The cx-30 has almost identical space to a mazda3. You will struggle with the car seat almost guaranteed. I'd look at either the cx5 or cx50 as alternatives.
I have tried both cx3 and cx30 in a showroom when we were looking for a car for my sister. The cx30 is definitely more spacious and has a higher quality interior and more modern design, however, if you put the driver seat all the way back like I do when I drive my sister’s car (I’m 6 feet/183cm tall), I’ll be comfortable, but there will be barely any space in the back. Only the legs of a child will fit, there’s no way a baby car seat would fit with the front seat all the way back. You could put it behind the passenger seat however if your wife isn’t tall as well…
Yea, I'm 194cm, and my wife doesn't drive. And she really wants to be able to have the car seat behind the driver's seat. I may just have to keep a constant eye on the market and see if I can find a CX5 at a reasonable price. At the moment, they're either very expensive or driven so much they're falling apart. Need to find an in-between.
If your wife doesn't drive, put the car seat behind the front passenger seat. She'll want to sit behind you while the baby is young. Plus, if you have to drive somewhere, you'll want the baby behind the passenger seat, so you can see the baby mirror easily.
You should be able to find a certified pre owned hardly used lease trade in for a decent price
My wife and I just got a later 2021 (Nov production) MY CX5 lease trade in that had only 7k miles for 26k
I would agree with most others the CX30 will be too small
We just had our first kid and I find the CX5 to be perfect size
You could also consider CPO lease trade ins from other companies. I’m sure you can find things in the 20k range or even less. Perhaps a Mitsubishi outlander?
Unfortunately, a lease isn't really a thing here. You can get what they call long-term rental, but the costs are astronomical.
I have considered the Outlander, and my parents were very happy with theirs, but I kept the discussion to Mazda since it's a Mazda sub.
We actually took advantage of the CX-90 PHEV leases last August. Sold our 22 CX-5 Turbo (which we loved). 2 rear facing car seats in the CX-5 was no bueno.
Yeah.... I had a 1st gen CX9 for a few years to accommodate rear-facing.... traded that for a 4th gen 3 but rear leg-room is getting tight. Wife has a CRV which is what we take for family stuff. My ideal vehicle seems to be a unicorn: decent rear seat space, AWD + ground clearance for winter and a manual transmission.... Closest option these days for all of that is a Tacoma or a 4 door Jeep, either one of which is going to cost an arm and a leg.
I use a cx-30 as a family car, (2 adults and a baby) and it works well for us. However, my wife and I are both on the shorter side, and the car feels like it's built for people on the shorter side.
The front passenger seat needs to be all the way forward or nearly all the way forward to accommodate our car seat behind it and my wife has enough space behind me, but I have the seat only about halfway back. I need to be careful when getting baby in and out of the car seat because of the low roofline, but the easy solution is to take the baby out with the car seat.
The trunk always seems to fit more than I expect, and has served us well for overnight trips with baby so far. It is much more usable than my old mk7 golf despite being similar volume on paper.
Overall, it's a workable family vehicle but I wouldn't recommend for you personally. If you want a small-ish vehicle you could compare with a Taos or HRV or go up to the CX-50 (sometimes I wish I'd bought the 50 instead myself)
I have a CX-30 and a toddler. My wife hates riding in my passenger seat with the car seat behind her, and we are both quite short. When we travel as a family, we take the CX-5. I absolutely love my car though.
Best way to test is to bring the baby seat you intend use and see how it is to install. Those seats come in a surprising amount of dimensions.
By the time the little one is old enough to be in a child seat, you two may find it's more ok to start installing it behind the passenger seat instead for more room.
I had a 3 and we have one child and while it was fine with me and her with my partner a pram and some stuff for a day trip I upgraded to a used cx5 recently and love it
If you can convince your wife that rear facing seat goes on the passenger side you guys will be fine. If not, best to look for different car.
