How Did Mazda Get it So Wrong? Why The MX-30 R EV is one Hybrid to AVOID
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- Опубликовано: 2 фев 2024
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Today, the Mazda MX-30 R EV. A car that on paper makes a lot of sense, and even appeals to petrolheads. But one that in reality is a bit of a mess.
#Mazda #Rotary #MX30
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didnt mazda say battery size was something done for "sustainability" reasons? we just need a momentum preservation eelctric assited turbo inline 3 compac t 4 seatprius that isnt comprimised for looks like toyota said the new prius is. as media you need to create demand for proper cars: i have driving fun to not be bored and non attentive partially for saftey reasons, i do it by trying to get max miles per gallon and not wearing out the tires by using them to slow down a lot . its like old school endurance racing at more relaxed pace(if you arnt in a rush to get to places quickly), you minimize need for pitstops for fuel tires lubricant etc. for example, you preserve momentum around turns instead and speeding up again, but dont loose traction. . you brake and steer minimally but steadily, build up momentum downhills and at optimal rpm and power level according to bfsc chart for the engine (electric motors also have this ) . you maintain speed that is less than roughly 50 mile per hour (if car is more areodynamic, you can tolerate higher speed, but cutting through the wind becomes exponentially less effceint as you increase speed linearly). although climate crisis politics is obviosuly led by people who dont care about it(like cafe laws preventing small trucks) , chemcial toxicity affecting food supply and sustainability of the buisness model of car design, are good reasons to do this if the money savings means nothing to you.
t weight is less safe t to people outside the car involved in crash, and unsafe to people inside car unless its more expensively built. weight exponentially worsens road longveity before repairs are needed, causing emission , monetary costs too, etc. not necessary: drive.google.com/file/d/1EG0dKAd3yuIRnND73W80v5i4CNe-EOzA/view?pli=1 pavementinteractive.org/reference-desk/design/design-parameters/equivalent-single-axle-load/
i think electric asited turbo on hybrid better than ev because: if you wanna lower emissions as long as possible as mass scale (probably should) , you use a mix of combustion of non fully recyclable and currently rarely ever recycled, battery mass. whatever mix lasts longest. weight is less safe t to people outside the car involved in crash, and unsafe to people inside car unless its more expensively built. weight exponentially worsens road longveity before repairs are needed, causing emission , monetary costs too, etc. it also worsens tire dust emisions and brake dust emissions expoeentially: drive.google.com/file/d/1EG0dKAd3yuIRnND73W80v5i4CNe-EOzA/view?pli=1 pavementinteractive.org/reference-desk/design/design-parameters/equivalent-single-axle-load/ magnetic reversal news , tony heller, tom nelson www.corbettreport.com/ www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9566750/ www.greencarcongress.com/2022/05/20220513-ea.html#:~:text=Emissions%20Analytics’%20results%20suggest%20around%2011%%20of%20the,more%20than%20400%20times%20higher%20than%20tailpipe%20emissions. natural rubber and better brake metal can minimize problem to some bodily crash saftey improved by strong lower end of car jumping to level with incoming cars, especially taller sitting and bigger cars, to minimize damages. audi a8 does ths but maybe it should be cmbustion based like seatbelt explosives, to minimize weight. rearseatfacing rear (figure out why im saying this, and youll deserve knowing it )can you just take off electric power sit steering motor and use it as manual steering on new cars? or have a switch for that if you wanna share car or sell it. electric turbo kit and anti power steering kit and hub motor hybridization kit and big tinted heads up display kit would sell a lot in aftermarket
A range extender? The Hammerhead Eagle i-Thrust lives on.
🤣
aka Geoff
My genius… it’s frightening
Do you mean geoff?😂
@@bmkoster24 no. Geoff was pure electric. When James added the diesel generator it was renamed.
This car has made James go into "however" overload. 😂
haha
However you put it, this car is not fit for purpose.🙂
I REALLY want Mazda to do well. I love their approach of defying convention, pursuit of lightness (with their MX-5), their 'kodo' designs since 2013, their soul crystal red metallic paint and for somewhat patriotic reasons that they are from Hiroshima too. Unlike what James said, I actually like the cork they implemented into the interior - its a refreshing change from the all black interiors from German manufacturers, and reminds me of contemporary Scandinavian interior designs - and that it is a nod to how Mazda started their business over a century ago. However, the realworld/actual MPG or range will not be practical for most drivers . Still, i'm routing for you マツダ, and hope to see a straight 6 powered saloon/estate and your upcoming production version of the 'iconic SP' rotary sportscar👌
And that’s the whole point. This is home wall charger technology. That’s its modus operandi. It’s a niche product - literally NOT for everyone. It’s a city BEV with a Rotary Range Extender - not really a traditional PHEV. Indeed, it deserves to be in a class of its own. My round trip commute is slightly above average at 31 miles per day. And that’s all I do, Monday to Friday. On the weekends I do even less - though once a month or two, and probably a bit more during the summer months, on weekends, I’ll take a longer trip outside my city - but never halfway across the country - I’d take a train or coach instead.
