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.
@@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.
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 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.
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 .
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
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 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👍🏻
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?
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.
you can get them for 16 now...great option now for people that need an around town car. Not sure if the additional 4k tax credit for used cars can be applied, but if so, that would be an astounding deal.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
@@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.
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.
@@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.
@@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.
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.
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.
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.
@@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.
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.
@@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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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 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.
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.
@@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).
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
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.
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.
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.
@@youtubehandleofficial 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!
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
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.
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
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.
@@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.
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
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 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.
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.
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 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.
@@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.
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
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 😲
that is probably why I am considering one of these, I missed out on an Avantime and think this will be the same. Also I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE the interior especially in the light cloth trim.
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.
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.
@@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.
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!
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
Disagree with you on the dial and touchscreen ease of use. BMW’s iDrive system is much easier to use with the control dial than a touchscreen. It is something physical that can benefit from muscle memory and doesn’t require you to focus solely on the screen when interacting with it.
The only disagreement I have is that BMW iDrive has *some* touch screen integration for things like Apple CarPlay, I’ve used the Mazda infotainment system and it has no touch features at all and makes CarPlay really hard to use, especially for certain apps like Waze
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).
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.
As a 2018 BMW i3 owner who paid barely over $20G, i'll defend it all day long as a great car to cheaply put effortless miles on, its been trouble free and liberating to say the least. However, it also has a Range Extender, which is game changing since it extends the 130 mile range to over 200 in a pinch, while greatly reducing range anxiety. Furthermore, where is this mythical $30G Chevy Bolt? Everytime i've been to the Chevy configurator for the Bolt i've always ended up with a $42G car with very minimal options which is too close to Model 3 pricing to not choose the Model 3. Trust me, rear opening, rear hinged doors are a major pain in the ass, beyond the reasons that Doug explained. These doors can turn a tight fitting parking lot experience into a comedy routine with a rear seat passenger. This car only makes sense to a manufacturer who doesn't want to sell it; rather as a solution to meet a compliance benchmark to sell cars in California. For years, Toyota sold a wonderful RAV4 EV with a 60 KwH battery for the same reason, and its was only in CA as well. As an EV owner does this car appeal to me? no; even if you have limitless convenient access to a charger in your garage. Remember, range is greatly effected by everyday driving habits such as driving too fast, (i.e.75 mph+) hills, heat, cold and accessory use, plus you don't want to bring it home on the last electron, so 75 miles of range is not enough to not have to be aware of its limitations. I do think the Federal and state rebates and credits will bring the price down into the 20's which might get them off the lots.
To your question regarding the $30k Bolt (current battery issues not withstanding) - where are they? At dealer lots. Just like any Chevy you'd be a fool to pay MSRP for a Bolt. I leased a fully loaded Bolt with a sticker close to $44k and out the door price was around $25k. You're absolutely right - at $42k I too would've much rather bought a Model 3, but that's not the reality we live in. Remember, you ALWAYS pay MSRP for a Tesla. You NEVER pay MSRP for a Chevy (or at least you'd be crazy to do so).
@@shehandesilva7530 I live in the PNW where everything from the red hot housing market, to cars, to gas is always way more expensive than it deserves to be. Do I have any confidence that I could get a deal anywhere near what you're saying on a Bolt EV here? no. However, finding a $30K Bolt EV in Minnesota or Oklahoma might very well be very possible.
@@jefffaller8474 funny, I'm not speaking of some dead market either. In fact I was in Portland, OR at the time. Got my bolt at Chevy of Wilsonville just south of town. Had a Spark EV for a steal before that too. These weren't some special deals only I was able to get - all the dealerships in the area had similar pricing and I was able to make them compete against each other. You just need to keep an eye on their pricing as it all depends on when Chevy decides to put cash on the hood of whichever vehicle they want to push more units of. Certainly a game of timing and patience but it's not uncommon at all.
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.
What i love about the mx-30 is that as a carguy that prefers analog and gas powered cars, this is one of the few cars who has some analog stuff and looks like the dashboard ang radio, the gear lever, in a world full of cars with touch screen, this is the car id go to, i wish theyd increase the range
@@yungboicontigo9278 I’ve owned my 2017 Mazda3 since it was new, and the infotainment knob is one of my favorite features. It takes a bit of getting adjusted to, but the ease of use is far superior than a touch screen in my opinion. Any time I use a car with a touch screen, I can’t keep it in the lines 😂
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.
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.
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’m a big fan of the commander knob. With a tiny bit of practice, you can intuitively enable/disable/change a setting without even looking at the screen.
