the video there’s a part where he mentions cork in the interior
I once again have to disagree with Doug on the touch screen thing, I've owned my Mazda 3 Hatchback for two years now, and its way easier than using their controls over a touch screen. Once you get use to it and it becomes 2nd nature, it's far safer and more intuitive, as it's not just a knob but also a directional joystick and a button. I don't blame Doug for feeling the way he does since he probably doesn't spend much time with a system like that, but once you're used to it, it's way better and definitely safer as a bonus. I just wanna make this comment in case people get dissuaded from getting a car(maybe not this car but a Mazda in general) for this reason .
Its one of the best arguments to buy a mazda, for me obviously. Hate touchscreen displays on cars.
Yup we have a 2018 Mazda 3, owned it since new and the dial is like second nature much safer too, I think the screen is touch as well but I just use the dial. Another pro of the dial is u don't constantly have finger prints on the screen 😂
same- i got a gen 3 mazda 3 with both a touch screen but the same controls joystick , ive never used the touch screen - muscle memory on the joystick is way better and less distracting than looking at the screen while driving and trying to scroll through menus
@@ChavierComX just buy a BMW
@@dragospahontu nah BMW's are junk unless it's a real M the engines in M's are actually more reliable lol
My local Mazda dealer has one of these for sale right now, and I looked at it yesterday. I thought it looked very attractive and sleek. I happen to like the controls, etc. and the smaller size would work perfectly for me, too. I have been driving a Mazda CX5 for three years (and love it!!) and want to buy this electric car as soon as Mazda improves the range.
It reaches 225 KM in the summer easily (provided you don't floor it on motor-highways all the time). I got one second hand (about 3 years old) and one thing that struck me with these cars is that unlike other EV's - you'll be hard pressed to find even ONE of these that failed, they are insanely reliable.
The MX-30 is just so Mazda can meet CARB and future Federal rules about producing an electric car. They don't care if it doesn't sell well, they just need it to exist so they can continue to sell cars in countries with EV mandates. It was rushed to market with weak range, but again, they aren't worried about it.
lol I'd do the same. Bring out a crappy electric car and start developing I6 RWD petrol cars😍
Reminds me of the Aston Martin Cygnet
Basically what Fiat did with the 500E back in 2015, made it out of spite.
@@CupraRoemu I forget the name of it, but look up the "Ferdinand pedal Porsche". This guy made a cardboard Porsche 911 you pedal, I laughed thinking of that cardboard and tinfoil car electrified.... "here's my electric car I am forced to make".
I think this is the right answer. Mazda doesn't really want to invest in electric cars yet, and is just doing the minimum to maintain access to the various markets. This does give experience getting one into production though, so when they do make a "real" effort it isn't the first time.
The true reason they made this is that, in Europe at least, each brand has to have a specific number of CO2 emissions across all range of models, so they had to make an electric car that lowers that number.
Its the same reason the California market has had many, many quirky EVs over the years that weren't manufactured to sell; but to meet a state compliance requirement. The Toyota RAV4 with a 60 KwH Tesla battery is another excellent example and has been discontinued - again.
Yes absolutely and yet this car is making perfect sense for a lot of drivers. Range is so much overrated and petrol headed.
@@jefffaller8474 Or the Fiat 500e. That one was particularly hilarious, because Fiat was straight up telling people not to buy them.
@@jmpetersson I'm okay with this if it means it keeps the California stupidity in California. The rest of the US wants no part of California hesheman.
this car also kinda serves as their "test car" for future electric car models
I like the design of the car itself. I like the tactile buttons and knobs much more than touch screens. And I think it looks better than pretty much any other EV, but I wish the price for that range was lower. The look and feel aren't worth that much. Either the range or the price has got to change.
First, Mazda is right on their insistence using physical controls for the infotainment. My MX-5 will function as a touch screen while stopped but even then, I default to using the physical controls. Once you get familiar and used to them it’s way simpler than staring for multiple seconds at a screen to figure out where to touch, where the physical controls can be manipulated by touch alone. I also have a ‘20 ranger that has a brilliant touch screen in it but I find myself frustratingly staring at it for longer than I should to try and find the function I want. (Quick side note, I’ve been a fan of the MX-5 since their debut, in fact I worked at a Mazda dealership at the time and fell in love with them but sadly,could never afford one. Flash forward to 2018, I was about to go electric, the leaf was the only electric in my price range at the time and had just been redesigned so they weren’t quite as fugly. I was going to go drive one the weekend of your MX-5 review on the newly facelifted 2019 model year and I went and got one the next day!) Anyway, what I really wanted to ponder here is - I am sure you have seen, heard, read about the possibility Mazda is going to revive the rotary engine as a range extending device. It almost seems like the MX-30 is acting as a real life proof of concept (an expensive one from both a development/purchase point of view to be sure) in a rush to join the electric community and I have to wonder if that wasted under hood space might be preparing for a future power plant of that nature. Also, kept thinking this would be the perfect vehicle from a back seat perspective for a family with one or two youngsters in car seats. But then they would grow out of them and then what…… Finally, I kind of like the styling as it appears in pictures, but then I thought the BMW Supra was horrid until I saw one IRL, so, yeah.
I think it's made more to boost Mazda's brand than to be actually driven around by real customers :D
Hello Mister Hydraulic Press
are u going to press a mazda mx30
@ME freak.
I think it is meant to line the pockets of the CEO's nephew or something.
@@90SecondsofAviation those "link only" replies are spam bots that generate views to videos.
There's no way they were targeting the North American market with this car, it makes no sense there. I can see this being an a decent, but a bit weird car in European markets, as well as Japan, but in America or Canada?
I don’t thing it’s targeted for US at all. In Europe this car should do fine.
In Canadian winters, this car would end up with about half its range... There's no way!!