I’m sure there are many, many others who have this exact mobility lifestyle.
The Mazda MX-30 R-EV is for them.
It’s not for those who want to do “mini-cab” miles everyday.
It’s definitely NOT a replacement for a Toyota Prius (I drive one of those now) or a Hyundai Ionic Hybrid. No.
It’s a Battery Electric Vehicle with a Revolutionary Rotary Range Extender to ban range anxiety and ensure you’re never stranded.
The range extender is a generator - like an APU in an aircraft. It never powers the wheels directly - it generates electricity for the electric traction motors and can simultaneously recharge the battery on the fly.
This vehicle has a range of settings, one of which allows it to mimic a hybrid vehicle during operation, but that’s more of an option available - and shouldn’t be the main mode of use every single day for long distances.
If you have the aforementioned lifestyle (and believe it or not, many do) then this is for you - and can prove very cheap to run.
If you’re looking for a Toyota C-HR or Prius Hybrid replacement, this is not your car.
I note that a large number of people cannot wrap their heads around the fact that this vehicle was built to a certain eco specification for people of a certain lifestyle. Many who watched this video are literally never going to plug it in - hence their obsession with the MPG you get from running it non-stop on petrol.
We need to acknowledge what this vehicle really is. If it’s not for you, walk away - don’t waste your time moaning or criticising its existence because you’re incapable of accepting or worse still, comprehending what Mazda were accomplishing by designing and manufacturing this vehicle.
It’s a revision on an older concept to a degree (BMW i3 anyone?) but it’s certainly not a carbon copy. A 50 litre fuel tank + a revolutionary new Rotary Range Extender power generation unit makes it unique - especially in that it can recharge the traction battery anywhere - or while on the move - something the BMW i3 was incapable of doing - so they’re not really the same. You’ll get less MPG running that Range Extender for longer periods of time - and that’ll hit you in the pocket - and that’s the whole point.
This IS a BEV with an onboard APU and it should be treated as such - not arbitrarily labelled as another PHEV.
It may have some capabilities of a PHEV, but you run this primarily on Electric Power and a lot less on the Rotary Range Extender.
@@datathunderstorm very well written for such video that missing the point by the biggest possible distance.
Do you know what? I must have said to at least a dozen Mazda owners that I really liked the colour of their car. But none of them said it was Soul Crystal Red Metallic. What a brilliant name for a colour and more importantly, what a brilliant colour it is (especially when viewed wearing brown tinted sun glasses).
@@datathunderstormI completely agree with you. As the owner of a recently acquired, used MX30 EV I think it’s a brilliant car if it suits your use case. In this instance my wife has the car for her daily run around which at most is 50 miles per day but more likely 10 to 15. The MX30 is lighter and therefore less impactful on the environment than a normal EV with its 200 to 300 mile range and enormous weight penalty. If you never use the range why carry about the extra batteries. The fact that everyone also is moaning about the limited range means you can pick these cars up for less than 50% or their new price. A total bargain.
@@datathunderstorm But there are a LOAD of vehicles that meet your needs without all the pointless quirkiness of this thing - and that WILL still get good fuel economy when the battery is depleted, if you forget to plug it in for a couple of days, or you actually do need to go somewhere outside of the city - also if you need to take 4 adults somewhere, this thing is useless. It's just a bad car that isn't fit for any purpose that is outclassed by its competition.
Cork - Mazda started as a Cork manufactuer, surely it's a nod to their history?
Correct
Yes but still a stupid idea
"corks & features" 😂
@@scott1245 it's a sustainable material and highly versatile. But that might grate your gears.
Mazda : we make cork
Samsung : we sell dried fish
You can't imagine anyone huh? Well I'm a ghost then. Because I love it (not the R-version, but the original 35Kw battery one). First off, the fact you can't fit in the back is a HUGE plus for a single introverted person like me. I love the fact that ONE ride with me - and no one want's a free ride home. Now I was friendly enough to offer them a ride, and in the future they'll say no thanks, and I can get my privacy the way I want it. Great stuff. Secondly, it's rather roomy when folding down the back seats to transport stuff. Thirdly, I charge at home and I am so cheap, that I have an extra charger with me to charge at work, perfect stuff.