Doug, as Mazda owner I have to say I like using the dial instead of a touch screen. I can see why for you it's a bit awkward, you only spend one day with the car. Yes, the dial takes a little time to learn it as oppose to a touch screen where it has day 1 usability. But after you learn the layout of the infotainment system and how to use the dial it's WAAAAYYY faster and easier than using a touch screen. In fact, for the most common features, I don't even need to look at the screen because I have the muscle memory my hand to get to the option I need. You can't really ever operate a touch screen without taking your eyes of the road no matter how good you get with it. Also, I don't ever feel comfortable looking at a screen that is not in my line of sight when I'm driving. I can't ever own a car without this feature. Sorry Doug. I am a long time fan of the channel but this is like the 3rd time you've complained about this on Mazda cars and I just had to say this. Also it looks like the comment section is being flooded with other Mazda and BMW owners (Mazda copied BMW’s iDrive system) saying the same thing.
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.
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
“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.
Honestly I like the fuel gauge thing! I've been driving electric for a few years now and I much prefer to "play it by ear" over wondering if the calculated estimate is accounting for my lead foot.
One day I agree it'll make more sense to have this style. However for most areas and most vehicles charging is not always frequently accessible (especially if a person lives in a place where they cannot charge overnight or goes on a trip to some extent) and that charging takes too long to not plan for or do nightly. Filling up with gas takes less than 10 minutes. Charging to a decent range can take an hour -- I do understand that some vehicles can charge up to 80% in 20 minutes which is nice but not all vehicles support this and not all charging stations can charge this quickly.
I think the main reason it says 'Electric' on the outside (5:09) is that in other markets you can buy a Hybrid version of this same car, and soon a plug-in hybrid too (mentioned near the end of the video). So think of this as a powertrain distinguished. I agree though, looks a bit weird.
I don't get Dougs dismiss of the control wheel. Almost every car, that has a sort of system like that, it worked almost intuitively (I had it when I drove an Audi and a BMW). And Mazda is right about touch screens as a safety hazard. There is almost no tactical feedback in economy cars, the touchscreen has to be close to your view *and* hands at the same time, you can't push a button because you know where it is at, etc. It's mainly a way for manufacturers to use less material than a "quality of life pro consumer" decision. Besides that, it's a great review. That part just irked me a bit.
It takes time to get used to a wheel. Not a problem if you own the car and after a couple of weeks you are very used to it. Doug spends a day with a new car all the time, and touchscreens are easier to figure out if you are new to the car. I attended a BMW driving event, and testing out their new cars, I still had trouble figuring out some features because those cars have a newer iDrive version. So even though I already drive a BMW, the new software version is still hard to use when you first experience it. I started using the touchscreen during the test drive because that was just easier than using the wheel to scroll through the functions, since I wasn't used to this version of iDrive versus the one in my own car.
I own two Mazdas. The wheel feels relatively intuitive when navigating Mazda's infotainment menus and with the dedicated shortcut buttons I find it all quick and easy to use. When I switch to Apple Carplay though I wish I could just touch the screen. Being in each app it's never clear to me which button will be highlighted when turning the wheel so I think I spend more time looking at the screen than I would if it was a touchscreen.
As a self-admitted mazda fanboy I find this one a bit weird. But I understand why it was important for compliance and as a rotary-hybrid development platform.
@@yungboicontigo9278 I use the term in jest but I like the cars. I just find their engineering in the last few years to be really exceptional. The current skyactiv platform most of their vehicles (including our 16’ 3 hatchback and 17’ CX-5) are based on have some exceptionally solid and reliable drivetrain options, and they’re like Lego between most models. Only modern cars I’ve owned that come apart and go back together properly for maintenance. Access panels for everything. Surprisingly roomy and well laid out engine bay to work in. on non turbo models. Even interior bits with plastic clips seem to hold up better with reinstallation. My JDM 96 Mazda bongo is almost just as well engineered and while parts are hard to get, work on it has been painless - and it’s 26 years old now. My 95 Miata had a blown head gasket when I got it, but my friend and I did it along with every single “while you’re in there” part and gasket in his home garage in 2 days and a couple evenings (with some machine shop wait in between them). It’s 30 years old and all parts were available at dealers and were shipped to me in a week for really reasonable prices. I’ve have great experiences and will probably continue to buy and drive their cars until I don’t. You can judge me for that if you want but I’m happy.