@@janwegrzyn that's what i said yeah
I have one, and I’m living in a very cold place with long winters. I commute about 28 km daily and have chargers at work. It is the MX-30s purpose and works great for exactly that👍🏻
@@P991TS lol you literally bought a car for work and pretty much nothing else.
Unlike Dougy that goes on and on complaining about the lack of a touch screen and the overall look of this car, I actually love the look of this car and especially when you put it side by side with the other EVs that Dougy compared it to. They were really unattractive. The real issue is that with only a 100-mile range it really isn't practical for most people. $35,000 is high but not when compared to what EVs are selling for these days.
Shifter is fantastic, it isn't a fake digital shifter where it actually stays in the same position and doesn't return to a straight-up neutral position every time you use it
It's almost like an on-road prototype. Maybe Mazda is testing what works and what doesn't to help them develop future vehicles?
Its because as a car company they are required to have an electric car. And this is how they meet the regulation.
I ain’t paying for their prototypes.
This car is like the kidnappers dream
That’s a horrible strategy.
Well Toyota is coming to the rescue. Their upcoming hybrids will use Toyota tech. Maybe this was created before their agreement.
Doug: I love cars with quirks Mazda: Here is a car with lots of quirks Doug: Thanks, I hate it
He loves cars with quirks except if he can't fit in the back
@@ringoferrer2343 can't be driven in there smh
If it came with the range-extender engine from the get-go, he would adore it
What a massive piece of crap. Such a waste of money for whoever buys this garbage car
I also was surprised by it, I've driven it, didn't like it but I liked the quirks..
If they extend the wheelbase (for rear passengers space), made functional rear windows, and bumped up the power, then it would be pretty cool
I can't help but have a future electric Miata in mind when I think about this vehicle. A low-powered, well-handling and steering architecture like this could find it's way into a small convertible chassis sometime in the future!
Ah yes, the choice everyone has been automakers to give them: a center console that things won't fall out of, OR the ability to cover cupholders
sorry, ive been on the phone with every dealer i can find.. i will be 'the' source for the replacement of all the cork parts with will have a lifespan measured in weeks...
@@xcreeperify its not "real" cork. Fake plywood cork lasts ages. I've had the same faux cork board since I was a kiddo, and it's not ruined. Just has a lot of needle holes. From needles.
It would have cost 12 cents more to cover up that hole, I guess you can use it as a pass through for charging cables, but why would you want a giant second opening in your storage console?
What is the US obsession with eating and drinking in the car? When I drive, I drive. I don't drink coffee or anything else. Or eat.
At this point I’m convinced Doug is on a personal mission to get all car makers to make rear seat leg room enough for people his size.
Good, I’m 6 ft 4 by the way
As they should?
I have a word for rear seats that can't comfortably fit an adult, "useless." Don't bother putting them in if I can't reasonably seat people at least for short drives.
@@AHungryHunky right? Even the rear doors look half-size on this stupid thing. This car should have been 2-door and at least it'd have been honest about the carrying capacity.
It’s like the Clarkson effect all over. The DeMuro effect.
It's also worth noting that with EVs, the max range is a best case scenario. In freezing temps or when it's very hot, the range drops considerably. While this may not be an issue in a lot of CA, it is for most of the country.
Batteries are more efficient when they're hot, so not sure what you're talking about. They can get too hot, though, and then the car will shut down, but that doesn't affect range (but maybe your time).
I genuinely am curious how that cork is going to hold up long term especially on the grab handle that is especially bold. Also isn’t genuine cork in scarce supply? Interesting choice
Mazda started off making wine corks. It's a nod to their history.
After one year use it probably starts to crumble. But the Mazda fanbois here won't care.
That's what I thought as well. That cork is going to look discolored and crusty in no time. It's just not a good material for surfaces that get touched frequently or where items may shuffle about for long periods like the open storage bits.
@@fonkbadonk5370 only time will tell, cork is used in flooring but it does require a refresh of the sealant every 5 years... I doubt Mazda will warranty that work past 2 years or 60,000 miles. But the second owner would be okay (assuming a second owner bought it direct from Mazda, certified pre owned)
Cork is a speciality in Portugal. It can be treated as leather and becomes just as strong. Visited Portugal some 5 or 6 years ago. My wife bought a purse made out of cork, I bought a belt. They have both held up just fine, at least as good as leather.
Doug’s the type of guy who reviews a cars “corks and features.”
I'll pay that one. 😅
Came down here for that comment - found it, now leaving as a satisfied customer.
From quirky cars to corky cars…Doug has come a long way!
I guess you could say Doug showed us all of its... corks and features!... I'll show myself out.
Ahh yes. Corks and features! This….is a dad joke
I actually own this car and I love it! ☺️ do I wish the range was more? Of course but I’m very happy with my purchase. It’s a very unique car and I always get looks driving it
Do u even cork bro
The world is such that you can make any shitty product and there would be some people who would buy it.
I loved the rear-hinged doors on my Saturn SC coupe. Range issues aside, I really like the styling of the MX-30.
Compliance car, a bad one. That's it.
Exactly this. No surprise it's only released in Cali.
@@obliviouz There's no law this car is meeting for compliance. Mazda's corporate avg fuel economy in the US is the highest among legacy automakers, 2nd behind Tesla which doesn't use an ounce of gas. Cali only because that's where they got their Mazda dealers electric-ready and that's the only place that might buy this until the rotary comes out.
Why randomass cartoon chan commented on doug's video tf
@@obliviouz It's been in Europe for a year now and is quite popular with a loyal fan base. I don't think you understand the concept of this vehicle or that roads and countries exist outside America.
@@MaximilianvonPinneberg And yet it’s being sold in the US. It’s a valid point to say it’s merely a compliance car for the US otherwise it wouldn’t be sold in the US at all. Europe can have it, that’s all fine and dandy. But there’s a reason that some brands don’t sell well in Europe vs the US and vice versa.