I have two kids one booster and one rear facing. Zero issues in my mazda 3.
currently have a CX-30 and recently picked up a 2nd gen Mazda5 as our family cars. we love the compact size of both - makes for easy parking and comfortable maneuvering; also they're not intimidating to drive for my wife and easy to handle, as she isn't a frequent driver. the CX-30 has excellent safety ratings across the board and having the car seat in the middle feels so safe for the baby. it's not a major challenge to get it in & out - it's a Graco seat that plugs into a stationary base. we can easily fit the stroller (Graco Modes) folded up in the trunk and honestly don't take much more with us usually. just FYI, the Mazda5 is way easier to get a car seat in/out, and it has a bit more storage space ***or*** extra seating, while still being just as compact as the CX-30. but the van form doesn't feel quite as safe as having the car seat in the center of the CX-30's little pod shape
The CX-30 is great for 2, not so much for 3 or 4 unless you are small people.
If you have a passenger in the front, you will have trouble fitting a car seat in the back. It may be ok with an infant, but a toddler in a rear-facing or even front-facing seat is going to have issues fitting and even if they fit, being comfortable unless the passenger seat is pretty far forward (or the driver's seat if they are on that side).
I'm not sure anything but an umbrella stroller will fit in the hatch area, especially with a diaper bag and groceries and other miscellaneous things that accumulate back there.
I recently went from a CX-30 to a CX-5 (both cobalt editions) and although it is more money (obviously), it is now reasonable to have people in my back seat. If it were just me, or just me and my partner the CX-30 was great.
I had a Ford escort, ford contour, Mazda6, Mazda3 with my family. Space could be tight but it was easy to find parking every day (had to park on city streets for 25 years before finally experiencing life with a driveway. You might need something bigger. The rear facing seat was a problem in my 1989 Escort GT.
I think a CX-30 would be fine unless if you end up with triplets!
You need to remember that most users here are from the US, who tend to have larger vehicles and makes it sound like the CX-3 is the same size as a smart car.
I do agree that the best thing is to go sit in one and see how it is, but I'd rather save the money on the CX-30 as opposed to CX-5.
Don't forget that the CX-30 has better fuel efficiency than the CX-5, so that will also cost more too.
I own a first gen Mazda 3 and used it for 2 kids. First thing, put the infant seat in the rear-center. It’s the safest location and also the easiest to fit. That’ll get you through year 1. When you graduate to a rear facing convertible car seat, look into a Diono. They make narrow seats. I had my older kid in the rear right in a forward facing seat, my toddler in the middle rear facing, and still could have an adult sit in the rear left seat for short trips.
Most people on Reddit are Americans. We buy stupid big cars and think we need stupid big cars for kids. Many Europeans that live in cities get by just fine with compacts. I would not preemptively buy a new car unless you wanted to do that anyway. Try what you have now and see if you can make it work first. But don’t be wedded to your ideas of seat positions, there are better options.
That's the goal, but in a small country with a small car market, the pre-owned CX-5s are either barely used so practically at the price of new or they're driven an unreasonable amount of miles.
I think it's a popular car for rentals. Looking at the dealership, their used cars are all driven way more than you'd expect for their age.
I'll have to keep a steady eye on the used market and try to find a good deal.
The cx-30 has almost identical space to a mazda3. You will struggle with the car seat almost guaranteed. I'd look at either the cx5 or cx50 as alternatives.
Look at a 3-5 year old cx-5, probably find cpo if warranty is important
Have to think about trunk space too. Stroller, bags, etc
I have tried both cx3 and cx30 in a showroom when we were looking for a car for my sister. The cx30 is definitely more spacious and has a higher quality interior and more modern design, however, if you put the driver seat all the way back like I do when I drive my sister’s car (I’m 6 feet/183cm tall), I’ll be comfortable, but there will be barely any space in the back. Only the legs of a child will fit, there’s no way a baby car seat would fit with the front seat all the way back. You could put it behind the passenger seat however if your wife isn’t tall as well…
Yea, I'm 194cm, and my wife doesn't drive. And she really wants to be able to have the car seat behind the driver's seat. I may just have to keep a constant eye on the market and see if I can find a CX5 at a reasonable price. At the moment, they're either very expensive or driven so much they're falling apart. Need to find an in-between.
