Compare the2023 Mazda CX-30VS 2022 BMW X1

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Mazda CX-30 have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision. The BMW X1 doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Mazda CX-30 are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The BMW X1 doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

The CX-30 has standard Whiplash-Reducing Headrests, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash-Reducing Headrests system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The X1 doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tests front crash prevention systems. With a score of 6 points, IIHS rates the Smart Brake Support in the CX-30 as “Superior.” The X1 scores only 4 points and is rated only “Advanced.”

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The CX-30 Turbo Premium Plus has standard Rear Smart Brake Support that use rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. The X1 doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the CX-30. But it costs extra on the X1.

The CX-30 Turbo Premium Plus has a standard 360° View Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The X1 only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

The CX-30 Select/Preferred/Carbon/Premium’s blind spot warning system uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. The X1 doesn’t offer a system to reveal objects in the driver’s blind spots.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the CX-30 Select/Preferred/Carbon/Premium’s standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert uses sensors in the rear to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side and Rear Cross Traffic Braking on the Turbo Premium Plus automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. The X1 doesn’t offer a rear cross-path warning system.

Both the CX-30 and the X1 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems and rearview cameras.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Mazda CX-30 is safer than the BMW X1:

	CX-30	X1
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	148	328
Neck Injury Risk	26.7%	32%
Neck Stress	216 lbs.	360 lbs.
Neck Compression	18 lbs.	60 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	201/172 lbs.	257/329 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	179	187
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.5 inches
Neck Stress	172 lbs.	175 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Mazda CX-30 is safer than the BMW X1:

	CX-30	X1
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	73	143
Hip Force	275 lbs.	486 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	60 G’s	65 G’s
Hip Force	525 lbs.	637 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	12 inches	13 inches
HIC	178	278
Spine Acceleration	30 G’s	39 G’s
Hip Force	583 lbs.	815 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, and daytime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the CX-30 the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2023, a rating granted to only 53 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The X1 last would have qualified as a “Top Safety Pick” in 2018.

Warranty

Mazda’s powertrain warranty covers the CX-30 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than BMW covers the X1. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the X1 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 54 percent more Mazda dealers than there are BMW dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the CX-30’s warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Mazda vehicles are more reliable than BMW vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Mazda above average in long-term dependability. With 13 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, BMW is rated lower.

Engine

The CX-30’s optional 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 22 more horsepower (250 vs. 228) and 62 lbs.-ft. more torque (320 vs. 258) than the X1’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the CX-30 gets better mileage than the X1:

			MPG
CX-30
	AWD	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	26 city/33 hwy
X1
	FWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	24 city/33 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/31 hwy

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the CX-30 (except Turbo)’s fuel efficiency. The X1 doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

Brakes and Stopping

The CX-30 stops shorter than the X1:

	CX-30	X1
70 to 0 MPH	177 feet	180 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	119 feet	122 feet	Motor Trend

Suspension and Handling

For better maneuverability, the CX-30’s turning circle is 2.6 feet tighter than the X1’s (34.8 feet vs. 37.4 feet).

Ergonomics

The CX-30’s LED headlights produce a whiter, brighter light (up to 3x) using five times less power than the X1’s standard halogen headlights. LED lights also light instantly and last over twenty times longer than halogen.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The CX-30’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the X1’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

The X1’s optional cornering lamps activate a lamp on the front corner when the turn signal is activated. The CX-30 Premium’s standard adaptive cornering lights turn the actual headlight unit up to several degrees, depending on steering wheel angle and vehicle speed. This lights a significant distance into corners at any speed.

Recommendations

The Mazda CX-30 outsold the BMW X1 by over seven to one during 2022.

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