16:45 - the massiveness of the fuel door is because in Japan (Mazda's home market) they use a different rapid charging plug than in the rest of the world. In Japan, rapid charging uses the CHAdeMO plug (still used by the Leaf in the USA, although every other Japanese EV maker has ditched it in the US - even Nissan's next generation EV will use CCS like the rest of North America.) The CHAdeMO plug *doesn't* double as the standard AC "household" charging plug the way it does with CCS. So in Japan, the vehicle needs *TWO* charging plugs, one for AC/home, one for DC rapid. Hence the large charge door - it's made to hold two separate ports. I'm just glad they're using CCS for North America.
I’m too high to understand what you said, I hope someone high like me understood and can translate.
@@TheSpeedBreaker007 I think he's talking about a plug that is a Chad as well as an Emo. That's weird.
I suspect it's also for the same reason the engine bay is so empty - to leave room for combustion parts (filler, engine).
Actually CHAdeMO was supposed to be the international standard. The great thing about CHAdeMO is that as a European I can go to the States and charge my car. With CCS I can’t because there are two different plugs for the EU and the US. (Type 1 for US and Type 2 for the EU) In the EU CHAdeMO is also being phased out too for the (as a Car Mechanic) worse CSS. Mind that it’s still accepted here Also know that CSS wasn’t meant for high voltage charging and CHAdeMO (Charge On The Move) was already designed around it from the start.
@@Swat_Dennis You plan on visiting the US, and waiting weeks for your car to arrive on a ship? I'd just hire one when I got there.
Once the range-extender comes out i'll buy one. Tested the ev recently and seriously has the best-quality interior of the 6 other cars i tested - way better than Ioniq5 at nearly 2x the price. Quieter too
This car pertains to a specific group. People that: 1) have no kids. 2) distance to work is not far from home 3) have multiple cars for driving long distances (specifically ICE cars) That being said, I think if you can snag a 2023 MX30 with under 10k mileage for around 20 grand it's a great deal.
I will say one thing Doug, I had a 2016 Mazda 6 with that same rotating knob to control the infotainment. For someone who doesn't daily drive, yes it's weird and awkward. But after having daily drove one, I do find myself missing it. Mazda is right about it being safer and quicker. I found myself being able to change radio stations or make a phone call without even looking at the screen because I knew the shortcut button to change to my desired area and how many turns it took to get to the selection I wanted. However, I always HATED the touchscreen being turned off when in motion. Especially when a passenger could be the one to punch in the address in maps. So I'm tron between the two. I think if they stopped with the touch screen being disabled and kept it on with the knob it'd be a perfect system.
I have a 2015 Mazda 6 GT and the screen lock out feature have been hacked out the system, so the touch screen works at any speed.
I agree with you as a Mazda 3 owner, knob is better when driving, I just wish you could have touch when stationary so I can be faster at nav stuff.
Absolutely agree. Love the rotary wheel
2019 Mazda 3 here.. and completely agreed. It took me about an hour of owning the car to get used to the selector knob and now I am finding myself loving it. If I want to get to a certain feature, I can just find it from muscle memory while I have all my attention on the road. I feel it's a much better overall system then a touch screen, though I do see why some people would want touch enabled at a stop.. that would make Nav a lot easier.
Agreed on all counts. The touchscreen hang up folks has confuses the he'll out or me.
Doug missed the opportunity to say "I'm gonna show you all of its interesting corks and features" 😅
I am buying one. The range is ok for my needs, and the value is incredible in my market (Denmark). It drives extremely well, and is very well equiped for the price.
Yo Doug! When reviewing an EV you need to talk about charging! What are the top rates for level 2 and level 3? If the level three goes 150kW or above then a smaller range becomes (slightly) less of an issue. I LOVE my Chevy '17 Bolt (recall aside), but it's 50kW fast charging rate is a major bummer.
The plug in hybrid might explain the lack of a front trunk/odd layout. Could be that they don't want to re-engineer they layout of the drive train once that comes out
I was going to say the same thing. I think this is meant to be more of a marketing gimmick than anything - Mazda is no longer a company that doesn't sell a fully-electric car/isn't part of the "electric revolution." They obviously don't care how many they sell, since they're limiting production. The car they want to sell is the plug-in hybrid, but they can get in the headlines today for having a "sustainable" all-electric car without having to worry about designing one that's actually good and will sell 50,000 units.
@@maxwellbenman5643 It just goes to show Mazda is dying out as a company if they need to rely on such piss poor tactic to sustain a brand.
@@441meatloaf what? Mazda are more popular than ever there are loads of them in the UK because they are reliable. Since their split with Ford dealers they've went with Toyota and all you see here now is Toyota and Mazda replacing the German brands, who unfortunately have a terrible reputation for reliability here now.. and they insist on touch screen controls for even the heaters, which is a huge no no in cold countries where fingers are cold and basically like a frozen sausage trying to turn a heater up and down on a twitchy screen that doesn't even work good in the summer. Reliability has fast became a top priority over here again as we're sick of the current disposable junk and we know that "yeah it will get fixed under warranty" is mostly a lie. Recent case in point> my mates M4 needed a new Rad as the top had cracked from being badly clamped together. The warranty covered the radiator but he then got a call telling him because it was the carbon pack the carbon broke off on bumper removal and that he had to pay for that and a respray on the bumper as the clear coat had cracked too. Total cost £840. Yeah, mazda and Toyota it is then, I'm wanting no part of that german finance express life.
Exactly. There's a huge gap in the front trunk because that's where the range extender is going to be located. Luckily this year year it should be released (it has been delayed before) and the car should make much more sense. I don't know if Doug omitted this in purpose or he didn't know but... Yeah. Pretty much the car drivetrain isn't finished.
That's a really good point I didn't think about
This also reminds me of Honda’s CR-Z: A car that tried to be sporty and eco-friendly but succeeded at neither attribute because of its compromised design.