Not only that - thanks to awesome reviewers like yourself, who has reviewed this car from the start - down to the bottom pitts of hell, it was possible for a poor guy like myself to finally get a cheap EV. In fact, the dealerships didn't get any sold (and this is in Scandinavia, Not America), so I got it for an absolute bargain. I giggle a bit when I see my fellow Audi/BMW paying for their heated-seat subscriptions, and Teslas stuck in -18c charging situation while mine just faitfully rolls away in -18c using 16.6Kwh per 100Km, while others are laughing and pointing fingers at the silly little man (me) that bought it, oh noes, poor me.
Thanks again, for making this car the cheapest available EV.
Must be tough to be so honest when a manufacturer lends you a car to test, for fear they won't work with you again. Credit to you J.
It is for some, not for me! Most of them really don't mind as long as you're fair
This is why Jay is the best, 99% of car youtubers praise everything they test. Basically salesmen.
I think even Mazda UK are aware of the flaws of this car and the likelihood of its time on sale lasting about as long as its battery!
Maybe they'll make improvements.
@@JayEmmOnCars Why did Mazda bother to send this to Jay to test, knowing well that they were going to get a honest report. The rotary range extender needs to half the fuel consumed for it to be viable.
I have an MX-30 R-EV and I’m pleased to say that the figures you are providing are far from reality. I use the car to commute to work and back (30mile round trip on speedy dual carriageways) and only when the temperature dropped to around naught degrees was the range extended ever kicking in, otherwise it’s EV power there and back with more to spare. I have also used the car to do the odd longer journey too (200 mile journey recently) and when starting with a full battery, as most probably would, it’s been returning 65mpg. Not the absurdly inflated claimed mpg, but still efficient enough to be considered an effective system. It’s one of the best handling cars I’ve driven of late, and I’ve had a few, and its quirks are what drew me to it in the first place.
This is exactly how the MX-30 R-EV was designed to be used. Not primarily running the 0.8L Wankel Rotary Range Extender like a Prius Hybrid, but running primarily on electric power for commuting. Having that range extender kick in during sub-zero temperature journeys (to generate extra electrical power for the much needed heating - which depletes traction battery levels quickly - despite the heat pump technology installed (funny that wasn’t mentioned) is an absolute boon. My commute is about 32 miles round trip. I rarely travel long distances anymore. Kids have grown up and left home. I love coupes, hate SUVs, yet Mazda have totally hooked me in with this unusual MX-30 R-EV that I am growing to love more and more each day. Home charging is a must….or don’t bother. This car would suit my existing lifestyle perfectly, but it is not for everyone.
Do U have info about if the heat from the engine is used in cold weather?
@@azguzb328 I suspect heat exhaust from the engine is used to reduce emissions (EGR?).
Heat within the cabin is entirely generated via heat pump technology which is electricity powered - but highly efficient.
The tiny 830cc single rotor Wankel Rotary Extender Engine doesn’t provide heating to the cabin directly - however, the generator it powers exclusively can and will both charge the battery and provide power to heat pump - the latter which heats the cabin efficiently.
You get 65 mpg because it counts in the electric range, that's not how it should be measured!!! You run out of battery power, now you run on petrol and now you have mpg, there's no miles per gallon on electricity!!!!
@@aldish25 it doesn’t count the electric range towards the mpg. Like most PHEVs, if you drive on electric only, it measures it separately using miles per kw. The mpg figure only records the usage when the engine is actually running.
The cork is cool. Light, sound absorbing, cheap, natural..
... dirt absorbing, ...
Stains and will fall apart
@@mattmasi303 thats just weight reduction
@@mattmasi303That depends; it's a variable product and, even untreated, it cleans easily ("absorbs dirt" = "it's pale and I don't like washing stuff")
I've had various cork handled rods, handlebar wraps and the like - a damp cloth and a dab of cream cleaner completely restores them!
It is coated so doesn’t crumble or stain.
I'm a bit confused. This is the opposite of the WhatCar review. They say if you've charged the battery and filled the tank you'll get 400 miles out of it. So you can do your EV commute and charge at home at night and still do the Scotland trip. I think the point being you'd never run it from the start with an empty battery.
Whatcar always just go off the manufacturers claims. They never give you real world figures.
His calculation when saying it will give 220miles is totally wrong. He said at its worst, it was giving 28.5 MPG, so taking that number multiplying for a 50liter tank gives you - 313miles (28.5MPG x 10.99 gallons of fuel). This doesn't count the battery range atall. And then he said it improved to 31.4MPG, so that amount to around 350miles again not counting battery.
He didn't do his due diligence and just said what the range in the car told him.
Mazda are the Nintendo of the car world, just when everyone has agreed on how to do things they decide to do something crazy like putting rotary engines in consumer cars, randomly putting on strange rear doors on everyday cars... Exactly why Mazda will always be my favourite Japanese brand.
I'll never give up my classic BMWs but my go to car on a bright summer day will always be my MX5
And this is their Virtual Boy!
