Speaking of Yakima and Thule snobs...

I had been hauling my canoe on our Honda Pilot, and it was a bit of a PITA tying the boat down - especially from the front, trying to reach over the hood to loop the rope around the front handle, to tether to the hood loops. ...I must have alligator arms. It got to the point, I started bringing a step stool to make it easier.

We sold our 10 year old Mazda CX-5 (no rails, no crossbars), and replaced it with a 2023 Mazda CX-30 in February. We (wife and I) hemmed and hawed between the CX-30 and the Crosstrek, and we were totally leaning towards the Crosstrek prior to test drives. After we took both for a test drive, along with the Kia Seltos, we unanimously gravitated to the CX-30.

I loved this little CX-30 before canoe season hit, as the ride is sweet with a good bit of zip to get in and out of traffic, and it's damn clean (meaning well designed), comfy and a bit snug inside. But now that this has become my new canoe carrier (with Mazda crossbars and Thule Portage clips - loves me those portage clips), getting the canoe up and tied down is a breeze. Traveling from my garage to water and back to my garage has been fun, in and of itself. Canoe traveling in style... albeit not Lexus, Mercedes nor Beemer style - but damn. I've never seen any of the luxury brands used for camping, much less carrying a canoe... So Mazda CX-5, CX-30 or CX-50 it is. :) ...we were interested in the CX-50 at point, but it felt too big for two car garage with our Honda Pilot. ...plus, I liked the idea of a lower roof — hence the Crosstrek/CX-30 options being at the top of our list.

Since I paddle/fish solo, and I'm the only one in the car, I drop the rear seats, and fit 2 to 3 seven foot fishing rods, my twin blade carbon paddle breaks down, but there would be no issue with a standard paddle either, fish net, life jacket, cooler, fishing backpack, camera gear, extra clothes, towels... with gobs of room to spare for a tent and dry bag. I could easily load this car up for a week or two long canoe trip - solo or tandem. ...if you go with two people, you'll want 2pc fishing rods, and break them down.





It's funny, when I watched all the CX-30 and Crosstrek reviews on YT, the reviewers never thought the CX-30 would be an "outdoor person's" option. They kept comparing it to the Mazda 3 on lifts, suggesting, "just get the Mazda 3". In a few cases they said the CX-30 is the more "road friendly" option between the CX-30 and Crosstrek, so if you're not going to do any off-roading (read camping), then get the CX-30. Otherwise, get the Crosstrek.

The Crosstrek and the CX-30 are direct competitors for outdoor activities - not just "paved driving". One is more utilitarian (Crosstrek) on the interior, one has bit more refined style (CX-30) on the interior, but they literally do the same thing. Drive on paved roads, gravel roads, and two track dirt roads. Neither are true stump jumping off roaders. I love that both of these cars exist, and there's a legit option to the Crosstrek. That'll push both Mazda and Subaru to improve these awesome little canoe haulers.

:)

A lot of people will say that Subaru is better for off road, but most don't really know why. A big reason is because Subaru uses a true full-time AWD system. There is always at least 40% power going to the rear wheels. They also usually have decent clearance and approach/departure angles for a car.

The CX-30 i-Activ is a more like a "slip then grip" system. It is normally 100% front drive. When there is slippage or in certain conditions there is some delay before more power is sent to the rear. Typically these type of systems disengage completely above somewhere around 20 MPH, but I don't know if that's true for i-Activ or not.

The advantage to the Subaru is that there is instant rear traction in all situations. This is especially useful in slippery conditions and emergency maneuvers.

The advantage to the Mazda is better fuel economy. Most people find this type of system more than meets their needs and won't notice a difference in most situations.

It can be difficult to find this information as many manufacturers aren't very forthcoming with details. I found this out when looking at mid size CUVs.

The CX-30 is a nice little hauler and I'm sure it will work well for you. I just wanted to clarify what the differences are.

Sarah's online review/off-road test drive was pretty telling - even for a 2020 with AWD in the "premium" model, as AWD is no available for every CX-30 model.

This Lifted Car Can Embarrass Some Trucks Off-Road! // 2020 Mazda CX-30

Sarah is a bit quirky, so if you want to skip all the details of the car, Jump to the 10:00 mark to where Sarah takes the CX-30 off-roading (gravel/dirt road).

Yes, the CX-30 AWD still behaves (primarily) like a FWD while on pavement, with most of the power going to the front tires, but adjusts on the fly as conditions change.

When we received our car, I took it out in some wonderfully slushy wet snowy conditions numerous times (we had plenty of opportunity in March and April) to get a good feel for it's handling on bad slippery roads. It's wonderfully responsive and confident, where as our old 2013 Mazda CX-5 (FWD) and our previous Mazda 3 (FWD) didn't inspire any kind of confidence in the same conditions. In fact, it felt like our Mazda 3 was trying to pull us off the road when we stepped on the gas pedal on snowy/slipper roads to get moving forward. We get none of that with the CX-30 and it's version of AWD.

...then there's the off-road/hill assist, that adjusts power between the tires to get grip to move the car on difficult terrain. You have to be doing some pretty good off-roading for this to come into play, IMO. ....driving to a Boundary Waters canoe launch site isn't one of those situations.

I'm not saying the Crosstrek isn't better than the CX-30 in this regard. Just stating the CX-30 is not a slouch by any stretch, and it will surprise most people who are rather doubtful about it's backroads capability.

Ground clearance for the Crosstrek is 8.5"
Ground clearance for the CX-30 is 8"

If you're nervous about going over a big rock in the CX-30, you're going to be nervous about it in the Crosstrek.

As I mentioned, both are great cars, and they're rather capable for fairly light off-road driving. Both are stylized quite differently - their biggest point of difference.

Both the Mazda and the Swift look pretty sweet! Hope you enjoy both.

TZ

Oh. One other big point of difference is the fuel capacity/range.

Mazda CX-30 has a range of about 320 miles on a full tank.
Subaru Crosstrek has a range of about 520 miles on a full tank (much larger tank).

Fuel economy is similar between the two - around 32-35 mpg on the HWY.