As a former CRX owner, I wanted a CRZ so badly. Even with its comprised character, I thought it was beautiful. Not practical though because, well, life!
@@christopherhamilton5557 I also liked the styling, and in later years, a supercharger kit became available as a dealer-installed option, but I feel that a purely electric model that’s fun to drive or a model with, say, the Civic Si power train would have been very tantalizing.
as a current crz owner it personally is a good car and super good with gas. and while it also being “rare” in the usa it sounds amazing when tuned
@@SP84Fanatic yep, a pure EV, and a performance model. That would have been cool! The vehicle was a bit early for the pure EV sadly.
I had a CR-Z for a few years until "life". It was genuinely fun to drive (obviously not fast) with the 6MT and I got nearly 40MPG. Pretty good compromise IMHO. My wife hated the styling though!
I just leased one yesterday, and they have dropped the price pretty substantially. Also there are rebates Mazda can get that other brands can’t because they’ve sold less than 200,000 electric cars in the US. I also have about $6500 in rebates coming my way from the state of California and my county. My monthly payment is $311, so with the rebates and gas vs electric factored in its almost free.
Ignore this review if you’re only taking around the city, it’s perfect for that. Mazda feeling when you drive it and an awesome sound system. Bad rap may be Warranted if you’re taking it on long trips but during Covid times where you’re restricted to your city it does an excellent job!
I'm surprised you haven't mentioned the rotary range extender planned for the future. Quirks like the massive fuel door and the badly used space in the engine bay can be explained by the hybrid model. I'm just amused to see them use the exact same rear door handle like the one in my RX-8.
He does mention the planned plugin-hibrid version at 26:02 - but doesn't mention that it's gonna be a rotary.
@@Treveljan Yeah but I think Doug would be more interested in the quirky rotary
The rotary was key for this car. It explains why its limited release right now too
Fun fact: Audi once also planned an e-tron Hybrid with a rotary range extender
oh year i remember seeing the press material about that getting leaked a while ago. Electric/rotary car. Now thats something you dont see everyday
Apparently they're planning a PHEV hybrid version of this, which explains the dismal range and no frunk so they can jam in a 3 cyl ICE. My guess is that they designed this to be a PHEV first and then decided to launch a battery-only version in order to meet some Cali-only spec, much like the Fiat 500e was just a bunch of Bosch parts jammed into a regular 500.
a rotary range extender, not a 3 cyl*
Yeah, they might have to have a full electric vehicle by a certain date to be able to continue operations in CA.
Love the excuses people have here.
@@betterbeavailable who's excusing anything? It's mystifying why this car sucks so much and the answer is that it's an on paper California compliance vehicle.
@@betterbeavailable it was designed as a plug-in hybrid originally. Look it up. This was converted to all-electric because of CA compliance
A rotary dial for a infotainment screen is a great idea. It's less attention absorbing and provides a tactility that gives a premium feeling
I like that this car looks like a normal car on the exterior, not annoyingly futuristic imo. Also like them keeping some traditional gauges and gadgets. The car is limiting though
I actually like the look of the car. But the range is just a complete deal killer. After seeing under the hood it looks like this was supposed to be a gas powered car and they just pulled the engine and slapped in a battery.
A plug-in hybrid variant with a ROTARY engine is coming next year. That's why there's so much space under that hood-
In Japan the MX30 is offered as a PHEV, which explains the extra unused space under the hood. A gasoline engine is supposed to go there in Japanese models.
This pretty much explains most off the car's oddities: it's a hybrid car without the combustion part, reduced to the electric part only
и ещё наверно хотели поставить их новый двигатель на 250 коней
mazda announced they were gonna make phev with rotarys so there you go
That's pretty obvious, this chassis looks just like a regular ICE car converted into EV by some enthusiast.
@@xoc - ROTARY as in SINGULAR as the RANGE EXTENDER Mazda is trying to get approved (good luck) for this MX-30 is a single-rotor 650cc or so engine (think of it as 1/2 of a 13B engine).
One of the things I like about my 2020 Toyota Camry is that the radio station can be changed by pressing a button on the steering wheel. I don't need to look away from the road, as long as I remember the order of my frequency presets. It looks like the MX-30 only has the volume control on the steering wheel.
The turn signals reminds me of the incandescent bulb ones, and I like it.
There is another drawback to the doors. The driver seatbelt is also fixed to the rear door. So if you want to let someone out, who is in the back seat, the driver first has to undo their seat belt. Only then can you open the rear door.
Right!? even my honda element has the driver seatbelt connected to the seat
Everyone: We need decent range for an EV. Mazda: The doors are rear hinged, neat huh? Everyone: But seriously how are we supposed to feel comfortable with such low range? Mazda: We can add more cork, and we’re still taking a big risk.
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That's not the point of this car. The price isn't high. $35k (£25k) isn't a lot for a car. It's on a par with a fairly base spec Golf.
@@MaximilianvonPinneberg golf will go 500+ km on full tank... this will take 2 days for that trip
@@catto9694 The MX30 isn't designed for those trips as I've said repeatedly throughout these comments. This is designed to be a second car. The family's main car might be a Tesla or ID6 or eTron. That is where this sits. It is pretty ridiculous to spend £75,000 on a Tesla just to take the kids to school and pop to the supermarket. (Yes I know people buy Range Rovers to do the same task but this is a different argument) The Golf will also be excluded form certain town/city centres unlike the MX30. I was using the Golf reference to show that as an EV, this isn't that expensive especially when you consider the interior quality and driving experience. (The Golf e Mk 7 for comparison was around £28,000). The base Golf is also a thing that is no longer decent quality and has little equipment.
@Nomen Clature It is not a lot, it is similar to a base model Golf. Perhaps spending £75,000 on a Tesla is not expensive to you because it does 360 miles range. This car is not designed to replace the main car for a family, it is designed to replace the 2nd, commuter car.
