New 2026 Mazda CX-30 2.5 S Preferred

In Transit. The CX-30 is great for a lot of reasons but there are also quite a few drawbacks to consider. On the uphand the car is put together well… everything feels solid, there are no rattles or squeaks, the drivetrain is super solid (2.5 I4 + 6 speed auto), the engine works well with the transmission and I feel good about the reliability of both components, the safety systems in the car work well, all the lights in and on the car are all LED on all trims which is nice, the car is an IIHS top safety pick+, the car looks much more expensive than what it is… people have confused my CX-30 for a Mercedes/BMW multiple times, the base 8 speaker audio system is really good for a base system, the seats are really comfortable for most all body types, and I like how simple the car is… it’s refreshing. There are some downsides and they are as follows, the engine is relatively loud and the noise from the engine isn’t pleasant, the 18in wheels don’t give the car the best ride quality or turning circle, the car doesn’t get the best MPG in the class (avg. is 26mpg), the cupholders are placed in a weird spot which makes accessing larger cups a challenge, the beltline of the car is high which means the windows are small and hinder visibility, the back seats are cramped… really cramped, there is a significant blind spot due to the small windows in the rear (I would highly advise getting a CX-30 with blind spot monitoring), the exhaust/driveshaft creates a large hump in between the seats in the second row which makes it even more cramped for someone sitting in the middle seat, and the parking brake engages automatically and can be tricky to disengage when you set off.