[cheryl ward]

So finally been to look at a few contenders for my new EV.
Started with Zoe, which having had before pretty much knew what I would be getting.
First thoughts, it's a bit better finished inside than my old 22.
GT line is out because of Bose in boot and would make dog uncomfortable, so Iconic I would have and is in the mix. Didn't bother driving as I knew if anything it would feel at least the same if not better than my old one.
Next up went to a Mazda dealer that conveniently had an MG ZS exclusive in blue traded in as well as the mx30 in the showroom.
MG was nicer inside than I expected, however you can see where the cost cutting is- overall it's a nice car and nice place to be in.
Didn't much like the blue and anyway they had put the price up by £500 from the say before. Couldn't drive it as it was appointment only.
Which brings me to the Mazda.
Seriously impressive car.
Fit and finish on a different planet to both the others- when you consider the price it makes you wonder how the other two can't manage the same.
The interior is a match for any premium German brand, it really is superbly built. Top spec has so much tech it's ridiculous.
Ok the battery is smaller but not a big deal for me.
Suicide doors (I got told off by the dealer for calling them that) are funky, and the front seats slide electrically fully forward with additional switches on the back of the front seat, so getting in and out is actually easy, not that much room in back, but again I don't need that space. View over bonnet to front not the best.
One thing though is a possible deal breaker for me- the charge port door.
It's HUGE!
To the point that I wouldn't be confident it would still be on having been open in a public car park all day.
It's on the side too which makes it worse, and when open it sticks out a mile.
If I decide to have one I'm gonna wait till pre reg or 6 month old ones come along. ( If you want metallic with the two tone roof it will set you back 1500, or 1800 for red paint!!!).
I'm confident it will drive well as all Mazdas do.
So in a dilemma now, do i stick with what I know I like or wait and see what happens with the Mazda prices and resolve only to ever charge it at home ( the port door is at least the right side for my charging point).

 

[dk6780]

It'll be interesting to see where their sales come from given the current obsession with battery size and the lack of poncy image like Audi. I hope that they sell well but have my doubts and suspect that they'll be good deals on nearly new and pre-registered examples.

 

[cheryl ward]

My thoughts exactly.
The only thing that might keep prices up will be lack of supply- this dealer only had one in, and there just don't appear to be that many around.
The price is good new- an MG ZS I wouldn't even look at if it wasn't for the pre reg deals around now- it's pretty much the same price new as the Mazda so perhaps you're just swapping a bigger battery and longer warranty for the quality.
I'd have one over an Audi any day, I don't care about image.
For me a Mazda is better built, had lots of them over the years and they just don't break, ever.

 

[Swagman]

The only thing that might keep prices up will be lack of supply- this dealer only had one in, and there just don't appear to be that many around.
For me a Mazda is better built, had lots of them over the years and they just don't break, ever.

Like the whole car industry what will keep prices high is lack of components. Therefore the number of vehicles being manufactured across all brands will be far lower this year as supply chains struggle to keep up with Covid issues, lack of raw materials and even a bit of Brexit.
Jaguar have announced that they are closing two factories imminently over the summer as the supply of semiconductors is so scarce that it isn't viable to keep production going.
If it is affecting JLR it will affect Mazda too.

 

[Electrickery]

Hadn't heard of the mx30 until the OP, must have missed that, its an interesting proposition, range looks like it is low though and apparently it doesn't do a lot of regen, so efficiency could be low too?
Interesting that they are considering a rex version, utilising their infamous rotary engine (arguably a far more suitable use for a rotary engine!)

 

[HandyAndy]

I think MX30 has a rather poor range, somewhere there's a video review, sure to to be some on youtube. Could be an interesting car when the range-extender variant comes out though!

 

[Adrian Herridge]

That has been my experience of Mazda as well, our first one. That's our ICE car to go alongside my leaf (CX-3). Staggering build quality, like, unbelievable quality. When we got it, I thought "this all looks very nice", then having had it a year the true nature of the quality build has dawned on me.

I did a bit of maintenance on both cars early this year after being mostly parked up for a year. I was struck by rust on the Leaf, only the start but rust runs and corrosion underneath. The Mazda was, so much better thought out and protected, the plastic shielding revealing as-new bodywork and once the mud was cleared completely un-corroded braking components (lines etc).

I will, almost certainly have another one.

 

[Electrickery]

That has been my experience of Mazda as well, our first one. That's our ICE car to go alongside my leaf (CX-3). Staggering build quality, like, unbelievable quality. When we got it, I thought "this all looks very nice", then having had it a year the true nature of the quality build has dawned on me.

I did a bit of maintenance on both cars early this year after being mostly parked up for a year. I was struck by rust on the Leaf, only the start but rust runs and corrosion underneath. The Mazda was, so much better thought out and protected, the plastic shielding revealing as-new bodywork and once the mud was cleared completely un-corroded braking components (lines etc).

I will, almost certainly have another one.

Mazda weren't always that good, I had a 2004 Mazda 6 and that was a complete rust bucket. Spent a fortune getting the rust fixed , new sills/ wheel arches etc.

Mechanically car was pretty good though, and extremely comfortable on long journeys.

 

[Adrian Herridge]

Mazda weren't always that good, I had a 2004 Mazda 6 and that was a complete rust bucket. Spent a fortune getting the rust fixed , new sills/ wheel arches etc.

Mechanically car was pretty good though, and extremely comfortable on long journeys.

Yeah, this is our first one and it's now 5 years old, but looking under them both i was shocked at how tatty the Nissan had become over 5 years.

 

[Electrickery]

Yeah, this is our first one and it's now 5 years old, but looking under them both i was shocked at how tatty the Nissan had become over 5 years.

Funnily enough I had a Nissan primera before that, whole car was fully galvanised so not a spot of rust on it! I got given the Mazda but wish I'd just kept the primera going, as mechanically it never had an issue in 17 years of ownership apart from fairly normal things like batteries, new exhaust and brake calipers. Let me down just once early on with a broken starter motor (think it was dodgy from when it left the factory).

 

[AlunJ]

That has been my experience of Mazda as well, our first one. That's our ICE car to go alongside my leaf (CX-3). Staggering build quality, like, unbelievable quality. When we got it, I thought "this all looks very nice", then having had it a year the true nature of the quality build has dawned on me.

I did a bit of maintenance on both cars early this year after being mostly parked up for a year. I was struck by rust on the Leaf, only the start but rust runs and corrosion underneath. The Mazda was, so much better thought out and protected, the plastic shielding revealing as-new bodywork and once the mud was cleared completely un-corroded braking components (lines etc).

I will, almost certainly have another one.

Doesn’t match our experience with the cx-3, ours has had air con faults twice and recently a heating fault. The repairs expensive and the dealer customer service really lacking. We bought it on the strength of the wife having a Mazda 2 from new for several years which apart from a rust spot or two was faultless.

 

[Atsoc15]

I test drove the mx-30 yesterday. Really lovely car to drive and you definitely feel like you are in something really premium. Up front it feels like a big car but is quite nimble and decent acceleration.
The back is unbelievably small though, for what isn’t that small a car, and I do wish you could switch off the fake car noise.