Mazda has revealed its heavily-teased new crossover at the Geneva motor show, and it's called the CX-30. In spite of the 3 in its name, it's not a direct replacement for the existing, rather small, CX-3, but is instead a new model designed to plug the (significant) size gap between the CX-3 and the CX-5. And you can, of course, expect the next-generation models of those cars to have similar zeroes appended to their names as Mazda re-works its badging policy.
The CX-30 meanwhile gives Mazda its first, proper, direct rival for the big-selling Nissan Qashqai. It really does look rather like someone took the very handsome new 3 and stretched it upwards a few inches, filling in the resulting gap with rugged-look black plastic cladding. Still, it's certainly stylish and fulfils its practical family duties rather well, with a spacious cabin (Mazda says four adults fit comfortably) and a decent 430-litre boot.
The interior is basically that of the new 3’s too, with a high-quality dashboard and the curious counter-sunk 8.8-inch infotainment screen. Power will come, initially, from a 122hp 2.0-litre mild-hybrid petrol, and a 116hp 1.8-litre diesel, but more powerful engine options will have been revealed by the time the CX-30 goes on late this year.
Hyper Swede
If it's power you want, of course, Koenigsegg can supply it. The Swedish hypercar firm, named after its eponymous founder, Christian Von Koenigsegg, has been making incredibly fast hypercars for some time now, but the new Jesko (named after Koenigsegg's father) really takes the biscuit. The 480-odd-km/h biscuit, because that's the top speed claimed for this car, powered by its 5.0-litre twin-turbo V8 engine. Feed that engine regular 95-octane unleaded and it develops 1,280hp. Feed it with Swedish-style E85 fuel, which contains 15 per cent alcohol made from renewable fuel sources, and that figure jumps to a Bugatti-beating 1,600hp. Oh, and a helpful 1,500Nm of torque too.
Geneva motor show: Peugeot aims to top its record results; Aston showcase concepts
Geneva Motor Show: Ferrari and Lambo bring the super, but Bugatti has the hyper
Geneva Motor Show: Kia and Honda prep for electric, but will Polestar star in Ireland?
Geneva Motor Show: Audi’s all-electric; Nissan’s got a futuristic Qashqai
Now, generally speaking this isn’t the fastest version of the Jesko. The car on show in Geneva has a full, high-downforce aero package which holds back its top speed a little. If you want to go the full 480km/h, you’ll need to wait for the low-downforce package to arrive. Presumably that comes with a lifetime supply of brave pills…