On most of the quirks and features, we agree. With all that said, I'm more a fan of the dial than of the touch screen. My Honda's infotainment touch screen gets filthy and I have to clean it 1-2 times each week or it becomes a nightmare to deal with. My dad's Audi has a dial-based infotainment system, where the buttons around the dial correspond with menu options in the corners of the screen. Even though I drive his car maybe 5 times a year, I can fly around the interface just as easily as I can navigate my Honda's system. Even better, when I'm on the highway, I can just use the dial because I know how many clicks my most commonly used menu options are from each other and I don't even have to look at the screen to move around. The one place I've noticed awkward interactions has been with using CarPlay, but that's mainly because I'm used to touch-screen-based CarPlay. Apple's dial and switch controls are fairly smooth and easy to acclimate to after a few interactions, no doubt from their learning with button and switch controls in iOS and macOS for accessibility purposes. I may be a weirdo, but I'm a big fan of the infotainment dial!
I liked this car before but as soon as I heard about the MSRP and the range it had I completely changed my mind. I still like its weirdness but other than that there was no reason for Mazda to release this to the US market.
I get the feeling this car was going to have a combustion engine originally. I believe this because a lot of the design choices don't make sense and seem rushed. Just having all the power converter and electronic control systems under the hood looks odd and seems very last minute. I think towards the end of development the Mazda board wanted to enter EV's so they ditched the ICE and stuck all the EV bits up front because there was no were else to put them. I also think the range sucks because they didn't have much room under the cabin floor to fit many battery packs as they didn't originally design the car with a large under body area for the batteries. Lastly the name MX-30 doesn't indicate the car is an EV just a tacky decal slapped on the side.
They're planning on making a plug-in hybrid variant with a ROTARY engine next year. Also, the MX signifies it's a "sporty" vehicle and meant to be exciting. 30 is for the size (same size as the CX-30). Let's just hope the plug-in is better..
Toward the end of the video, Doug mentioned that Mazda will bring out a plug-in hybrid version. This not only fits in with what you said, but also explains why they didn't put in a front "trunk" -- the extra space would be for the hybrid's ICE.
The mx30 came out in aus as a hybrid with a normal inline 4 before the electric version even came to our shores.
@@pianoman3214 yeah we have this in Europe
@@Frizzionnare Lol if the MX signifies sporty then they gotta switch the M and C around in their lineup, CX-30 Turbo is a blast to drive.
I've had this car for over a year, paid way less even with most options (Norway). It's our car number two. I love driving it and actually very happy with it. In my opinion the only drawback is the range, but for me that's not an issue.
My condolences
@@PokerFace837 🤣
@@tylero354 This vehicle started selling a year ago on Europe bud
@@tylero354 Do You relly thik Norway is some forgotten state of US?! My god, you peope are dumb as they say :D I also had a chance to drive this car in mid 2021 as a replacment car for my CX-30 here in Poland (not a state of US) and also i find this car quite pleasen to use (same as "the worst" bmw i3). In Norwey they have some discounts for electric cars financed by govermwnt. Here in PL we do not have such thing and the car is qute expensive. Much more then 32k
Hallå nordmann som ser på Doug Demuro 😊 Jeg digger Mazda, hadde 1991 626 2.2i sedan, elsket den. De som ser på denne kanalen vet ikke at myndighetene sponser elbiler kraftig, st den er billigere. Uansett, liker st du forsvarer Mazda og håper de får igang noe wankel-opplegg snart. MX 30 er fin å se på da!
I agree with Mazda on touch screens. My dad has the 2020 Mazda 6, and touch inputs are disabled when moving. I rest my arm on the armrest, and where the knob is, is muscle memory, just like any other button or knob. I dont have to hover my arm in the air or put any energy into using the screen. I just use the knob as a joystick or rotate it to go up and down, press it to selec, back button with thumb
This car have definitely some major drawbacks, but i still can see this car being a reliable day to day city drive, easy to service (due to the spacious engine compartment) , as a two seater with option to bring the kids with. It probably makes more sense being sold here in Europe, Price tag is high as the brand Quality is. PS-The kork decision is from what i gather a great idea.
when i first saw this car i thought "this looks EXACTLY like teh type of car doug would love" but unfortunately a huge miss from mazda
I think he is going go love it in 5 years with low prices :D
Your parents don‘t love you, unfortunately
Fun fact! The MX-30 is related to the CX-30 sold in Mexico that fits in between the CX-2 and CX-5, but below the CX-9. This seems more like a compliance vehicle for states like California, but it's still pretty cool.
Wow. First time watching your channel. Good stuff!
I actually agree with Mazda on the touchscreens. I have an RDX with the touchpad and I find that much easier and faster to use on the fly than a touchscreen.
As someone who grew up riding in the back of a Honda Element...I can attest to the annoyance of rear hinged doors 😂
It takes a minute for Mazdas infotainment system but once you got the muscle memory down in a Mazda, you can’t beat it. It’s so easy and nice
For years,BMW's I drive was spoken about by car reviews as " the best in the business. Mazda do the same and now it's old fashioned and worse than a touch screen 😲
Yeah, pretty sure everything beats this car 😂
13:09 Now I know why my city's council decided to equipe our traffic police with this thing, not really to brag about their sustainability involvement but rather just to make the arrested person's ride to the police station as more uncomfortable as it can get
great review man I enjoyed this one.
Denmark here - We got ours in june -21 and absolutely love it. Beautiful car, and wonderful to drive. We never use the back seat, so it's folded down, good size cago area. We hardly drive more han 15-20 km in one go, charge it at home. Not everybody has a lot of kids and commute long distances every day. Or are interested in winning a race when the lights turn green. Maybe Mazda went for the older, wealthier consumer, who like to spend money on interior quality and good driving experience - not everybody is a young hothead who is out to impress. Our other car is a -96 Mercedes. if we want to go on a longer drive.
