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Starray, a petrol hybrid, which shows how clever the Chinese car industry has been in not pursing a totally electric route. They have recognised that for many people EVs don’t work at the moment. The Starray uses a 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder petrol engine with a single motor driving the front wheels. The three- model line-up has two versions with an 18.4 kwh battery and a top-line model with larger 29.8kwh battery. There’s a potential 51 miles of pure electric range, with the larger battery delivering an impressive 84 miles. Standard equipment is excellent even on the lead-in model and prices start at £29,990. From a style point of view the Starray is pretty much standard fare for SUVs these days with no outstanding features, and no dreadful ones either. Inside it’s pretty much the same story but the fit and finish is noticeably good throughout with tactile finishes and doors that close with a reassuring thud. I’d like to say the switches work the same but
Mazda CX-30 – class, quality and understated style
M
azda are a marque that seems to be largely below the motoring consciousness of many drivers, although the MX-5 is synonymous
with the Japanese car maker. When I am asked, as motoring writers often are, about which cars someone should consider, there’s always a look of surprise when Mazda is mentioned. Which is a shame as Mazda have always been exceptionally well-built, a pleasure to drive and of a quality lacking in many rivals. Their understated style may account for why they
are not at the forefront of many people’s mind, it’s a brand that exemplifies the motto, ‘if you know, you know’. SUVs remain the flavour of the driving public’s attention and the CX30 is the focus of our attention in this review. As with all Mazda models the CX30 is a quality build and there are five trim levels with prices starting from £27,300 for the lead-in Prime-Line version. Standard equipment on this entry to range includes
air conditioning, power fold heated door mirrors, Bluetooth, Apple Car Play and Android Auto, rear parking sensors and camera, radar cruise control, auto lights and wipers and the usual array of ‘advanced driver assistance features’. Thankfully the sensible people at Mazda have a one button solution that temporarily disables many of the features in an instant. Two power options and either manual or automatic gears are on offer with the front wheel drive 140PS Skyactiv G 2.5-litre petrol unit or the 2.0-litre Skyactiv
they’ve pretty much been made extinct. A large central touchscreen of excellent clarity can’t take away the pain of having to dip into menus for so many functions. Even opening the sunroof. And while on the subject of annoying, some of the ADAS safety systems interfere constantly and even the shortcut button requires more touches than its name suggests. On the road the Starray is built for
The promise of more economical motoring without the range anxiety.
comfort and delivers, with three driving modes, in electric or hybrid drive it’s smooth and refined. It doesn’t deliver the accelerative kick of a pure EV but is more than capable. Handling is pretty decent too for such a large and softly sprung car, and the many bumps and potholes are soaked up with ease.
Starray is the perfect example of high quality, well equipped and comfortable motoring that will appeal to anyone looking at value-for-money family transport. The promise of more economical motoring without the range anxiety.
X petrol developing 186PS with the option of all-wheel- drive. A manual or automatic 6-speed transmission is available and both petrol engines come with mild hybrid assistance. With a usefully intuitive rotary controller and buttons
yet again the sensible people at Mazda have made the CX-30 a refreshing joy to the total touchscreen mania that has swept most of the car industry. It’s easy to operate functions, the switches and controls have an assured feel, and the interior as a whole is a very nice place to be on any journey. The notable quality puts many rivals to shame and it feels much more premium than the pricing suggests. On the road the CX-30 is brisk without being overtly
sporting, it handles extremely well and, on a twisting cross-country route, is surprisingly enjoyable for an SUV. It’s a refined and smooth drive too with lots of creature comforts. It’s a classy looking car that lacks the in-your-face brutalism of so many designs. All told, the CX-30 should be your go-to-choice if you want class, quality and understated style at remarkably sensible money.
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