Muscled-up Mazda CX-30 Turbo breaks cover
Small SUV gets big firepower with juiced-up 186kW turbo-petrol engine, but unlikely for OzBrandishing a potent 2.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine, the new Mazda CX-30 2.5 Turbo small SUV is a high-riding pocket-rocket.
Taking aim at vehicles like the Volkswagen T-Roc R, the high-performance Mazda SUV was revealed in the USA today and closely mirrors the upgrades wrought on the Mazda3 2.5 Turbo – namely a big power boost.
But like its Mazda3 Turbo hot hatch cousin, it won’t be coming to Australia – at least in the short-term.
The Mazda CX-30 Turbo is built exclusively for left-hand drive markets at Mazda’s Mexican plant for now, which rules it out for a release Down Under.
However, if the CX-30 Turbo became available in right-hand drive, Mazda Australia has indicated it would be interested in offering the model here – just as it would the Mazda3 Turbo.
The major difference between the regular Mazda CX-30 models and the US-spec CX-30 Turbo is power – namely 47 kilowatts.
Belting out 186kW and 434Nm, the 2.5-litre turbo-petrol engine drives through a six-speed automatic transmission and a four-wheel drive system, so it’s no slouch.
By comparison, Aussie-spec CX-30 models are offered with 2.0-litre (114kW/200Nm) and 2.5-litre (139kW/252Nm) normally-aspirated four-cylinder engines.
The turbocharged engine can be accessed in Australia but only via larger, more expensive vehicles, such as the Mazda6, CX-5 and CX-9 models.
Other upgrades to the CX-30 in Turbo guise include blacked-out 18-inch wheels and a sports body kit.
Mazda’s North American arm is yet to announce pricing and specifications for the new model, but expect a top-shelf fit-out with all the bells and whistles.
The small SUV segment is becoming increasingly important to global car-makers as new car buyers migrate from small passenger cars to higher-riding SUVs.
Toyota will soon deploy a cut-price compact SUV in Australia with the Yaris Cross which is set shake up the growing segment.
If the CX-30 Turbo makes it to Australia, Mazda would have a unique offering as only prestige car-makers, such as Mercedes-AMG with its GLA 35 (225kW/400Nm) or manic GLA 45 S (310kW/500Nm), currently have scorching-hot small SUVs in their arsenal.
The Volkswagen T-Roc R (221kW/400Nm) has more power but less torque than the CX-30 Turbo, but it, too, is off the menu for Australia.
There will soon be a handful of options in the space with the Hyundai Kona N (202kW/378Nm) and potentially the Toyota GR C-HR (200kW/380Nm).
It remains to be seen if Aussie buyers have an appetite for what will be circa-$50,000 small high-performance high-riders.
But if there is demand, expect Mazda Australia to lobby hard for CX-30 Turbo.
Perhaps best described as a Mazda3 on stilts, the regular CX-30 on sale in Australia is currently priced between $29,990 and $46,490 (plus on-road costs) and has proved popular with 5227 sales thus far in 2020 (to the end of August), despite the coronavirus pandemic restricting its potential.
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