I am not sure if I have ever seen a wealthy person that likes to spend their money foolishly... I don't have an issue with the car being what it is, low range, not that fast, not really that practical, in fact I own a fiat 500e. But the problem here is the price. The only way for it to make sense for anyone, is to get it for way less money.
@@otakarlibal - It is actually not that expensive in Denmark, if you compare it to other 100% Ev. We looked at an ID3, 10.000 UD$ more. Here it't concidered low priced, almost discount. And we didn't "spend our money foolishly". We liked it, bought it cash, enjoy it. Why is that foolish? I think it is foolish spending two weeks in Thailand for a holiday. It is all about your priorities.
@@evamohlin1693 nothing against your choice, I am happy you are enjoying it. Just in general if you can get a car like the citroen eC4 or opel mokka-e or whatever else like those two for the same price with more than double the range and proper four doors and space for the passengers, it seems hard to justify getting the Mazda. The opel or the citroen can take you outside of the city, the Mazda not really. Even if you dont care about the range, the bigger battery is going to last longer because you wouldn't cycle it as much. I completely understand people buying unpractical overpriced cars in certain cases. If I was thinking back about my life on my deathbed, owning a Ferrari would be something to look back to. The Mazda just doesnt seem like a "dream car" and there seem to be many other much more sensible options. I am sure the Mazda is great to drive, but so would be the other options which would also have more space, better range and so on.
Yeah I feel like this car IS for Europe, where the local store, school and then work isn’t hundreds of km apart like in America
@@otakarlibal - On my deatbed, I hope I don't think of a car, but of my family, friends and animals. And my garden. Love my garden. And we don't have passengers. Those doors are actually very practical fo loading things. We live outside the city, just drive shorter distances to the nearest village now and then. So for us it is not at all unpractical.
Sorry have to disagree with you there Doug. I have a 2020 Mazda3 and I find the dial and buttons a lot easier to use than a touchscreen. It's easy and simple
Of course! At least there’s no a giant mirror as a screen with distracting reflections.
I completely agree with you. I dont like touchscreens and |I have a mazda 3 sport tech and its simply a great car.
Agree as a Mazda 3 2022 owner, just wish you could use the touch when stationary so I could insert an address faster, but tbf this forced me to learn the admittedly good voice commands instead.
Got a Mazda3 manual. This infotainment is great.
@@anthonygregg862 that is a great car I fix the things and I've never seen one on warranty.
I think it's fine. The half doors could have been a bit longer. I appreciate the second touchscreen in this car.
I have the new CX-5 and I love the dial to control the screen and it does feel much safer than a touch screen.
I hope Doug revisits this when the rotary range extender version that Mazda is planning is released. I agree that this is a very low effort product from Mazda for CARB reasons and they probably should've tried harder regardless, but the rotary range extender does interest me.
Rotary engines have been proven time and time and time again to be outrageouslyyy unreliable and impractical, there’s not a chance in actual hell a rotary engine would be tolerated in the 2022 world. People expect to be able to start their car and go, none of that ridiculous nonsense that rotary engine brings, that’s and enthusiast engine only, nothing a mainstream car buy would ever put up with.
@@jaredchampagne2752 don't care plus didn't ask
@@aliabdi6094 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
@@jaredchampagne2752 ratio
@@aliabdi6094 It's official! You also don't care about your parents and any of your family member. Believe it or not, some car enthusiasts do care about practically and reliability for their daily driver.
i drive a 2019 mazda3 premium hatch, and the touchscreen thing doesn’t really bother me. the screen’s pushed back away from you, so you can see it relatively easily while driving. not only do i think it looks nicer because it adds depth to the cabin, but it also makes it easy to use/see when driving. the swivel wheel system is also super easy, and i actually much prefer it over a touchscreen. i think it’s something only owners/people who have driven the cars for a while know.
Same. I have the sedan and I wholeheartedly agree.
i really like the mazda 3, considering to get one eventually.
My MX5 has both touch and the wheel in the center. And i NEVER use the touch. I compleatly agree with mazda on this, glad at least one car company isn't blindly following trends.
Agreed, and with Android Auto, there's quite a bit I can do with my voice and Google assistant as well.
I drive a BMW 4 series, BMW iDrive has a similar system that IMO does it better than Mazda. It’s a scroll wheel based system, but there are certain touch screen integrations for things like Apple CarPlay. I use Waze for navigation on CarPlay and when I tried in the Mazda system there were a lot of drawbacks, it made it harder to open and close CarPlay apps, it took forever to make a call that would’ve been 2 clicks in my car and on Waze itself I couldn’t report things like police or road hazards, which in my own car I can do in 2 seconds with the touch screen without ever taking my eyes off the road. It’s little things like that Mazda can change to improve the system but in general I agree, the scroll wheel becomes a second nature thing you can operate without really thinking about it. Even though my car has the touch screen too, I find the wheel generally easier to use except for those few functions. That being said, there’s always places to improve and being stuck in this “we think a dial is safer so we won’t budge at all from our current system even if it sometimes makes functions take a lot longer potentially at the risk of that safety” mentality is stupid
I appreciate you also displaying the range in km 👍
2 of my neighbours have this car. Every time I walk past I change my mind if I think it looks terrible or not. I do like the overhang hood.
This chassis was definitely ment for a plug in a hybrid or some sort of system, All that engine space is probably meant to fit an engine and transmission
Mazda intended to put a rotary in that massive space
It would’ve been really awesome if Mazda used a rotary engine as a range extender
That was the plan. Not sure if it has changed though.
I think there is one in development, but mazda been on/off about the whole thing
A rotary wouldn't even be good as a range extender. It's common knowledge that rotaries burn fuel the way a drunkard downs alcohol.
@@rayboccino5174 The rotary will operate at constant rpm to limit that. Also a rotary runs far smoother than the motorcycle engine in the i3 for example
Yeah, and solved the oil consumption problem of rotory engines by using cannabis oil for lubrication instead of regular/synthetic engine oil. Duuude...my car uses weed as luuuube!
