Mazda MX-30 R-EV Test: The Only Plug-In Hybrid With Rotary Engine On The Market

A few years ago, the Mazda MX-30 passed through the Ara Motor editorial office, a fully electric SUV with a very peculiar design and a truly brave and risky bet: to offer a very low-capacity battery to try to save on weight and manufacturing costs and, thus, propose an SUV designed for eminently urban use. The result was a 145 hp car powered by a 35.5 kWh battery that allowed it to homologate a range of only 200 km, according to the WLTP cycle (262 km in urban use).

At that time, Mazda applied logic, ensuring that 40% of Spanish drivers drove less than 25 kilometers a day, and that 30% did less than 50. r of such limited autonomy. And that is the reason why today we are carrying out a test again in the Mazda MX-30.

The reason is not that Mazda has increased the size of the battery or that it now has greater autonomy, but that the brand has chosen to create a version that completely breaks not only with the concept of the normal MX-30, but with everything that exists on the market. In other words, Mazda feels Mazda, just like As we were able to prove with the CX-60 and its huge diesel engine, it turns out to be very efficient.. The new Mazda MX-30 R-EV, the vehicle that is the subject of this test, is a plug-in hybrid that uses a rotary combustion engine (of the Wankel type) and that has another peculiarity: the wheels can only move thanks to the electric motor, leaving the combustion engine relegated to the functions of an electricity generator. Will this formula work?

On the outside it remains unchanged

Everything we explained above Mazda MX-30 test Regarding the aesthetic section, it can be applied without changing a comma to this model, since even the color combination is the same. Despite the passage of years, the design of the SUV of the Japanese brand remains fresh, partly thanks to its suicide-style door opening concept (or freestyle, as Mazda prefers to call it) or the exterior design that fuses the shapes of an urban SUV with the measurements of a compact SUV (the length is 4.39 meters).

So, at the front, the sharp LED lights that converge on a small grille remain, while in the side view, the large square wheel arches, the very high waistline with very small windows and the enormous C-pillar that imitates the shape of the C-pillar stand out above all. Everything flows towards a rear end where we see two-section taillights, a large trunk door and a glass with a fairly pronounced inclination.

A quality interior, but one that shows the passage of time

Inside, as on the outside, there are no changes compared to the electric model presented a few years ago. This means that the same quality materials and sustainable solutions are maintained, but also that some elements could use an update. For example, the central screen in horizontal position is 8.8 inches and can be easily manipulated with the rotary control located on the central console, but the menus and graphics are beginning to show the passage of time. In addition, the connection to the telephone is still wired.

However, the dashboard of the Mazda MX-30 is quite curious. The instrumentation is partially digital and elegant, while the steering wheel has physical buttons with a good feel. As for the materials, the upper part of the doors is made of fiber from recycled plastic bottles, while the handles and floating block of the central console integrate sections made of cork.

The climate control system is well positioned and concentrates almost all the functions on a 7-inch touch screen, but it retains, on the sides, several physical buttons that activate the most common functions. As for the central console, it incorporates direct controls in the area of the gear lever that allow us to access the rotary control that we mentioned before, the electric parking brake, the energy management modes and the volume of the multimedia system.

As for habitability, it is not the most practical or spacious compact SUV on the market. Access to the rear seats is very peculiar because to open the rear door you have to open the front one first, although after that the access is very clear because the B pillar "disappears". Of course, if the occupants of the front seats want to let someone in the back seats they will have to take off their seat belts to be able to open both.

Once inside, the space in the back is adequate for two occupants, but very tight for four. In any case, there is not much room for the head or especially for the legs, so someone who is a bit tall will travel a little tight. In addition, the rear windows are very small and cannot be opened, which does not help to maximize the feeling of space. As for the trunk, it has a capacity of 350 liters, but if we equip the sound system signed by Bose this figure is reduced to 332 liters.

Plug-in hybrid and rotary, an innovative engine with no rivals on the market

The Mazda MX-30 R-EV does not have a simple mechanics to understand, because, although it is considered a plug-in hybrid, the truth is that it is an electric vehicle with extended range, since the wheels can only move with the energy generated by the electric motor, which relegates the combustion engine to act as a generator. But let's go in detail.

