The Mazda MX-30, one of the most unusual EVs on the current market, has been given a range of updates for 2022. The tweaked car is available to order in the UK now from £28,550.
Perhaps the most important change involves the charging system – it can now accept a 50kW DC charge, up from a modest 40kW. This brings the MX-30 into line with the Nissan Leaf while cutting the time it takes to charge the battery from 20 to 80 per cent by 10 minutes to 26 minutes.
Also fettled is the ‘EV sound’ system, which provides the driver with audible feedback tied in with throttle usage. For the 2022 car Mazda says it’s optimised the noise so that it is “more aligned with other sounds heard when the car is running, such as wind or road noise – so the driver can recognise the amount of power in a natural manner without the sound being unusual”.
The powertrain is otherwise unchanged. The MX-30 uses a 35.5kWh battery pack and a single, front axle-mounted motor providing 143bhp and 271Nm of torque. The range remains at 124 miles.
Mazda has also added a number of new trim and colour options for the MX-30, plus enhanced the specification.
The range starts with the £28,550 Prime-Line, while like all UK-bound 2022 MX-30s is fitted with LED headlights, a rear parking camera, adaptive cruise control, satellite navigation and a head-up display as standard. It also gets 18-inch silver alloy wheels plus door mirrors and a grille finished in black. It’s available in five different single-tone paint finishes including Arctic White and Machine Grey.
In the middle of the range is what Mazda expects to be the biggest seller of the 2022 bunch – the £30,450 Exclusive-Line. This switches to a different design of 18-inch wheels while adding electrically-adjustable seats and keyless entry. This trim level is also available with three-tone exterior finishes, including one based around Mazda’s new ‘Zircon Sand’ colour, complemented with a black roof and side panels.
£34,350 buys you the top-of-the-line Makoto, which is now available with a new dark grey interior finish with black artificial leather. This joins the existing light grey cloth trim and Stone artificial leather, or dark grey and brown man made leather options. This trim grade also adds an electric sunroof, a front wiper de-icer, a heated steering wheel and a 12-speaker Bose sound system.
As before, the MX-30 gets its trademark, backwards-hinged ‘suicide’ rear doors, while inside you’ll find a two-screen set-up for the centre console. This involves a seven-inch lower screen for the climate control functions, with an 8.8-inch screen nearer the top of the dashboard on infotainment duties. As before, cork trim features, in reference to Mazda’s founding in 1920 as the Toyo Kogyo Cork Company.