Nice to rain on AI's parade
Mazda CX-30
- Thread starter Al
- Start date
lol Thats what we do.
Putting 30 wt. in
I doubt Mazda made any changes to access the transfer case fill plug as they don't have a recommended fluid change interval listed in their OM. I used a small Dremel type tool (there wasn't room to use a normal size one) and burr bits to grind away material to access the fill plug...at 65K miles the OE fluid looked fine. My in-law has 225K on her CX-5 and I'm fairly certain the transfer or rear differential fluid have never been changed.
Have a 25 cx30 (NA, 6 mos old)) and a 21 cx5 turbo carbon edition. Son moved to Dallas so we got the cx30 primarily for road trips from Denver to Dallas hoping for a little better gas mileage. Have made three round trips so far and have averaged 33 to 38 mpg per tank. That's better than the 26 to 28 mpg avg we get with the CX5. The CX30 gets about 25 mpg short trip gas mileage in town. Yes, the back seat is a little tight, but we bought it primarily for just my wife and I. My SIL did accompany us on one trip and she didn't complain over 1500 miles back there. I love the handling (typical Mazda trait) and power is adequate. We drive a lot of 2 lane back roads (in Texas they have 75 mph speed limits on lots of them!!!) to make the trip a little less boring and I can safely pass semis with minimal if any problems. It's a tad firmer than the CX5 but still comfortable for this senior citizen couple and reasonably quiet as well. The six speed auto likes getting out of lower gears a little quicker than the CX5, but is smooth doing so. We got the aero grey (very light grey metallic) with the "greige" interior (a light grey beige color). It's a nice color combo that we have received lots of complements on. You can feel the cylinder deactivation (actually the reactivation) at highway speeds but it's not annoying. I do wish I had gone up one trim level to get the better radio, but the color combo we got would not have been available. The "preferred" trim we did get is skimpy on speakers and has a non HD radio which my CX5 does have. There is a very noticeable difference in sound quality between the two vehicles. I did one "feel good" oil change on the cx30 at 1500 miles and just did one at 5000 miles. We still take the CX5 on the same trip as it's a tad more comfy/roomy (and it's better radio). Love it's ample power, but if you're not careful you can hurt fuel economy pretty easily. Both have proven to be excellent road trip vehicles.
Did you ever check the coolant temp with a scan gauge? Mine cycles between 165 and 172 F. I am planning to go to the dealer about it.
No I have not,but I have not driven the cx30 in high outdoor temps yet. I did have some concerns last summer when I drove the CX5 to Dallas several times in temps well over 100 degrees. The cx5 does not have a temp gauge like the cx30 has, but I never had any idiot lights indicating any problems. I asked the question here last summer about extended driving in high temps and many replies made me feel more at ease. If I notice an issue with the cx30 I'll pull out my scan gauge to double check the temp gauge as well. 165 to 172 degrees seems kind of low even if the vehicle is being driven in frigid conditions.
Yes. I have checked temps with the scan gage on at least 6 vehicles. Even in frigid temps the engine temp cycles between say 90F and 95F. And I am talking 50 F and driving 20+ miles. Possibly this is the temp of coolant going into the engine from the radiator.
The CX-30 we had was a great vehicle. The only reason we sold it was due to the fuel tank size. For our particular driving situation at that time, we needed/preferred a longer range. We had the NA and always wished we tried the turbo just for grins. Even here in CO, the NA was just fine. The Mazda engines generally have higher amounts of torque compared to others.
Well he had quite the new car parade as of late. Lot of throwbacks.
Must be looking for a keeper.
Plus I just have to chime in with my well considered opinion!
LOL. This car will be a keeper. Likely the last I will ever buy. I really do like the vehicle.
Patman
Staff member
I’m the same, I just am not comfortable driving big vehicles. It’s why I love my 2016 Civic coupe as my daily driver. It’s small enough to fit in lots of tight parking spaces and the turning radius is better than any car I have ever driven. And it’s also a pretty light car by modern standards (about 2750 pounds)
I wish automakers would return to making smaller two door hatchbacks and coupes but sadly they all want to make full size pickups and SUVs
They make what people buy the most. It's a vicious cycle.I’m the same, I just am not comfortable driving big vehicles. It’s why I love my 2016 Civic coupe as my daily driver. It’s small enough to fit in lots of tight parking spaces and the turning radius is better than any car I have ever driven. And it’s also a pretty light car by modern standards (about 2750 pounds)
I wish automakers would return to making smaller two door hatchbacks and coupes but sadly they all want to make full size pickups and SUVs
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2023
- Messages
- 1,434
Might want to change rear differential fluid at 1500 mi. I lost my rear diff at 6000 and the dealership took forever to fix it under warranty.
Also be prepared for every interior panel to creak and rattle.
Also be prepared for every interior panel to creak and rattle.
Patman
Staff member
True, but when they stop making them entirely across the board, nobody has that choice any longer
I had a 2021 CX30 and traded for a 2022 Ford Escape. The Mazda is nice but very small. The Escape had about 75% more cargo room, 2" more headroom and 2" more shoulder room. Also more rear room, 1" headroom, 4.5" legroom, a major positive for rear passengers, and 2.5" shoulder room. And the mpg 25/33 Mazda 2WD and 26/32 Ford AWD which given my 90% (if not more) city driving around home was a small benefit as well. That benefit is blown to pieces now with my Honda Ridgeline but since I only drive one tank of fuel monthly it's tolerable. Anyway, I liked the Mazda and it is a quality vehicle but on the small side. If I were to do it again I think I'd have to look at the CX5/50. But for just 2 people it's a nice ride.
Wouldn't you agree that the Escape is also on the smaller side as average size of vehicles go? Not as small as the Mazda of course. My MG has the ecaxt same dimensions as an Escape, to within half an inch. It's about as big as I want to go though. But this is our family vehicle, so a bit of space in the rear is appreciated. My ful grown daughter said she can stretch her legs in the back, so how much more do we need?
The Escape is fairly roomy in its category, very close to the CR-V and ahead of a CX-5/50. I'm not familiar with MG, other than the fun ones from the '70s.
Good luck with it, great car and brand
