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Double the Drive: The 2022 Mazda CX-30 2.5 Turbo AWD


2022 Mazda CX-30 2.5 Turbo AWD front 3/4 view

Some cars can go years without making an appearance in the press fleet. Others show up like clockwork around the same time each year. The Mazda CX-30? I drove the 2021 model in late July and reviewed it here---so it's been about eight months between visits.


2022 Mazda CX-30 2.5 Turbo AWD rear 3/4 view

There's only been one major change this year---but it's a good one: ALL Mazda CX-30s are now all-wheel drive. Don't think that Mazda's just built you a budget off-roader---the CX-30 hasn't got the ground clearance for that. But there's a payoff in wet weather, light snow and even every day performance as the power now goes to the ground via all four wheels.


2022 Mazda CX-30 2.5 Turbo AWD hood up

2022 Mazda CX-30 2.5 Turbo AWD

Mazda fixed one big shortcoming in the CX-30 last year, when it made the 2.5 turbo four available. There was nothing wrong with the CX-30 that 41 extra horsepower couldn't cure---and that's exactly what this did. 225 horsepower instead of 184. Mazda says if you feed it 93 octane gasoline, it will actually make 250. It's torquey, too---310 lb-ft on 87 octane regular, 320 on the hi-grade stuff. That knocks 0-60 runs in the CX-30 to less than six seconds. If I had one wish left, it would be for more gears. There's still a six-speed automatic in there, which makes the CX-30 less competitive in terms of fuel economy when compared to logical rivals like the Subaru Crosstrek, Toyota C-HR and Kia Seltos at 22 city/30 highway. Handling is terrific, though---which you'd expect from Mazda to begin with, but the CX-30 is equipped with Mazda's G-Vectoring Plus, which adjusts engine torque to steering inputs.


2022 Mazda CX-30 2.5 Turbo AWD rear liftgate open

2022 Mazda CX-30 2.5 Turbo AWD rear cargo area

2022 Mazda CX-30 2.5 Turbo AWD interior

2022 Mazda CX-30 2.5 Turbo AWD rear seat

2022 Mazda CX-30 2.5 Turbo AWD front seats

2022 Mazda CX-30 2.5 Turbo AWD front seat detail

2022 Mazda CX-30 2.5 Turbo AWD instrument panel

And Mazda continues to do the best interiors in Asian compact imports. This is Audi-level stuff. The infotainment system is still funky---not a touchscreen, but controlled by a knob on the console---but it's less balky than before and now has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.


The base price of the 2022 Mazda CX-30 2.5 Turbo AWD with the Premium Plus package is $34,400 and it's packed with standard equipment including 18-inch wheels, leather-trimmed seats, a full suite of active safety features, a 12-speaker Bose premium audio system and a moonroof.


2022 Mazda CX-30 2.5 Turbo AWD steering wheel and gauge cluster

2022 Mazda CX-30 2.5 Turbo AWD center console

2022 Mazda CX-30 2.5 Turbo AWD infotainment and HVAC

And, Mazda, being one of the manufacturers that believes in very specific content per trim level, stops it there, apart from $125 for a stainless rear bumper guard. So the as-tested price of the 2022 Mazda CX-30 2.5 Turbo AWD with Premium Plus package, including delivery processing and handling fee, is $35,750.


2022 Mazda CX-30 2.5 Turbo AWD front view

2022 Mazda CX-30 2.5 Turbo AWD side view

2022 Mazda CX-30 2.5 Turbo AWD rear view

Small crossovers are a hot market segment right now---and giving all CX-30s AWD is a smart move on Mazda's part, making an already desirable vehicle even more so.

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