Coming from someone who owns this car I can say that it’s pretty nice. Although it’s less practical than a CX-30, we didn’t really need a super practical car. The mx-30 has a nicer interior design than the CX-30 in my opinion
@@miodice3 also have to mention that we didn’t get the electric version as it was too expensive and there were better options for electric and we weren’t interested The bolt isn’t available in Australia and the Kona was also out of budget for us. Our main options were the CX-30, Kia Seltos and the VW T-roc. We test drove all of these but we also test drove the mx-30 and we found it to be the nicest car. Maybe in a couple years when the lease goes out we’ll see if we could get an electric car but that’s not a big worry right now
Unless I just missed it, it seems like Doug missed the fact that this vehicle is eligible for the full $7,500 federal tax credit. He faults the price by comparing the MX-30 to vehicles that have no tax credit (Chevy Bolt, Tesla Model 3, and Nissan Leaf). If one is eligible to take advantage of the credit, then the pricing makes a lot more sense.
@@vipermoon_ Yes. Contrary to Doug saying the pricing is ridiculous compared to other electric cars, it makes 100% sense to me if they only want to sell 500. The higher starting price can be offset with the federal tax credit to end up with an overall lower price than the competition. Mazda is setting the price to maximize their revenue for the small sales target. The car makes a lot of sense for a limited number of people -- those with high incomes (and taxes) that want a second or third car to be used for short distances (e.g., commuting to work). Setting the price close to competitors that don't have a federal tax credit would actually be a dumb move.
@@andyb7942 Right you are. And with comfortable seats, suspension, and 66dB at 70 mph whisper quiet-it is too bad this isn't a road trip car. Alas, it isn't. And btw, even at this price, typical of any automaker's first electric car-Mazda isn't making profits at this pricing.
Look at the Honda E, it's a compact car with a modest range that is sufficient for non US markets that was clearly designed to be electric from the start. The fact that Mazda repurposed the engine bay and fuel gauge from a gas car shows they just didn't have the money to design a new car. I think Doug went easy on them.
from my experience, the Honda E has about the same range in the summer as the Mazda MX-30 has in the winter with temps slightly below freezing. Also, the Mazda drives so, so much better on twisty roads - it's responsive and neutral. I had to fight the Honda's catastrophic understeer in all the corners I took even remotely swiftly, it feels heavy and, well, like a nicely designed city accessory, not a car.
Agreed and the Honda e has always been aimed as a City car and is just so cool.this car would just really be awful to live I would probably end up eating the cork.😂
Doug, a quick google search would tell you that most of your gripes are explained by the upcoming rotary hybrid version soon to be released. They rushed the electric version first so they can meet EV requirements.
Love my 2023 MX-30 Premium Plus as a dailydriver. Great looks and side note I prefere dial over touch very intuitive. Aslo you can get these cheap, mine was $31,000, funny thing no one has ever asked about the cork 😅
We got a CX30 Turbo this year and the scroll knob is honestly a very easy interface. I’ve come to like it very quickly and engaging with it is much less distracting.
I hope so. Range extender electrics will be what brings electric drive to the masses in a place like Australia. That said all we really need is an electric CX-5 with a 400-500km range.
I have always had a soft spot for Mazda, my Mum drove me the 120+ miles to boarding school for 5 years in her mid-spec 1989/90 323, keep-fit windows and all. I've loved the few times I had the chance to drive a MX-5 and have even visited the factory in Hiroshima. Seeing crossovers and roadsters being built on the same line is pretty strange. So when I wanted to upgrade my Renault Zoe to something a bit nicer, I took a test drive of the MX-30. Range wasn't an issue as I knew that I could only afford range or quality, and wanted the latter. And in terms of quality, it really delivered - it's just lovely inside. Coming from a car a few whole seconds slower to 60, speed wasn't a problem either. But... visibility wasn't great for a car that will mainly be used in the city, and the thing is whatever the opposite of the Tardis is. I just don't get why 2+2 cars exist. If you usually drive on your own or with one person, you don't need the back row, and if you do frequently have more passengers you wouldn't buy it anyway. In the end, I bought a Honda e. Similar price, similarly compromised in many ways, but more suited for the city and I couldn't pass up on the opportunity to buy a concept car made real.
