(By Tom Lohnes) – Mazda has another crossover thing on the way and it’s quite strange. Carrying the MX nameplate, the MX-30 has RX-8 style styling and MX-5 style performance all wrapped in a hybrid package.
Technically a 4-door the MX-30 sports suicide doors like the RX-8, styling like no other Mazda out there, and up to 300 horsepower out of three supposed engine combinations. The base MX-30 is powered by a 2.0-liter N/A 4 banger with electric motors driving the rear wheels through an automatic.
Upgrade to AWD, and you have an EV. The fully electric MX-30 should get to 60 in under 6 seconds, which is refreshing due to the slowness of the entire Mazda lineup. The most interesting drivetrain combination, though, is the last one.
The MX-30 is rumored to be the first vehicle in the Mazda lineup to use a Rotary-based hybrid. Using a naturally aspirated four-rotor Wankel engine, this thing is sure to make rotary fans annoyed and hybrid fans confused. Power when aided by electric motors should be right around 300, and that’s a pretty healthy number considering the last rotary Mazda made like 225.
This is for sure a strange vehicle, but I’m excited to see what it brings to the table. If it’s priced right, it’ll sell.
The ungainly mix of ugly and impractical. Plus the added oil consumption benefit of a rotary.
I can’t wait.
If it weren’t for the rotary engine option, this would be another lame crossover, made even worse by a back seat that looks about as roomy and accessible as the one on a 300ZX 2+2. Mazda’s only mention of this on its website makes no mention of the rotary, either. I think this four rotor claim is likely to be just another Internet hoax.
Shut up and take my money