The mechanical scheme of the Mazda MX-30 is made up of a Wankel-type combustion engine, the classic rotary engine that has given Mazda so much joy throughout its history, a 17.8 kWh battery and an electric motor. The rotary is a block of 830 cubic centimeters that generates a power of 75 hp and is activated when the system requires it solely for the purpose of generating electricity. This electricity goes directly to the battery, which at the same time feeds the 170 hp and 260 Nm of torque engine that moves the front wheels of the MX-30.

At the same time, the battery (which allows it to be certified for an electric range of up to 85 kilometres, thus obtaining the 0 label) can be recharged with alternating current at a maximum of 11 kW and with direct current at a maximum of 36 kW, being able to go from 20 to 80% charge in about 25 minutes.

Behind the wheel, a car with an almost unique driving experience

The Mazda MX-30 R-EV is not the first range-extending electric car on the market, as BMW experimented with this a few years ago with the i3 REX, and even the Opel Ampera and Chevrolet Volt were vehicles of this type more than a decade ago. But the Japanese model does have one particularity that makes it unique: its combustion engine is rotary. In any case, in practice this is almost no different from using a conventional combustion block except for the sound coming from the engine, which is very characteristic of Wankel-type engines (and quite loud in this model).

Continuing as follows, when you start driving you can choose between three driving modes, which allow you to select whether you want to use the electric power from the battery (EV mode), whether you want to use the electric power but activate the combustion engine in strong accelerations or high speeds to balance the use of the battery (normal) or whether you want to activate it. expressly the combustion engine to recharge the battery (chargee). In addition, in this last mode, we can select up to what percentage of charge we want to reach.

At the wheel, and selecting the normal driving mode, the MX-30's driving experience is not very different from that of any plug-in hybrid. In other words, refined. When the car moves in electric mode, it has more than enough power in any circumstance, and if we require strong acceleration, it also responds competently thanks to the union of electric power with the energy generation of the combustion engine. In any case, it is not a fast or sporty car, since it accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 9.1 seconds, weighs 1,853 kilos and has a maximum speed of 140 km/h.

We are looking at a car that is approved for a consumption of just one litre per 100 km, but as we always say with plug-in hybrids... there is a catch. If we start a 100-kilometre trip with the battery charged to 100%, we prioritise EV mode and practice relaxed driving combining urban and interurban areas, we can get close to the approved electric autonomy of 85 kilometres, and do the other 15 or 20 in hybrid mode (active). In these circumstances, the consumption of petrol is obviously minimal.

But once the battery has been discharged, consumption increases significantly, since at that moment we are looking at a hybrid car in which the combustion engine must generate electricity to feed the electric motor. And the consumption can still rise much more if we activate the mode charge, using the combustion engine not only to generate electricity by driving, but also to recharge the battery. This makes the Mazda MX-30 R-EV an ideal car for those who travel between 50 and 70 kilometres a day and can recharge the car regularly.

The reason is very simple: if we only use the battery, the electrical consumption is about 18 kWh/100 km, and the gasoline consumption is practically non-existent, but if once it is discharged we do the rest of the kilometers alternating the normal mode with the charge, fuel consumption can easily exceed 8 liters. The Mazda MX-30 is therefore a car that rewards electric driving, but penalizes driving using only the rotary engine.

Conclusion of the Mazda MX-30 R-EV test

Mazda is a brand that likes to do things differently from the rest and not follow conventions. We have seen this with its large-capacity, low-consumption diesel engines, in combustion engines that avoid the downsizing and in the historical use of rotary engines. When proposing an alternative to the electric version of the MX-30, they also wanted to differentiate themselves from the rest, since their plug-in hybrid is actually an extended-range electric vehicle powered by a Wankel engine.

And the truth is that the formula, although it has some details to polish (strident sound and high consumption in combustion mode) is, as always with Mazda, risky and brave. Of course, the price to pay to drive one of the most curious and unique cars in the segment is 38,050 euros for the entry-level Prime-Line version, rising to 45,150 euros for the Edition R version.