11:10 your opinion on the screen is valid it could be easier, but owning this system of the infortainment in my mazda I love it and it’s you get used to it super fast. Can you believe I’m able to navigate almost entirely without removing my eyes of the road, you remember with the number of clicks in the turns
I would buy this car just for the cork!! I had no idea it was on the door handles too, that is so cool 😎
10:55 me personally, i like this wheel better. Extremly easy to use while driving. Touch screen only input sucks when youre driving. Plus mazdas screens are super responsive and intuitive.
In my opinion they should use a touch screen AND a control knob like mercedes-benz do, it makes so much sense than forcing to use only one way to control the infotainment system.
I agree. I own a 2018 Mazda3 and I prefer the wheel control instead of the touchscreen. I've become so used to my car that I no longer need to look at the screen anymore. For example, changing from Bluetooth to FM radio. I tap the wheel to the left about 4 time, then tap it up 5 times, press the wheel and I've switched from Bluetooth audio to FM radio and I haven't even taken my eyes off the road. I agree with the Mazda engineers on this one.
@@TheCostantinus my Mazda6 2017.5 is both touch screen and knob.
@@tonywildasin not new ones. Only knobs. I bet on the fact mazda had no money to develop a new touchscreen interface hence they went for s cheap knob, given everything else they cheaped on.
The knob is genius! Down with touch screen!
Sorry Doug, I have to go with Mazda on this one! Owning a SportWagen with touch screens, and a CX-5 which has a knob, I still contend the latter is not only easier to operate while driving but also safer.
I hope to god that the touchscreen fad dies.
What is a SportWagen?
@@bilgetonyukuk5530 larger version of the vw golf. Golf Extended wheels base kinda thing.
Touchscreens are too distracting. I barely had to concentrate in my old Audi Q5 MMI system that used a knob with no touchscreen. Sadly, I don't have that car any longer and the touchscreen in my new car takes too much attention to ensure I select the right part of the screen. Everything is still tucked into several levels of menus with either touch or rotary dial and rotary dial is so easy to use while I concentrate on driving.
@@bilgetonyukuk5530 - station wagon / estate version of the Mk. 6-7 Golf (in the Mk. 6 generation was sold as a Jetta in USDM).
I have one of the only Mazdas who is infotainment system is touchscreen and I can’t even tell you the last time that I used it the Circular buttons they used to control the infotainment system is flawless
hey doug just wanted to say I'd really love to see you do a review on the honda del sol!
I feel like Mazda was like “quick we need an EV!” And then just went to the parts department and grabbed 8 car batteries and stuffed them under the seats.
Nah. See all the special details: the interior, the weird doors, ... They put some real development effort in this project.
Not at all, its was a electric car with a range extender developed entirely from scratch to be an electric car, the "frunk" is empty since Mazda has plans on letting customers retro-fit the range extender engine into older models when its ready, they are currently working on a super tiny wankel engine for this purpose. Thats what my local dealership told me but... i keep my 2018 Mazda 3 for a while because i drive 80% of its theoretical range to work everyday.
more like 8 double A batteries
@@oliverandersson1991 this has got to be it. Explains the large charger door and the extra space under the hood.
@@bfragged really, it's not the fact that no one cares, and no one is buying these?
I think what happened with this car is they're taking a vehicle meant to be an extended EV and simply removed the engine... thus you got the mediocre range. Mazda of course wants to spin it as intentional but really if it was designed from square one as an EV it would have more range.
I didn’t think about that. Makes sense. I don’t hate this car as-is, but it’s unimpressive
Someone said that in overseas markets such as Australia it is sold as a hybrid. That would explain under the hood and it’s range
@@marcustaylor3225 Just looked it up, comes with a rotary engine here in Australia. Probably give it enough oomph with the electric motors...
When I went to film the DS9 in Edinburgh the other week, the dealership where saying they sold one of these new and the owner traded it in within a couple of months for the DS3 electric
I wish they would've just given this car a competitive platform. Like the Ioniq 5 and EV6, those are actually amazing cars with upscale interiors and unique design - and I say that as someone who absolutely adores their Mazda CX-30.
Mazda: we don’t want to put in a touch screen infotainment system because it’s unsafe. Also Mazda: we put in seat controls on the back of the drivers seat.
@Matt P Smashing the driver up against the steering wheel is not safe.
The warming for the "shift lever" to start the vehicle is a prety standar for a electric vehicle o industrial like lift truck or a stock chaser
Learning about Mazda's stance on touch screens, it suddenly shot up in my favorite car manufacturer list. Finally someone that gets it... Mazda might become my next car brand
Just as some of the commenters already mentioned the reason for marketing this car as it is right now (which is a bit undercooked) is strictly for corporate emissions compliance. At least that’s their reason for selling it in Europe, possibly the same in California. As to the huge fuel door and the weirdly arranged space under the hood there are numerous reasons for it. As mentioned in another comment, it needs space for two plugs for the Japanese market, but launching it as a full electric was a sort of afterthought as it was initially launched in Japan, Australia and New Zealand as a mild hybrid with a 2.0L Skyactiv, hence fuel door for actual fuel and no frunk. This space was engineered to be either occupied by the 2.0L 4 cylinder or a combo of the electric motor and the ICE range extender that’s coming next model year. Worth mentioning that Mazda decided that the range extender is going to be a rotary engine. I really want to like this car, and there are many subjective reasons to, but it’s just not very practical yet expensive and not exciting enough
Rotary engines have been proven time and time and time again to be outrageouslyyy unreliable and impractical, there’s not a chance in actual hell a rotary engine would be tolerated in the 2022 world. People expect to be able to start their car and go, none of that ridiculous nonsense that rotary engine brings, that’s and enthusiast engine only, nothing a mainstream car buy would ever put up with.