This car wasnt made for real. and what i mean by that is it was made only to sell a few thousand models and be listed under mazdas fleet of cars a a 0 emissions rating car because you get major tax breaks and incentives for having a 0 emissions car globally as a company. This was a hastly thrown together Ev strictly for the tax incentives and global c02 emissions ratings. Alot of car companies are doing this including volvo and toyota and other major car companies right now they dont plan on ever making these cars mass produced in the hundreds of thousands or even making a profit off the project itself. The savings for the next few years from the tax incentives plus having a 0 emissions car to average out your global c02 emissions rating is what this car was designed for. Its a statistical car made to benefit the company and those who buy it are going to more than likely dislike it like they will the volvo polestar and over limited propduction small scale EVs made for this reason.
Mazda really messed up on this one. This model with a 100 mile range is about 10 years late. My daughters 2016 Kia Soul electric gets about that and we paid $15k for it.
Most crossovers have 5 doors and some trunk space. This has both, but not _really._ It's already proved a *massive* sales flop, so unless things magically turned around it won't ever sell well.
We own one and yeah that’s true. As a main car it’s really not that great but as a relatively affordable car including the discount it’s a solid car if you have to drive short to medium ranges.
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!
Its strange to hear so much frustration regarding specs of the car when later in the review all the questions are answered. It's meant to be a plug-in hybrid or rather EV with small battery and range extender. So this is pure electric version of that, very specific model for very specific purpose.
It's been around in Europe since 2020, you can now get it for about 20k Euro which is extremely cheap for an electric car. The reason for this is that it didn't sell well and the price dropped hard. For the US nationwide release they will have a version with Range Extender, that makes a lot more sense, I would buy this car is the range extender comes to Europe.
As a 2019 Mazda 3 owner, the infotainment dial is infinitely better than a touch screen once you know how to use it (especially when using Carplay, the maps, home, and music buttons actually work as shortcut buttons, it's fantastic). Also, my car also has the lock button on the tailgate, despite the fact that the proximity key locks the car when you close it, it's pretty useless lol
I like the idea of a car giving you the option of a touch screen and a knob and not just forcing you to use the knob, however I have a 2015 Mazda 6 GT and the screen lock out feature have been hacked out of the car's system, so the touch screen works at any speed, but I do find that I rarely uses the touch screen, the knob is just more enjoyable and fun to use, so it's not a problem like how Doug is making it out to be.
19:20 That space is prepared for a rotary range extender. They intended it to be a feature back in 2020, but they never sold it to customers. If they had, I would've bought this car. I don't need large back seats, I don't particularly care about acceleration and 100 miles of electric range is perfectly fine ... if I had another 250+ miles on range extender. (price here in Europe is decent compared to other EVs ... or it would be if it had that REX)
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
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.
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..
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.
i bought a rx8 2 days ago, its the best mazda i've ever got to drive to this day
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.
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!!
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 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
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.
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.
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.
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.
you can get them for 16 now...great option now for people that need an around town car. Not sure if the additional 4k tax credit for used cars can be applied, but if so, that would be an astounding deal.
i got a rx8 2 days ago, far better than this land cargo boat with a almost inexistent rotary engine
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.
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
Used one is a good option
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
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.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------💜
>>🖤 DATE-YOUNGGIRLS.ONLINE 🖤
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.
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
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.
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 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-
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.
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 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.
Doug missed the opportunity to say "I'm gonna show you all of its interesting corks and features" 😅
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).
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.
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.
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 🤣
@@youtubehandleofficial This vehicle started selling a year ago on Europe bud
@@youtubehandleofficial 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!
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 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.
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.
@@TheCostan 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!
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
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
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 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
As someone who grew up riding in the back of a Honda Element...I can attest to the annoyance of rear hinged doors 😂
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.
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
love how the i3 is 3 points cooler
most brutal review in a minute, great work as always!
i3 was a technical showdown with a lot of carbon and stuff and its still quite popular in Europe. It wasnt a failure.
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 😂
The design is actually really cool, I wish it had a longer range….and maybe larger rear room/cargo area.
The Dougliest Doug on this vid. The script, the finger points, the cuts… and the giddiness over the quirks. So much Doug.
2022: "We hate the MX30"
2029: "The MX30 skyrocketing in value as a misunderstood collectible"
that is probably why I am considering one of these, I missed out on an Avantime and think this will be the same. Also I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE the interior especially in the light cloth trim.
@@MaximilianvonPinneberg
Its a pretty car overall
Especially the interior
Reminds me alot of the XC40 from Volvo...quirky and cute
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.
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.
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!
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?
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.
@@McBeamer94 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!
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 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.
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.
Disagree with you on the dial and touchscreen ease of use. BMW’s iDrive system is much easier to use with the control dial than a touchscreen. It is something physical that can benefit from muscle memory and doesn’t require you to focus solely on the screen when interacting with it.
