I Drove the 2025 Mazda CX-30 2.5 Turbo Premium Plus: Can It Work for Families?

A pleasant surprise in the lineup

Mazda was always sort of a mixed bag for me. Sometimes they truly impress me with the feature-to-price ratio, other times I’m left wanting more. I reviewed the CX-70 PHEV and loved it as a kid hauler. I reviewed the CX-50 and loved it as a premium replacement for a Subaru Forester or Outback. But I was most surprised by the CX-30. It had a beautiful interior, a wonderful driving feel, more cargo space than meets the eye, and was a lot more toddler-friendly than I could have imagined. 

But the best feature was the price. To fit the CX-30 with Mazda’s own 227-horsepower 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine (that you can boost up to 250 horsepower if you use premium fuel), a creamy white leather interior, a premium navy blue paint color, a premium sound system, and nicer wheels is just $38,505–and that’s with the add-ons. So, can you make this cost-effective subcompact SUV a family SUV? Here’s what I think after I put my two toddler daughters in one for a week.

The trunk is generous for an SUV of its size

The Mazda CX-30, on paper, has 20.2 cubic feet of space behind the second row. That’s incredibly similar to the trunk of a Subaru Crosstrek, Nissan Kicks, Kia Seltos, and Hyundai Kona, all of which have a generous boot for the segment. It won’t fit anything crazy like a giant double stroller, but it can fit a more compact stroller without issue. My toddlers don’t use a stroller anymore, so I didn’t have to worry about that, but with babies, I could see a family struggling.

However, it did have roof rails from the factory, so a set of crossbars to accommodate a backet, cargo box, or even a cargo carrier from the hitch would work perfectly fine if more cargo space is needed. As long as you have children the same age as mine (3 and 2), the trunk space is more than enough, and it gets a thumbs up from me.

The rear seats are a bit cramped, but they worked fine with car seats

Since the trunk is fairly big for its size, it meant a compromise in legroom for the rear passengers–but not by too much. I’m about 5’8” and my husband’s 6’2”, and both of us were pretty comfortable sitting in the back. Installing my toddlers’ car seats wasn’t too hard, though it required semi-folding the rear seats to remove the headrest and properly fit their seats. While they were partially folded, I went ahead and secured the top tether, which was on the backs of the seats.  

There was room for their seats, but they were very close together, which prompted pesky sibling rivalries (they love kicking each other’s chairs now that they’re both front-facing). They’re used to annoying each other, but they loved how easy it was for them in the CX-30, especially since the rear windows were higher up on the door panel and smaller, so they couldn’t see out of the car as well as other Mazdas I’ve reviewed.

It was warm out when I had the CX-30, so I was very grateful to at least have the two A/C vents facing the rear seats. It helped keep my daughters from getting too sweaty back there. Not many SUVs in that price range even have rear A/C vents, so that’s a very solid point for the House of Mazda. It’s a bit packed back there, but it can certainly work fine. You should just start saving up for a CX-70 or CX-90 when they’re teens and need more personal space and legroom.

Mileage for an AWD SUV was excellent, which saves a family money

All-wheel drive has a reputation for making a car thirsty, but I didn’t feel that was the case for the CX-30. That’s largely thanks to how the system is designed. It’s all-wheel drive, but unless its Sport mode is toggled or slipping is detected, the CX-30 sends more of the power to the front wheels to save on gas. When it’s ready for action, the power is split evenly. During my week with it, I was averaging around 25 mpg combined. Those are excellent figures, especially considering my town of Bend, Oregon, has frequent stops, slow speeds, and short distances. 

Thanks to standard all-wheel drive and excellent mileage, it’s easier for me to recommend it to couples with young children looking to save on space and cash. All-wheel drive comes with improved safety features in all-weather climates, and of course, makes driving it more fun when things get spunky.

Of course, it’s packed to the gills with standard safety features

Another thing I love about Mazdas, particularly once you get to the higher trims, is how many standard safety features they have. As a mom, I’m always on top of how well a car or SUV performed during crash tests, and the CX-30 ranked very well. In fact, it’s a Top Safety Pick+ with the IIHS, thanks to features like keen automatic emergency braking in the front and rear, rear cross traffic alerts, blind spot detection, adaptive cruise control, road sign recognition, driver attention alerts, a 360-degree monitor, lane keep assist, and more.

Given that I had my toddlers in tow, I felt very assured that if the worst happened, my daughters would be safe and protected. Most Mazdas I’ve reviewed were incredibly safe, but I appreciated that the company’s eye for safety was also applied to a subcompact SUV, for an excellent price.

Final thoughts

Can the CX-30 work for a small family? Absolutely, it can. However, it’s important to note that your babies won’t be babies forever. They grow quickly, and therefore, will run out of knee and head room quicker than you’re likely anticipating. You don’t need a three-row SUV for two kids, but it will certainly come in handy when they’re teens wanting their friends to come over for dinner or to hang out every once and a while. The Mazda CX-30 is a great bargain with a lot to offer, but there are bigger, more roomy options for around the same price, too, like the Subaru Ascent, Nissan Pathfinder, Mazda CX-70, or Toyota Highlander.

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