That gas fuel door is on the driver side on the gas MX-30 and the CX-30 its based on. Japan's charger is different and needs the space (I think there's two plugs side by side), explains the extra real estate in US/EU
@@jaredchampagne2752 they are really doing it though. They have been wanting to reintroduce the rotary engines for some time now, but it would exclude them from many markets due to emissions. They apparently decided that the only way a rotary will make a comeback is as a range extender/generator. It kinda makes sense given they are very good at producing much power from small capacity and are compact in size.
The design is actually really cool, I wish it had a longer range….and maybe larger rear room/cargo area.
I actually think this meets the average electric cars use case better than the competition. Most electric cars are 2nd cars as people always want gas for longer trips, and most peoples commute is 40-50 miles per day so having a premium affordable EV with a smaller battery just for commuting makes a lot of sense to me
I live in the UK and seen at least 3 of these on the road and 100s for sale through dealers available immediately
Here in Japan Mazda offers both the gas and hybrid versions, available with AWD. Don't know why they don't in California.
I don't know if it got cancelled but I think they originally designed this to have a rotary range extender. Would explain the poor range and space in the engine bay.
That makes a lot more sense than what we got. I was looking at one of these for the missus, but the price and poor range turned me off it
this car is basically the rotary hybrid without the rotary hybrid, and it's made to placate some regulations. nobody is supposed to buy this car.
Thank you, Doug, for this car's corks and features!
I have an electric Renault Zoe, 58 hp and it has a range of 150 km, and it's perfect for me. I travel 1000 km a month, I charge it 10-15 times a month in the evening and for me it is an ideal city car with which I even go to the nearby cities at 15 and 30 km. Yes, a few kilometers pass with one charge, but the charging at the stations is fast and you can stop after 100 km to rest and be ready for another 100 km. Acceleration to 100 km / h is about 10 seconds, but from 0 to 50 km / h (which is the limit in cities in Europe) is super fast, even mine with its modest 58 hp and still ahead of all other cars in the city , yes, it's not Tesla, but for the money I bought mine, $ 9500 2014 is great. For those of us who can't afford to buy Telsa or another electric one, it's great for us!
It's obviously a compliance car in my eyes, and I don't think that they're expecting this car to sell well anyway, otherwise I think they would have brought more in. Jalopnik did an article about this car that is an interesting read. They have a quote from a Mazda national manager in it that gave me the impression that they don't intend this car to be someone's primary car, and that based on their "research", someone that would want to buy one of these already owns another car capable of a longer range. So with that being said, I guess that allows them to justify the 100 mile range. Yes, the car is odd, and their marketing behind it seems odd, but I found this review to be a little harsh. You reviewed it with the mindset of this being someone's one and only car, which doesn't seem to be Mazda's intention here.
I get the 100mi range. I can live with that. That would have made a nice city car. But this car doesn't bring anything new to the table to justify the 35 grand asking price. The Bolt or Leaf or ID4 are better in every way.
What's the use case/selling point for this being a non-primary car though? It's not fast, doesn't go far, and can't even fit 4 people comfortably. Grocery getter? Bring your only child to school? Why pay $35k for this if you already have a primary vehicle?
@@travellingslimI have no clue. Obviously this car is only going to meet the needs of a VERY small group of people, which is why most of us (including myself) don't see any purpose to this car or don't understand Mazda's reasoning behind it. As I said, it seems like a compliance car so that Mazda can say that they have an EV in their lineup and they're using every excuse they can think of to justify its existence.
8:55 the idea behind a household plug sounds lit but I’m sure plugging anything into that would just destroy it’s already sad 100 miles of range 😂
100 miles without anything plugged in 24 miles if you want to use your hair dryer while driving
An electric car will consume on average about 10 kW (rough estimate). A typical laptop consume around 50 w, so a laptop consumes around 0,5% as much as the car does. It will not be very noticable on the range. Hairdryer, sure, it consumes 1-2 kW (so, 100 miles without anything plugged in, ~85 miles if using hairdryer while driving, ~99.5 miles if using laptop while driving).
My respect for Mazda has gone up after seeing this. We desperately need more car manufacturers to make unique and different cars and take risks. Good Job Mazda!
I reckon they will last a lot longer than other electric cars. Mazda has a reputation for being more reliable to begin with, plus a smaller battery pack means there is a lower chance of having a single module go bad and make the whole thing unusable as I have heard some owners of early EVs have experienced. This is probably more ideally suited as a daily commuter car for someone who can afford it.
Here's the thing: This is a CX-30 with a different body and a crammed in EV system. So Mazda had the chance to _at least_ make it practical even if it had a bad range, but instead it's impractical and not quirky enough (ie i3) to have a load of personality either. I saw one (it's been on sale in Europe forever now and I've only ever seen one, the sales are abysmal) live for the first time a week or so ago and it didn't really stand out from the other small SUVs parked next to it so not even that is going for it.
I'm in Uk and regularly see 4 or 5 near me. It makes a lot of sense as a commuter car for ULEZ and zero emission town centres. I thin kit is hugely characterful. It has real charm and is good looking.
I'd like to ad, this interior looks much better in the light cloth. Almost Hygge.
I see like 5 everyday and I travel 50km from the countryside to Amsterdam (The Netherlands).
it's the same cx30 with weird doors not even different body
@@mg1721 It's a different body just similar dimensions.
I agree with Mazda's take on touchscreens. I never use the touchscreen in my MINI, only the scroll wheel and buttons.
i think its cool and perfect for small family who lives in the city but still are able to go to the ski resort
I have a Mazda 3 2021 and love the non touch screen display the knob is way easier in my opinion no effort.
“How do you possibly have a car go 100 miles for $35,000?” 1. As everyone’s said, compliance car. 2. It qualifies for the $7,500 tax credit. 3. It won’t burn your house down. Probably.