The only disagreement I have is that BMW iDrive has *some* touch screen integration for things like Apple CarPlay, I’ve used the Mazda infotainment system and it has no touch features at all and makes CarPlay really hard to use, especially for certain apps like Waze
@@armadillolover99 Agreed!
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).
Nice review Doug, however, when you get excited, it's too funny dude.
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 think the sidewiew is quite interesting, and the front end is actually pretty stylishly aggressive.
I like it.
Aggressively getting those groceries, as long as it isn't too far away of course.
As a 2018 BMW i3 owner who paid barely over $20G, i'll defend it all day long as a great car to cheaply put effortless miles on, its been trouble free and liberating to say the least. However, it also has a Range Extender, which is game changing since it extends the 130 mile range to over 200 in a pinch, while greatly reducing range anxiety. Furthermore, where is this mythical $30G Chevy Bolt? Everytime i've been to the Chevy configurator for the Bolt i've always ended up with a $42G car with very minimal options which is too close to Model 3 pricing to not choose the Model 3. Trust me, rear opening, rear hinged doors are a major pain in the ass, beyond the reasons that Doug explained. These doors can turn a tight fitting parking lot experience into a comedy routine with a rear seat passenger. This car only makes sense to a manufacturer who doesn't want to sell it; rather as a solution to meet a compliance benchmark to sell cars in California. For years, Toyota sold a wonderful RAV4 EV with a 60 KwH battery for the same reason, and its was only in CA as well. As an EV owner does this car appeal to me? no; even if you have limitless convenient access to a charger in your garage. Remember, range is greatly effected by everyday driving habits such as driving too fast, (i.e.75 mph+) hills, heat, cold and accessory use, plus you don't want to bring it home on the last electron, so 75 miles of range is not enough to not have to be aware of its limitations. I do think the Federal and state rebates and credits will bring the price down into the 20's which might get them off the lots.
To your question regarding the $30k Bolt (current battery issues not withstanding) - where are they? At dealer lots. Just like any Chevy you'd be a fool to pay MSRP for a Bolt. I leased a fully loaded Bolt with a sticker close to $44k and out the door price was around $25k. You're absolutely right - at $42k I too would've much rather bought a Model 3, but that's not the reality we live in. Remember, you ALWAYS pay MSRP for a Tesla. You NEVER pay MSRP for a Chevy (or at least you'd be crazy to do so).
@@shehandesilva7530 I live in the PNW where everything from the red hot housing market, to cars, to gas is always way more expensive than it deserves to be. Do I have any confidence that I could get a deal anywhere near what you're saying on a Bolt EV here? no. However, finding a $30K Bolt EV in Minnesota or Oklahoma might very well be very possible.
Friend of mine purchased a brand new Bolt for 24k and change our local Chevy dealer last year about 4 months before the recalls.
@@jefffaller8474 funny, I'm not speaking of some dead market either. In fact I was in Portland, OR at the time. Got my bolt at Chevy of Wilsonville just south of town. Had a Spark EV for a steal before that too. These weren't some special deals only I was able to get - all the dealerships in the area had similar pricing and I was able to make them compete against each other. You just need to keep an eye on their pricing as it all depends on when Chevy decides to put cash on the hood of whichever vehicle they want to push more units of. Certainly a game of timing and patience but it's not uncommon at all.
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.
What i love about the mx-30 is that as a carguy that prefers analog and gas powered cars, this is one of the few cars who has some analog stuff and looks like the dashboard ang radio, the gear lever, in a world full of cars with touch screen, this is the car id go to, i wish theyd increase the range
@@yungboicontigo9278 I’ve owned my 2017 Mazda3 since it was new, and the infotainment knob is one of my favorite features. It takes a bit of getting adjusted to, but the ease of use is far superior than a touch screen in my opinion. Any time I use a car with a touch screen, I can’t keep it in the lines 😂
This would make sense if they didn't shift the climate controls onto a touchscreen for no reason.
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...
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.
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’m a big fan of the commander knob. With a tiny bit of practice, you can intuitively enable/disable/change a setting without even looking at the screen.
It's like familiarizing with a video game controller.
Doug, as Mazda owner I have to say I like using the dial instead of a touch screen. I can see why for you it's a bit awkward, you only spend one day with the car. Yes, the dial takes a little time to learn it as oppose to a touch screen where it has day 1 usability. But after you learn the layout of the infotainment system and how to use the dial it's WAAAAYYY faster and easier than using a touch screen.
