Before autos' iceberg moment, I was posting up about car shopping with daughter No2.
Not sure where we were at, but "The List" slowly went down to the final 3, which were: 2024 Buick Envista, 2025 Honda HR-V and 2025 Mazda CX-30.
The Envista gets a price hike for '25 that makes it less interesting, and in a similar fashion Toyota hiked the price of the Corolla Cross L, making the stripper model even less competitive.
Thanks to my side gig, I signed up my daughter with the manufacturers so she could use both the Envista and HR-V to run errands, and my "pandemic test loop" with me (essentially - a 1-hr test drive of my own design). The CX-30 was easy to grab - big sis' '23 GS.
We both loved the Envista. My Avenir tester though had that Watts link in the back and bigger tires/wheels, while my daughter's budget would cover a base Preferred trim. Looks great, drives great, has a pretty good feature count, even in base trim. Not rattle in sight either. Cons are wet-timing belt 3-pot turbo (scoots well, but long term?), so-so safety ratings and high insurance costs.
The HR-V felt odd to both of us. You sit much lower, car-like, and the Civic dash doesn't seem to "fit" both our driving positions - as if the screen was too close, and slightly tilted to the right. Plus, the presser was a rattle trap. A very slow rattle trap. Her budget means losing the awd here.
The CX-30, despite its age and km's, felt tighter than the two other ones. For '25, the base GX gets the full safety kit of the GS, including the premium-looking semi-digital instruments. Responsive engine, fun handling, premium ride. Cheaper to insure too, quite a thing when insuring a new car at less than 25 years of age.
You can probably guess where this is going... ;)
We will become a 3-Mazda family!
DD2 signed on a 2025 Mazda CX-30 GX in the same black paint as her sister's GS. The parents are happy because 1) long-term peace, 2) awd, 3) shortest option for our thight driveway. The GX also uses cheaper 16" tires, so the winter shoes will be less expensive.
Trying to zero in on a set of identical take-off alloys/tpms from the classifieds that will be wrapped with Pirelli winter rubber currently on sale. Aftermarket wheel fitments in 16" are apparently iffy as caliper clearance is really "limit" since Mazda made awd std a few years ago.
Solid choice.
I just looked up the GX, that is a good bit of kit for a base model.
Out of the three options your daughter was considering I think that one makes the most sense. Mind you I would have got a different colour than my sibling.
I'm sure she will get many happy miles with her new vehicle.
Nailed take-off oem alloys with tpms off another GX for $600 and won't have to deal with a used mounted set - win-win!
(https://media.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExMnEybHJlNmMzcDZyZGpqaHBzN3VrdngxdjdpeTh4NzRlZjljbjNveCZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/8fen5LSZcHQ5O/giphy.gif)
Such a win when you can score a used set.
Definitely the best choice out of the 3 options, I've always been a big fan of Mazda. I test drove a fully-loaded GT model with the Suna package last winter and really enjoyed it. The nice exterior design (minus the black cladding), luxurious interior, and sporty/premium driving experience at a mainstream price really set it apart from the competition. The test drive came about because my girlfriend's Crosstrek was being problematic, but strangely enough she hated the CX-30. Found it too small and too luxurious inside, and prefers the more utilitarian interior of the Crosstrek. Go figure.
I hated the dealer though. It was a small-town Quebec dealer near the cottage that tried to force financing on us, and also heavily pressured us to sign for a car that day despite my saying it was preliminary test drive.
The Costco snow tires took 3 weeks to arrive, so the CX-30 stayed in the driveway after driving it home from the dealer. The Pirellis look good on the oem alloys, and thanks to awd and brand new all-seasons, the drive to Costco was uneventful despite the fresh snow (local streets all the way). Refreshing to use manual HVAC again, especially with well-designed controls as this has. Daughter finished all courses and already has a bunch of sub teacher days, so happy to use her new ride!
It looks good in black, she'll enjoy it, nothing replaces that 'first car' feeling.
Congrats to your daughter. What a cool car.
And of course it's parked next to her sister's black 2023 GS with lux pkg! That one received a "chrome delete" wrap and has black alloys in the summer. Next month I'm reviewing the CX-30 again, so we'll have three of them ;D