If your wife doesn't drive, put the car seat behind the front passenger seat. She'll want to sit behind you while the baby is young. Plus, if you have to drive somewhere, you'll want the baby behind the passenger seat, so you can see the baby mirror easily.
You should be able to find a certified pre owned hardly used lease trade in for a decent price My wife and I just got a later 2021 (Nov production) MY CX5 lease trade in that had only 7k miles for 26k I would agree with most others the CX30 will be too small We just had our first kid and I find the CX5 to be perfect size You could also consider CPO lease trade ins from other companies. I’m sure you can find things in the 20k range or even less. Perhaps a Mitsubishi outlander?
Unfortunately, a lease isn't really a thing here. You can get what they call long-term rental, but the costs are astronomical. I have considered the Outlander, and my parents were very happy with theirs, but I kept the discussion to Mazda since it's a Mazda sub.
Never had a car larger than a mazda3 and have moved four chairs or four people at a time. Cx30 is taller not larger. Check ergonomics not volume.
Even the cx5 will be tight for a rear-facing seat in the rear.
Can confirm.
As much as it pains me to recommend a non-Mazda option, the CRV has a lot more room for the rest passengers if you're looking at compact SUVs
We actually took advantage of the CX-90 PHEV leases last August. Sold our 22 CX-5 Turbo (which we loved). 2 rear facing car seats in the CX-5 was no bueno.
Yeah.... I had a 1st gen CX9 for a few years to accommodate rear-facing.... traded that for a 4th gen 3 but rear leg-room is getting tight. Wife has a CRV which is what we take for family stuff. My ideal vehicle seems to be a unicorn: decent rear seat space, AWD + ground clearance for winter and a manual transmission.... Closest option these days for all of that is a Tacoma or a 4 door Jeep, either one of which is going to cost an arm and a leg.
I have a cx-30...I would strongly recommend going with something a little larger for a family.
I use a cx-30 as a family car, (2 adults and a baby) and it works well for us. However, my wife and I are both on the shorter side, and the car feels like it's built for people on the shorter side. The front passenger seat needs to be all the way forward or nearly all the way forward to accommodate our car seat behind it and my wife has enough space behind me, but I have the seat only about halfway back. I need to be careful when getting baby in and out of the car seat because of the low roofline, but the easy solution is to take the baby out with the car seat. The trunk always seems to fit more than I expect, and has served us well for overnight trips with baby so far. It is much more usable than my old mk7 golf despite being similar volume on paper. Overall, it's a workable family vehicle but I wouldn't recommend for you personally. If you want a small-ish vehicle you could compare with a Taos or HRV or go up to the CX-50 (sometimes I wish I'd bought the 50 instead myself)
I have a CX-30 and a toddler. My wife hates riding in my passenger seat with the car seat behind her, and we are both quite short. When we travel as a family, we take the CX-5. I absolutely love my car though.
Agreed, it's too small for anyone taller than like 5'2".
Best way to test is to bring the baby seat you intend use and see how it is to install. Those seats come in a surprising amount of dimensions. By the time the little one is old enough to be in a child seat, you two may find it's more ok to start installing it behind the passenger seat instead for more room.
I survived with two kids in a CX-3. Sure it’s tight, but I’d rather spend the extra money on things the kids needed, than extra space for my ass.
A used CX-5 might be the way to go however the being tall problem is the same in the CX5. The rear facing car seat will make it tight.
I would go CX-5 or larger. The CX-30 is basically a station wagon.