In fact, for the most common features, I don't even need to look at the screen because I have the muscle memory my hand to get to the option I need. You can't really ever operate a touch screen without taking your eyes of the road no matter how good you get with it. Also, I don't ever feel comfortable looking at a screen that is not in my line of sight when I'm driving. I can't ever own a car without this feature.
Sorry Doug. I am a long time fan of the channel but this is like the 3rd time you've complained about this on Mazda cars and I just had to say this. Also it looks like the comment section is being flooded with other Mazda and BMW owners (Mazda copied BMW’s iDrive system) saying the same thing.
THIS, once you get used, its a much faster operation than touchscreen
Mercedes older models have the wheel too and I'll agree it's much more intuitive and safer to use than a touch screen.
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.
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
“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.
Honestly I like the fuel gauge thing! I've been driving electric for a few years now and I much prefer to "play it by ear" over wondering if the calculated estimate is accounting for my lead foot.
One day I agree it'll make more sense to have this style. However for most areas and most vehicles charging is not always frequently accessible (especially if a person lives in a place where they cannot charge overnight or goes on a trip to some extent) and that charging takes too long to not plan for or do nightly. Filling up with gas takes less than 10 minutes. Charging to a decent range can take an hour -- I do understand that some vehicles can charge up to 80% in 20 minutes which is nice but not all vehicles support this and not all charging stations can charge this quickly.
I think the main reason it says 'Electric' on the outside (5:09) is that in other markets you can buy a Hybrid version of this same car, and soon a plug-in hybrid too (mentioned near the end of the video). So think of this as a powertrain distinguished. I agree though, looks a bit weird.
Yeah, it also explains why the front trunk has all that space, where a gas engine would have gone, and why the fuel gauge is still a gas gauge.
@@adilanwar8315 Exactly!
The answer to your question is "The Range Extender". They're going to come up with a model with a rotary gas engine range extender.
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 get Dougs dismiss of the control wheel. Almost every car, that has a sort of system like that, it worked almost intuitively (I had it when I drove an Audi and a BMW). And Mazda is right about touch screens as a safety hazard. There is almost no tactical feedback in economy cars, the touchscreen has to be close to your view *and* hands at the same time, you can't push a button because you know where it is at, etc. It's mainly a way for manufacturers to use less material than a "quality of life pro consumer" decision. Besides that, it's a great review. That part just irked me a bit.
I agree
It takes time to get used to a wheel. Not a problem if you own the car and after a couple of weeks you are very used to it. Doug spends a day with a new car all the time, and touchscreens are easier to figure out if you are new to the car. I attended a BMW driving event, and testing out their new cars, I still had trouble figuring out some features because those cars have a newer iDrive version. So even though I already drive a BMW, the new software version is still hard to use when you first experience it. I started using the touchscreen during the test drive because that was just easier than using the wheel to scroll through the functions, since I wasn't used to this version of iDrive versus the one in my own car.
I own two Mazdas. The wheel feels relatively intuitive when navigating Mazda's infotainment menus and with the dedicated shortcut buttons I find it all quick and easy to use. When I switch to Apple Carplay though I wish I could just touch the screen. Being in each app it's never clear to me which button will be highlighted when turning the wheel so I think I spend more time looking at the screen than I would if it was a touchscreen.
As a self-admitted mazda fanboy I find this one a bit weird. But I understand why it was important for compliance and as a rotary-hybrid development platform.
Well there's your answer. It's weird just like the rotary is. Weird in a good way
@@yungboicontigo9278 I use the term in jest but I like the cars. I just find their engineering in the last few years to be really exceptional. The current skyactiv platform most of their vehicles (including our 16’ 3 hatchback and 17’ CX-5) are based on have some exceptionally solid and reliable drivetrain options, and they’re like Lego between most models. Only modern cars I’ve owned that come apart and go back together properly for maintenance. Access panels for everything. Surprisingly roomy and well laid out engine bay to work in. on non turbo models. Even interior bits with plastic clips seem to hold up better with reinstallation.
My JDM 96 Mazda bongo is almost just as well engineered and while parts are hard to get, work on it has been painless - and it’s 26 years old now.
My 95 Miata had a blown head gasket when I got it, but my friend and I did it along with every single “while you’re in there” part and gasket in his home garage in 2 days and a couple evenings (with some machine shop wait in between them). It’s 30 years old and all parts were available at dealers and were shipped to me in a week for really reasonable prices.
I’ve have great experiences and will probably continue to buy and drive their cars until I don’t. You can judge me for that if you want but I’m happy.
