Driven: 2024 Mazda MX-30 R-EV Was Better Than I Expected

That said, I'm tired of hearing random people on the Internet saying things like "Rotary engines are the worst, they're unreliable, they get poor MPGs, they have no torque," etc. I hope I'm not exaggerating, but I have found that in at least 90% of the cases, the same people have never even sat behind the wheel of an RX-7, RX-8, or any other rotary-powered Mazda.

Their entire "knowledge" of the topic comes from sketchy Internet forums and "influencers" who probably can't even drive a stick shift. Rant over. Over the past five years, I've assembled a group of fellow rotary owners. There are now over 60 of us spread across the map. I'm talking about 40+ RX-8s (NA/Turbo/Swapped/20B) and 20 RX-7s (NA/TwinTurbo/Big Single Turbo/20B). I'm still documenting everything, trying to answer every myth about these cars. And I promise I'll return with the results.

Meanwhile, my buddy picked up an RX-8, and we've done some work on it as its former owner had let it rot in his backyard. Yes, these cars are prone to rusting if you live somewhere where local services use a lot of salt in the winter. And yes, incorrect maintenance and use can decrease the life span of the 13B engine. But it's not nearly as scary as the Internet "Specialists" are trying to make it look like. The more I learn about Mazda's rotary experiment, the more I grow fonder and fonder of it.

So when I discovered that Mazda's press office had brought in the new MX-30 R-EV, I knew I had to drive it. The company's PR department booked a three-day session, and I eagerly waited my turn as other media outlets had been quicker to the prize. My nephew wanted to accompany me on the day I went to the pick-up point. He's a 12-year-old motorcycle enthusiast, and it would be a good moment to show him a typical workday and get his perspective on the car at the same time.

1. Design Evaluation

I had seen many photos and videos of the car before, but seeing it up front was different. Mazda's Kodo Design Language has been around for over a decade now. You can instantly tell the MX-30 R-EV is part of the Hiroshima-based family. While all the other CX vehicles look like ordinary SUVs, the MX-30 is one step ahead and feels like tomorrow's car.

I like how Mazda seemingly sculpted the front grill and headlights into the vehicle, and I'm eagerly as excited about the bold stoplight design. The MX-30 R-EV looks fantastic from every angle except for the rear, which falls short of the overall level. I've seen people complaining about the suicide doors, but I think that's one of the car's main attractions. Not only does it pay tribute to the RX-8 on a visual level, but it also adds a little heat to the dish.

I'm sure the same people who complained about this factor would've said the car looks too tedious if it had regular opening doors. I can sometimes get a bit sensible, but I almost cried tears of joy seeing the Rotary Engine logos on the front fenders. At first, I wasn't sure about the black paint job and the red upper side panels. But it started to grow on me by the time the test was over.

2. Interior Assessment

Once I stepped inside, I immediately felt right at home. A nice steering wheel is a must-have for anyone passionate about driving. I didn't expect it to be as good in the MX-30, given it's a Compact SUV and not a sports car. Most of the information you'll need is on the 7" Color driver display or the 8.8" center display.

There's also a third screen that provides access to climate controls and display settings. My wife works as a Materials Specialist for another automotive manufacturer, and she was impressed with what she saw in the MX-30 R-EV. I particularly enjoyed the seemingly floating center console. There's a lot of storage space, and you can also charge your laptop on the go, thanks to the power socket hiding underneath.

Oh, and did I mention the Head-up display? We should have this in every modern car in this day and age. Before driving away, there was one more teaser on the floor mats: Mazda has revived the rotary engine more than ten years after it had pulled the plug on the project!

3. Driving Take

I won't bore you to death with technical details on the MX-30 R-EV. But you should know that the 830cc single-rotor ICE is there as a range extender only. According to Mazda, the 17.8 kWh battery should provide enough "juice" for 53 miles (85 km). The fuel tank holds 50 liters so you can waive goodbye to range anxiety! According to the technical sheets, the MX-30 R-EV could drive for 400 miles (643 km) before you need to stop and refuel or recharge. The rotary engine will kick in when the battery needs charging, even if you tell it to by selecting "Charge" mode.

The curb weight of the compact SUV is 3,816 lbs (1,731 kg), so I expected it to be sluggish with only 164 hp (122 KW) on tap. The Japanese manufacturer quotes a 0 to 62 mph (100 kph) acceleration of just over nine seconds. But the MX-30 R-EV feels faster than that. But let me tell you about my driving experience. I spent the first 100 km driving around on a crowded Friday afternoon. Before this test drive, I paid little attention to Mazda's Jinba Ittai. But after a few hours in the MX-30 R-EV, I understood where they came from with "oneness between horse and rider."

You don't need any special skills to drive this car. It's all a seamless experience if you play things cool. But it will become much more exciting once you start playing with it. Sure, it tops out at 90 mph (144 kph) on the highway, but that should be fine if you plan on obeying the law and don't live in Germany. If you have that big of a need for speed, you can always buy an RX-7. The MX-30 R-EV isn't a sports car, but it can satisfy any thrill seeker who doesn't want to deal with the downside of a razor-sharp vehicle like that.