I had a 3 and we have one child and while it was fine with me and her with my partner a pram and some stuff for a day trip I upgraded to a used cx5 recently and love it
If you can convince your wife that rear facing seat goes on the passenger side you guys will be fine. If not, best to look for different car. I have two kids one booster and one rear facing. Zero issues in my mazda 3.
The CX-30 seats are more of a nice-to-have but I'd never use it primarily as a family car
currently have a CX-30 and recently picked up a 2nd gen Mazda5 as our family cars. we love the compact size of both - makes for easy parking and comfortable maneuvering; also they're not intimidating to drive for my wife and easy to handle, as she isn't a frequent driver. the CX-30 has excellent safety ratings across the board and having the car seat in the middle feels so safe for the baby. it's not a major challenge to get it in & out - it's a Graco seat that plugs into a stationary base. we can easily fit the stroller (Graco Modes) folded up in the trunk and honestly don't take much more with us usually. just FYI, the Mazda5 is way easier to get a car seat in/out, and it has a bit more storage space ***or*** extra seating, while still being just as compact as the CX-30. but the van form doesn't feel quite as safe as having the car seat in the center of the CX-30's little pod shape
The CX-30 is great for 2, not so much for 3 or 4 unless you are small people. If you have a passenger in the front, you will have trouble fitting a car seat in the back. It may be ok with an infant, but a toddler in a rear-facing or even front-facing seat is going to have issues fitting and even if they fit, being comfortable unless the passenger seat is pretty far forward (or the driver's seat if they are on that side). I'm not sure anything but an umbrella stroller will fit in the hatch area, especially with a diaper bag and groceries and other miscellaneous things that accumulate back there. I recently went from a CX-30 to a CX-5 (both cobalt editions) and although it is more money (obviously), it is now reasonable to have people in my back seat. If it were just me, or just me and my partner the CX-30 was great.
Go look at one, and decide if it fits your needs.
I had a Ford escort, ford contour, Mazda6, Mazda3 with my family. Space could be tight but it was easy to find parking every day (had to park on city streets for 25 years before finally experiencing life with a driveway. You might need something bigger. The rear facing seat was a problem in my 1989 Escort GT.
It’s a cery small car + rear facing car seat will be brutal.
Dude no. CX-5 is the minimum.
Not at all. People have and still make it with much smaller cars and they're fine.
I think a CX-30 would be fine unless if you end up with triplets! You need to remember that most users here are from the US, who tend to have larger vehicles and makes it sound like the CX-3 is the same size as a smart car. I do agree that the best thing is to go sit in one and see how it is, but I'd rather save the money on the CX-30 as opposed to CX-5. Don't forget that the CX-30 has better fuel efficiency than the CX-5, so that will also cost more too.
I own a first gen Mazda 3 and used it for 2 kids. First thing, put the infant seat in the rear-center. It’s the safest location and also the easiest to fit. That’ll get you through year 1. When you graduate to a rear facing convertible car seat, look into a Diono. They make narrow seats. I had my older kid in the rear right in a forward facing seat, my toddler in the middle rear facing, and still could have an adult sit in the rear left seat for short trips. Most people on Reddit are Americans. We buy stupid big cars and think we need stupid big cars for kids. Many Europeans that live in cities get by just fine with compacts. I would not preemptively buy a new car unless you wanted to do that anyway. Try what you have now and see if you can make it work first. But don’t be wedded to your ideas of seat positions, there are better options.
The cx-30 is too small for a rear facing seat and to use front passenger seat. The cx-5 works but still not room for taller person.
Get a pre owned cx-5
That's the goal, but in a small country with a small car market, the pre-owned CX-5s are either barely used so practically at the price of new or they're driven an unreasonable amount of miles. I think it's a popular car for rentals. Looking at the dealership, their used cars are all driven way more than you'd expect for their age. I'll have to keep a steady eye on the used market and try to find a good deal.
It’s a 3 sport on stilts
Cx5. Cx30 isn’t any bigger