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've never seen an electric car with a dedicated battery temperature gauge. Does any other modern electric vehicles have one? How did Doug miss that?!
My electric Mercedes has that too
@@mek4nic What Mercedes is that?
@Aryan A Yes, all kind of data is behind the OBDII port, but a physical gauge in the car for battery temp? Is this the only one?
@@TylerPinkney eqs 450
My 2012 Nissan Leaf had it
Coming from someone who owns this car I can say that it’s pretty nice. Although it’s less practical than a CX-30, we didn’t really need a super practical car. The mx-30 has a nicer interior design than the CX-30 in my opinion
Did you buy or lease? For cash I don't get (no offense) why you'd ever do this over a bolt or something similar like a Kona
@@miodice3I think it was a lease
@@miodice3 also have to mention that we didn’t get the electric version as it was too expensive and there were better options for electric and we weren’t interested
The bolt isn’t available in Australia and the Kona was also out of budget for us.
Our main options were the CX-30, Kia Seltos and the VW T-roc. We test drove all of these but we also test drove the mx-30 and we found it to be the nicest car. Maybe in a couple years when the lease goes out we’ll see if we could get an electric car but that’s not a big worry right now
Unless I just missed it, it seems like Doug missed the fact that this vehicle is eligible for the full $7,500 federal tax credit. He faults the price by comparing the MX-30 to vehicles that have no tax credit (Chevy Bolt, Tesla Model 3, and Nissan Leaf). If one is eligible to take advantage of the credit, then the pricing makes a lot more sense.
Exactly. A household income above about $70,000 gets the full credit.
@@vipermoon_ Yes. Contrary to Doug saying the pricing is ridiculous compared to other electric cars, it makes 100% sense to me if they only want to sell 500. The higher starting price can be offset with the federal tax credit to end up with an overall lower price than the competition. Mazda is setting the price to maximize their revenue for the small sales target. The car makes a lot of sense for a limited number of people -- those with high incomes (and taxes) that want a second or third car to be used for short distances (e.g., commuting to work). Setting the price close to competitors that don't have a federal tax credit would actually be a dumb move.
@@andyb7942 Right you are. And with comfortable seats, suspension, and 66dB at 70 mph whisper quiet-it is too bad this isn't a road trip car. Alas, it isn't. And btw, even at this price, typical of any automaker's first electric car-Mazda isn't making profits at this pricing.
But he said a compelling price point for it would be $12-15K less and the tax credit wouldn't get it there anyway.
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
Look at the Honda E, it's a compact car with a modest range that is sufficient for non US markets that was clearly designed to be electric from the start. The fact that Mazda repurposed the engine bay and fuel gauge from a gas car shows they just didn't have the money to design a new car. I think Doug went easy on them.
from my experience, the Honda E has about the same range in the summer as the Mazda MX-30 has in the winter with temps slightly below freezing. Also, the Mazda drives so, so much better on twisty roads - it's responsive and neutral. I had to fight the Honda's catastrophic understeer in all the corners I took even remotely swiftly, it feels heavy and, well, like a nicely designed city accessory, not a car.
@@bloodycardinal the Honda e was designed for large metropolitan areas so I'm not surprised.
Agreed and the Honda e has always been aimed as a City car and is just so cool.this car would just really be awful to live I would probably end up eating the cork.😂
@@bloodycardinal you've driven both?? where do you live? a city accessory sounds useful if you live in a city.
@@marcgabor9690 in a big city. And I want more from a car than to be a city accessory.
I agree with Mazda's take on touchscreens. I never use the touchscreen in my MINI, only the scroll wheel and buttons.
Doug, a quick google search would tell you that most of your gripes are explained by the upcoming rotary hybrid version soon to be released. They rushed the electric version first so they can meet EV requirements.
Love my 2023 MX-30 Premium Plus as a dailydriver. Great looks and side note I prefere dial over touch very intuitive. Aslo you can get these cheap, mine was $31,000, funny thing no one has ever asked about the cork 😅
We got a CX30 Turbo this year and the scroll knob is honestly a very easy interface. I’ve come to like it very quickly and engaging with it is much less distracting.
Agree 100%. Touchscreens are more distracting
A lot of the quirks of this car are explained when you know it’s sold as hybrid in overseas markets (like Australia).
A lot of corks and features
I hope so. Range extender electrics will be what brings electric drive to the masses in a place like Australia. That said all we really need is an electric CX-5 with a 400-500km range.