I haven't used any charging stations along the route, mainly because they weren't available where I went. I stopped in a small village at the base of a mountain for the first night. It was cold when I woke up: 17 Degrees Fahrenheit (-8 Degrees Celsius). And I dealt with two surprising moments that morning. First, the climate system melted the ice away and warmed up the car in about two minutes, give or take. I drove off, and everything seemed perfect, but the battery indicated less than 5%. And I had to drive up one of the steepest hills I've ever encountered.

This made for the only unpleasant moment of the whole test drive: "Acceleration limited while the power generator charges the battery." I made it up the hill; no worries there, it was just slower than I would have wanted to. What is the moral of the story? I wouldn't mark this as a design flaw. Instead, I was not fully adapted to a modern vehicle that functions by slightly different rules. However, I learned my lesson and switched to charge mode before putting the MX-30 R-EV through its most significant challenge.

Most people have heard about the Transfagarasan road thanks to drivers like Jeremy Clarkson. But not everyone knows its "twin sibling": the Transalpina (King's Road). I'm talking about a mountain pass that is almost 100 miles (161 km) long and reaches a peak altitude of 7,037 feet (2,145 meters). It's only open up until a certain point in the winter, as you won't be able to navigate through the literal mountain of snow past it. It would be the perfect place to play with the Regenerative braking settings. Using the paddle shifter on the right, I reduced it to the minimum to get as little resistance as possible driving up the mountain.

With every braking moment before the tight hairpins, I would still get some energy back. I told myself, "Dragos, take it slow" at the beginning of the road. But it's like my brain forgot all about it once I saw the twisties up front. To my surprise, the MX-30 R-EV loved every moment of it. Torque vectoring will make your job much easier, and you can easily forget you're not behind the wheel of an MX-5. The snow covered the road, and I could see the bottom of the mountain just by looking to my left.

But the MX-30 R-EV plowed through without any hesitation. Despite being an FWD vehicle, it always felt safe and fun. Some people will have you believe that Mazda's newest toy is only meant to take on an urban environment. But that's not even remotely true. I covered 948 km of cross-country driving in just over three days. And I felt that this electric plus ICE combo is the way to go for at least the next five to ten years. I can see myself owning an MX-30 R-EV, using the RX-7 only as a track weapon.

4. Everyday Living

I spent ten hours behind Mazda's compact SUV wheel on the first day. I started feeling some back pain eight or nine hours in, but then again, that would happen in any car. The ride quality was much better than I anticipated, even over rough patches of countryside roads. My nephew slept several hours in the backseat, confirming that it was the best car he had done so far.

You shouldn't fear the rotary engine's noise; you'll only hear it buzzing if the radio is off. The Bose sound system will satisfy most users, given its crispness and clarity. I would have preferred more bass, but I always compare these with the Bowers & Wilkins inside the Volvo XC90. The car I tested was the top-of-the-range model, with a starting price of Euro 44,190 ($47,493). I only tried the rear seats while the car was parked. I knew what to expect, and they were not terrible, as some people described.

The small rear window is not ideal if you're claustrophobic, but overall, it felt roomier than the RX-8. What about MPGs? I did the math, and this is what I found. The car had a full charge when I got it and a full tank of gas. I refueled twice over a distance of just under 621 miles (1,000 km), getting an extra 70 liters of Premium Octane gas. But I didn't use it all up; the driver's display showed I still had 76 miles (123 km) to go before coming to a halt. If my math isn't entirely off, that adds up to an average of 8 liters/100 km (29.4 mpg).

One of the reviewers who drove the car before me warned me that he had gotten up to 15 liters/100 km. That explains why the average fuel consumption on the center display was 10 liters/100 km (23.5 mpg) and just under 21 kWh/100 km. Given the circumstances (weight, tech novelty, heavy foot), this result shines a good light on the MX-30 R-EV. My Skoda Octavia gets 7l/100 km (33.6 mpg), sluggish and noisy. On the other hand, the RX-7 will get at least 20l/100 km (11.7 mpg). If you play things smartly with the MX-30 R-EV, charge it up as often as you can, use the regen braking, and avoid the heavy-right-foot syndrome, it will provide excellent results.

5. Test Drive Roundup

I genuinely think this is the way forward for the automotive industry until we can improve our charging network and battery efficiency. If Mazda feels the same, the MX-30 R-EV is the first model in a long line of future Rotary-powered PHEVs. My friends and I hope the Japanese manufacturer will bring back the RX-7's successor one day.

We might not be as happy if the rotary engine is only a range extender, but we'll take it if this is the only way forward. The MX-30 R-EV is the perfect vehicle for a family of three with two grown-ups, a child, or even a couple. You can drive it around town without range anxiety or fear; you can go anywhere you want to with minimal planning (spot the gas stations). It's brilliant to see that Mazda has found a path to the future by reviving a project that seemed obsolete. But maybe the rotary engine was ahead of its time. Keep an eye open on the autoevolution YouTube channel for an upcoming video of this car soon.

Pros

• Fun to drive
• No range anxiety
• Suicide doors
• Comfortable in any environment

Cons

• The sound system needs more bass
• Limited Rear Passenger Space
• Hybrid drivetrain takes some time to get used to