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2021 Mazda CX-30 2.5 S gets new name, adds tech, keeps same power

For its second model year, Mazda's in-betweener compact crossover is getting a new-ish name: the 2021 Mazda CX-30 2.5 S. No, those extra digits at the end aren't a trim level. The 2.5 S is apparently part of the name. They also don't indicate a boost in output, as the CX-30 won't be following the example of the recently announced Mazda3 2.5 Turbo. They're all for show. Instead, Mazda adds some new connectivity and safety features to the package. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are now standard across the lineup. They join Mazda Connected Services with a three-year trial and in-car WiFi hotspot with a six-month or 2GB trial, and they pair with the carryover 8.8-inch center infotainment screen that is controlled by a rotary dial mounted behind the gear shifter. The CX-30 2.5 S keeps as standard the 7-inch reconfigurable digital gauge display, Bluetooth phone and audio, two front USB ports and electronic parking brake. There are also some new safety options to go with the standard i-Activsense package, which includes Mazda’s version of adaptive cruise control with stop and go function, smart braking support, a driver attention alert, lane departure warning with lane-keep assist and high-beam control. Upgrade to the CX-30 2.5 S with Select Package, the second of four trim levels, and you get blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, side mirror turn signals and Mazda Advanced Keyless Entry, plus a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, leatherette seating and upgraded, 18-inch wheels, among other perks. Step up to the Preferred Package and you get features like a power moonroof, heated front seats and black gloss front grille. The top-tier Premium Package, meanwhile, brings a Bose 12-speaker sound system, a three-month SiriusXM trial subscription, navigation, windshield-projected Active Driving Display, power liftgate, paddle shifters and LED head- and taillights, among other features. As before, power comes from the Skyactiv-G 2.5-liter inline-four that it shares with the Mazda3. It makes 186 horsepower and 186 pound-feet of torque and is mated with a six-speed automatic transmission. The standard setup is front-wheel drive and G-Vectoring Control Plus, but predictive i-Activ all-wheel drive with off-road traction assist is an option across the range for an extra $1,400. Base price creeps up by $55 from 2020 to an even $23,000, including the $1,100 destination fee. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party.

2021 Mazda CX-30 Review | Even more power to impress

The 2021 Mazda CX-30 is one of those cars that can be considered an alternative to a variety of segments. It provides a higher seating position than compact hatchbacks like the Mazda3, with which it's nearly identical under the skin. It's smaller than bigger, pricier compact SUVs like Mazda's CX-5 or the Honda CR-V, yet it's also more spacious and refined than subcompact models like the Hyundai Kona. Meanwhile, its ritzy interior, sleek styling and budget-Porsche driving dynamics mean you can legitimately cross-shop it with luxury models like the Audi Q3, BMW X2 and Mercedes GLA. Actually, not only can you cross-shop it with those, we think it's a much smarter purchase. The CX-30 was one of the most compelling new cars introduced last year, and it gets even better for 2021 thanks to the introduction of the new 2.5 Turbo model. It's still not vice free, though: The tech interface isn't ideal for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and we aren't alone in thinking that the huge plastic wheel arches look cheap rather than evoking some sort of Subaru-like off-road cred. Yet taken as a whole, this in-betweener alternative should make sense for a lot of buyers, no matter which type of car or SUV they initially started looking for. What's new for 2021? Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are now standard even on the base trim level, while reverse automatic emergency braking and stop-and-go-capable adaptive control are now available. However, the big news is the new CX-30 2.5 Turbo model that produces 227 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque on regular gas – a robust amount that blows away its nearest competitors and further justifies its near-luxury aspirations. The base engine is now indicated with the name CX-30 2.5 S. What's the CX-30 interior and in-car technology like? Like the Mazda3 with which it shares so much, the CX-30's cabin makes you go "wow" considering its price and the vehicles with which it competes. Whatever trim level you're considering, the key to this wow factor is how Mazda's new dash design scheme removes visual clutter by reducing switchgear and effectively hiding air vents and door handles. It's then augmented by standard two- or three-tone color schemes – cars with cloth or leatherette vinyl upholstery are accented with black and blue dash/door trim, while those with leather get black and brown. For a car in the $20,000-$30,000 range, it looks and feels special. It's also of a high quality and quite functional.

Junkyard Gem: 1986 Mazda 323 DX Hatchback

Mazda built generation after generation of the Familia, starting with the Giugiaro-styled machines of the 1960s. The first Familia that sold well in North America was called the GLC (for "Great Little Car"), and it began life as a rear-wheel-drive cousin to the RX-7 before the Familia went to a front-wheel-drive platform for the 1981 model year. The GLC name stuck around these parts through 1985 — and I've documented a few discarded examples of these now-rare machines during my junkyard travels — before getting the 323 name starting in the 1986 model year. It's no sweat to find 1990s 323s in junkyards, but I've been scouring the car graveyards of the land for the elusive early 323 and, finally, found this moss-encrusted '86 in a San Francisco Bay Area yard. BMW popularized the lower-case-i nomenclature for fuel-injected cars with the first 3-Series back in the 1977 model year, and Mazda wasted no time making "1.6i" badges to tout the futuristic technology under the hood of their low-priced econo-commuter a decade later. At a time when most Civics had carburetors (and the notorious "Map of the Universe" diagram to untangle the underhood vacuum lines), the electronically fuel-injected engine in this car was a major selling point indeed. It wouldn't be many more years before the wretched Subaru Justy was the final carbureted Japanese car available in America, but this 1.6-liter B6 four-cylinder (which evolved into the engine that, flipped 90 degrees, powered the early Miatas) was high-tech stuff for a cheap car in 1986. Just 84 horsepower, but they were clean and reliable horses. In the middle 1980s, the common perception in North America was that you had to buy a Honda or Toyota if you wanted an affordable car that could make it to 200,000 miles. This 323 held together just as well as most Tercels or Civics from 1986. Of course, I've seen a junkyard RX-7 with 393,854 miles, so you just never know. When you see lots of moss and lichens on a car in a Northern California junkyard, you know it spent years — maybe decades — languishing in a shady outdoor spot. Perhaps this car racked up 20,000 miles per year slogging through a harrowing Lodi-to-Sausalito commute, then got parked and forgotten in 1996. We'll never know. With the optional automatic transmission — nearly every early 323 I've seen had the 5-speed manual — this car wouldn't have been much fun to drive. Point A to Point B would have been fine, though.