Mazda 3 and CX-30 Updates for 2025

Driver Guides  New Launches 

A couple of years ago, an internet meme appeared following the unveiling of the first SUV in Ferrari’s history, and it cheekily implied that the designer had simply copied the Mazda CX-30. While it was clearly just a joke, that doesn’t make the comparison any less of a compliment to Mazda’s excellent design. It also explains why the updated Mazda CX-30, and the Mazda3 range it shares a platform with, boast new tech and new engines but leaves the exterior design untouched.

Both the Mazda CX-30 and Mazda3 range are already popular lease choices for many reasons beyond their incredibly stylish looks. For award-winning reasons, Mazda has rightly left the exterior design and high-class interiors alone.

Instead, you get even more specification right across both model ranges. It’s quite a range too. Alongside the 21 models in the CX-30 range, the Mazda3 boasts another 17 models – 15 hatchbacks and 2 saloons, with every single one benefiting from the new updates.

So what do you get with the new updates?

The 2025 updates now add integrated Alexa Voice Assistant to every model, as well as an improved navigation system that benefits from cloud-based points of interest and database updates. These new connectivity upgrades are the perfect addition to the 10.25-inch centre screen, wireless charging, and USB Type-C charging ports that were introduced during the last round of model updates.

The biggest change to the 2025 Mazda3 and Mazda CX-30 line-up is under the bonnet, with a new 2.5-litre e-Skyactiv G engine replacing the old 2.0-litre 120bhp option. The new engine is taken from the larger CX-5 SUV, and it now brings its mild-hybrid efficiency and advanced engine features to the Mazda3 and CX-30.

At first glance, replacing a 120bhp 2.0-litre engine with a 140bhp 2.5-litre might seem a bit of an odd decision. We’ve become used to a trend of combustion engines shrinking in size in the pursuit of efficiency. Mazda has taken a slightly different approach, and it actually makes for a more efficient powertrain. It’s all down to physics, but a larger engine means bigger combustion chambers, which creates extra space for a more efficient combustion process. We don’t necessarily understand the maths, but the result of the bigger engine is lower emissions and more usable torque.

The new 140bhp engine not only offers a little more power, but the ability to generate more torque at lower revs ensures that in both the Mazda3 and Mazda CX-30 there’s a noticeable improvement in real-world performance. To put it into terms we all understand, both cars can now accelerate to 62mph almost 1 second quicker than the outgoing models. Other benefits include improved noise, vibration, and harshness, which makes the 2025 models more refined as well as faster.

Across both model line-ups, the new engine can be matched to either a manual or automatic transmission, while the range-topping Mazda CX-30 e-Skyactiv X Takumi is also available with all-wheel drive.

The other new model attracting attention is the stylish Mazda3 Saloon, which comes with the even more powerful 180bhp e-Skyactiv X engine and Exclusive-Line trim-level as standard.

The Mazda3 Saloon sits on the same platform as the hatchback but it’s 200mm longer to create extra space inside, making it a serious competitor in the compact executive saloon segment. It may be based on the hatchback, but with the exception of the bonnet and windscreen, every panel is unique to the saloon to create an equally stylish car without being identical. The Exclusive-Line trim also makes it very well-equipped, with 18” alloy wheels, Adaptive LED Headlights, a premium 12-speaker Bose sound system, and interior chrome styling details among the many benefits.

2025 model year versions of the Mazda3 are available to order now. Order books for the 2025 Mazda CX-30 will open later this autumn.

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