MAzda finally has an electric and we have already driven it at Car Brand, although to see the first units of the MX-30 rolling around our country we will have to wait until September. And it is not a conventional model , because although it bets on the SUV format and has five doors it is reminiscent of a coupe . The key to his personality lies in the design of doors that Mazda has called Freestyle: the front doors with conventional opening and large size, and the very small and reversed opening rear doors, as is the case with its rival i3, from BMW. And to this adds a drop in the roof quite inclined in the rear that is not usual in such high models (it measures 1.55 meters from floor to ceiling, in addition to equaling the CX-30 in itsalmost 4.4 meters long and almost 1.80 wide .
This atypical format is an aesthetic question, without a doubt; a search for differentiation, to make it appetizing, to enter through the eyes. And it achieves this thanks to its muscular appearance , its marked wheel arches and the roof in a different color than the body. But this format also implies its disadvantages compared to what happens in a conventional door model: to open the rear doors we have to fold down the front doors first and the space in the second row is not as good as in a CX-30despite the fact that the battle is also the same (2,655 mm). If we also put on the scale that access to the second row is actually very good because the doors open 80 degrees (and being so short they do not need much space), we imagine putting small children traveling in their seats with incredible comfort . But we also fear that the older ones, despite having enough knee room, will end up complaining one day that the visibility they have through the windows (two small ones on each side) is quite discreet .
In the front squares the success is less debatable. There is something, and I would not know if it is the minimalist design of horizontal lines, the visual sensation given by the 'floating' center console or the fact that there are 'sustainable' materials here and there (cork left over from the manufacture of bottle caps in center console and door handles; upper door trim made of recycled plastic; synthetic leather ...) that gives you a feeling of harmony when you sit at the controls. I suppose that it also influences that, despite some rigid plastics, the decrease in the quality of materials compared to those used in a Mazda with a thermal engine is minimal. ANDalso, although I noticed that a while later, it is appreciated that the armrest of the door is so fluffy (there are cars in which your elbow hurts) and the central one moves forward, allowing the right arm to be supported while you have grabbed the steering wheel.
For the rest, the presence of three screens stands out: one of 7 "in the central console to manage the air conditioning; another of 8.8" (more horizontal) in the upper central position for infotainment and adjustments of the car; and a third 7 "that is offered as standard in all versions and that serves as a watch box. We also find here the typical rotary control knob (HMI) between the seats to handle various functions, and all this is completed by a head up display that also comes without a price.
As for the boot , it is difficult to imagine an everyday situation in which you need more than the 366 liters of capacity it offers us (they stay at 341 if we have optionally equipped it with the Bose sound system). Especially since the car is wide, and that means that the stroller can easily enter the child when we have folded it.
Mazda did not want to enter this MX-30 in the fight for greater autonomy. It is true that in the future there will be an extended autonomy version that will use a rotary gasoline engine, but for the city they have settled for a 35.5 kWh battery that in this model points to a maximum distance of 200 km in mixed cycle and 263 km in urban cycle. They justify this decision in the Japanese firm with three arguments: that it exceeds that distance when the average of the daily urban route in Europe is around 50 km; that in this way it is possible to reduce the final weight of the car (it remains at 1,645 kg, even so 300 kg more than a BMW i3); and that a car with a slightly oversized battery has a better balance between autonomy and emissionsfrom the beginning of its manufacture until years later it is discarded. But the truth is that we still lag far behind other European countries in terms of public recharging stations and a higher rank is always reassuring.
In our test, the journey was actually short: just under two hours through Madrid, passing through areas of the central almond . The first sensation when starting it is that the sound has presence and is in tune with the speed gain. We have at our disposal 145 hp and 271 Nm of torque that are always sent to the front wheels with the usual promptness of an electric car, and we have on the steering wheel with the help of some cams (of a fairly solid feel) that will help us, if we get used to using them, that the brake pads remain years and years almost intact. Through them we instantly switch between four retention modes: one in which it almost does not exist, another in which retention is minimal, a third that could replace a slight pressure on the brake pedal (for when we have a red light still at a certain distance) and a fourth that acts as a somewhat stronger brake pedal.
The selection from one step to another is displayed in the watch box and if you get used to using these cams it will cost you little to get closer to the maximum range that the MX-30 promises . At Mazda they have emphasized the effort they have made to make the brake response perceptible from the first millimeters of pedal travel, but it is best to get used to the degrees of retention, forecast the traffic situation and use them only when Truly necessary.
We also did a road trip that revealed that the steering is quite firm and the suspension scheme , with McPherson-type bars at the front and torsional axle at the rear, is a little harder than we expected. It also shows a lot of poise despite not exaggerated tires (215/55 R18), although this is no longer surprising in an electric car since the low position of the batteries reduces the center of gravity. And the response to the throttle is superior to what is understood as typical in an urban car (Mazda considers it that way, despite its large dimensions), with an acceleration from 0 to 100 in 9.7 seconds and a maximum speed of 145 km / h.
In terms of security, it comes with well-known solutions of i-Activesense technology. Even so, a system that slows down the car is a novelty if, when turning at an intersection, we have a risk of collision (Turn-Across Traffic) and a lane maintenance assistant who, according to the Japanese brand, is capable of keeping the car in your lane even when there are no road markings, monitoring curbs, vegetation or other natural margins (Emergency Lane Keeping). It also monitors vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists (day and night) among a long list of solutions that includes an assistance system for rear braking in the city, adaptive Smart Full Led headlights, 360 vision monitor, front and rear traffic detector, traffic sign recognition, intelligent speed assistant, fatigue detector, adaptive speed control ... And as for passive safety, its managers are convinced that the freestyle door system will not be an impediment to the car deserving the five stars in the EuroNcap tests.
No less is expected from such a technological and new batch car . And it could not come without those solutions that never cease to amaze drivers who come from driving a car with a thermal engine and that the MyMazda application provides us in this case. We are talking about receiving a notification on your phone if your battery is low and you have forgotten to plug in the car ; to connect the air conditioning remotely; to know the remaining autonomy or tire pressure; to check that we leave the car closed; to know in which street and at what height we leave it parked ...
The good thing about a not very large battery is that its recharging time is not crazy; Mazda announce that it can be recharged from 20 to 80% in 36 minutes using the CCS Combo2 system, and that this same percentage lasts up to three hours in Mode 3. They also guarantee that the battery will maintain at least 70% of its potential. up to at least 8 years or 160,000 km... It is an important fact because the cost calculations weigh heavily on the decision to purchase an electric. This cost, by the way, begins with a price that for the Origin version stays at 27,665 euros with the Moves Plan and the contribution of the brand. And, to round it off, Mazda gives the Wall-box for us to install in our garage and Iberdrola offers six months of free recharge at its points (and discounts of up to 60 euros on the electricity bill) if you change the contract to this company .