I have always had a soft spot for Mazda, my Mum drove me the 120+ miles to boarding school for 5 years in her mid-spec 1989/90 323, keep-fit windows and all. I've loved the few times I had the chance to drive a MX-5 and have even visited the factory in Hiroshima. Seeing crossovers and roadsters being built on the same line is pretty strange.
So when I wanted to upgrade my Renault Zoe to something a bit nicer, I took a test drive of the MX-30. Range wasn't an issue as I knew that I could only afford range or quality, and wanted the latter. And in terms of quality, it really delivered - it's just lovely inside. Coming from a car a few whole seconds slower to 60, speed wasn't a problem either. But... visibility wasn't great for a car that will mainly be used in the city, and the thing is whatever the opposite of the Tardis is. I just don't get why 2+2 cars exist. If you usually drive on your own or with one person, you don't need the back row, and if you do frequently have more passengers you wouldn't buy it anyway.
In the end, I bought a Honda e. Similar price, similarly compromised in many ways, but more suited for the city and I couldn't pass up on the opportunity to buy a concept car made real.
This car wasnt made for real. and what i mean by that is it was made only to sell a few thousand models and be listed under mazdas fleet of cars a a 0 emissions rating car because you get major tax breaks and incentives for having a 0 emissions car globally as a company. This was a hastly thrown together Ev strictly for the tax incentives and global c02 emissions ratings. Alot of car companies are doing this including volvo and toyota and other major car companies right now they dont plan on ever making these cars mass produced in the hundreds of thousands or even making a profit off the project itself. The savings for the next few years from the tax incentives plus having a 0 emissions car to average out your global c02 emissions rating is what this car was designed for. Its a statistical car made to benefit the company and those who buy it are going to more than likely dislike it like they will the volvo polestar and over limited propduction small scale EVs made for this reason.
Well. Your mom couldn’t drive 120 miles in this one…. Because it can’t….
Mazda really messed up on this one. This model with a 100 mile range is about 10 years late. My daughters 2016 Kia Soul electric gets about that and we paid $15k for it.
The interior is very nice. And I side with Mazda regarding touch screens. It’s difficult to select options when on bumpier roads.
Electric, and a crossover - almost guaranteed to sell well.
electric cars in the US that aren't Teslas don't sell well
@@kristians2704 the RAV4 hybrid is selling very well in the US, as Doug has confirmed.
all the masker karens will be driving this
@@andrewhurstcars that isn't an electric car.
Most crossovers have 5 doors and some trunk space. This has both, but not _really._ It's already proved a *massive* sales flop, so unless things magically turned around it won't ever sell well.
Considering this is meant to be a compliance car, this does its job just fine.
We own one and yeah that’s true. As a main car it’s really not that great but as a relatively affordable car including the discount it’s a solid car if you have to drive short to medium ranges.
This is more of poison pill car to muddy the waters and slow down or even avert EV transition.
I can imagine them on the used market with picked apart cork from someone sitting around bored in traffic.
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!
Its strange to hear so much frustration regarding specs of the car when later in the review all the questions are answered. It's meant to be a plug-in hybrid or rather EV with small battery and range extender. So this is pure electric version of that, very specific model for very specific purpose.
It's been around in Europe since 2020, you can now get it for about 20k Euro which is extremely cheap for an electric car. The reason for this is that it didn't sell well and the price dropped hard. For the US nationwide release they will have a version with Range Extender, that makes a lot more sense, I would buy this car is the range extender comes to Europe.
As a 2019 Mazda 3 owner, the infotainment dial is infinitely better than a touch screen once you know how to use it (especially when using Carplay, the maps, home, and music buttons actually work as shortcut buttons, it's fantastic). Also, my car also has the lock button on the tailgate, despite the fact that the proximity key locks the car when you close it, it's pretty useless lol
I like the idea of a car giving you the option of a touch screen and a knob and not just forcing you to use the knob, however I have a 2015 Mazda 6 GT and the screen lock out feature have been hacked out of the car's system, so the touch screen works at any speed, but I do find that I rarely uses the touch screen, the knob is just more enjoyable and fun to use, so it's not a problem like how Doug is making it out to be.
19:20 That space is prepared for a rotary range extender. They intended it to be a feature back in 2020, but they never sold it to customers. If they had, I would've bought this car. I don't need large back seats, I don't particularly care about acceleration and 100 miles of electric range is perfectly fine ... if I had another 250+ miles on range extender. (price here in Europe is decent compared to other EVs ... or it would be if it had that REX)