Someone has to be weird now that Saab isn't around to do it anymore.
yeah.. except Nintendo makes tons of money. Mazda will become irrelevant if they don't make vehicles people wanna buy
Yeah, but you know, Nintendo was on the edge of bankruptcy with their last generation of consoles (before Switch), and then what? A total turnaround, and they outsell their big rivals by doing things their way, not like others, which basically carved out a separate niche for them.
There is always a chance of a total flop while being innovative and non-conventional.
Totally agree about Mazda being the Nintendo of cars. I hope they will continue bringing new ideas to the industry, and I will support them in this as a customer.
I drove this for probably 4k miles part of Mazdas epic drive team. It’s a good city car. End of. Like all manufacturers. Mazda are walking the diversification tight rope. No manufacturers truly knows which direction to go. I applaud their effort to be honest.
But it's not a good city car. Too expensive.
It's really not a good city car. The BMW i3 from 2013 did it better.
@@darrensaquaticsworldI find this much more appealing than an i3
As if you can't leave a city with 80km range... Plenty of people who live in the countryside actually drive less than 80km per day.
@jdmguy44 An i3 does exactly the same thing for 20k less, just saying
As an owner of a mk1 MX-5 and an RX-8, I'm a big Mazda fan and love their innovative mindset. Such a shame common sense didn't prevail when conceiving this one. Sad to say the rotary engine is probably now a chapter in history.
last Mazda I got was the 2012 Mazdaspeed3/MPS3 ... still got it and its superb
@princesssolace4337 That must be fun. I was looking at the prospect of picking up a Mazda6 MPS for a while, but finding a pre-2006 one in the lower tax bracket was a challenge.
@@jamesonslow I was thinking bout the MPS6 but I opt for less weight without the 4wd system and its for the missus. Tuned it to 100 octane pump gas its making 300hp/480Nm @ 1.25bar .. loads of school run fun😁
Sad that they have effectively been forced into this by lies on a massive scale from fringe groups
I'm from the US and I have / had lots of Mazdas. (4 piston and 3 rotary.) I was excited about the MX-30 R-EV until I saw the 0-60 mph time of 8.7 seconds. That's a second slower than a Toyota mini van. You would die trying to merge onto a freeway with that kind of performance. 😂
As an owner of an MX30 EV this car reminds me a bit of Saab. On paper there are 20 good reasons why you shouldn't buy one. But it gets under your skin and tempts you in with its charm.
I drive 42 miles a day for work and in winter I can just about do 2 days work before recharging, in summer I expect that to be easier. My partner has a self charging hybrid so she has long journies covered should we need to and we need to take our daughter with us.
The best bit for me was thus, A just over 2.5 year old MX30 EV with 17k miles cost me £12750...£0 tax, £60 a month on electric charging at home...for me and my life style its a no brainer, especially when it looks and feels as unique as this.
There is a market for these, but the pure EV could've used more range. 200km on paper is just not enough, even for short commutes. That makes it a disposable car, just like the Nissan Leaf is.
@@sonnymoore5555 And there you have it - this thing will be useless after 10 or so years
Excellent review as always, although flawed in so many ways I love how it's just so different from all the other cookie cutters models out there. It actually has some personality. And on a Mazda theme, I would love for James to review the latest albeit discontinued Mazda6. I think they're wonderful and criminally overlooked cars.
Only 2 things mazda seems to have got bang on
1)The mx5
2) the colour soul crystal red
zoom zoom
i like their darker red more, they can also make a more 3d irridecent version of toyota sea glass pearl 2017 prius
That Mazda-typical sort of red is awfully boring to me.
what color you like most and why@@keinname629
I agree that's not all
They've also got their interiors to a perfect T with it's buttons and ease of use.
Also the Mazda3 is one the best family hatchbacks on sale
Bit confused by a couple of comments here - if it’s a 50 litre tank and does 30 mpg then surely it has a range of 320 miles? Plus 3 miles per KW is really good for a PHEV which are usually 1-1.5 miles/KW in my experience. I agree it is still a quirky choice but I think it could work well in some use cases. The relative low weight is also welcome
Average of 30 mpg combined using the electric!!!!😂. The tiny rotary when used alone gets around 20mpg and real world tests have shown worse. It's a disaster.
Even if you calculate range using 40 litres (not running the fuel tank empty), at 30 mpg that equals 264 miles... plus the alleged only 36 miles EV range (btw, the manufacturer quoted EV combined range 53 miles, city 68 miles) that still brings us to 300 miles. 200-220 mile range? Maybe mathematics is not a skill for everyone. One can only assume this niche market car is an easy "soft target". If you watch other professional journalist reviews, whilst (some) comments by James are quite valid, e.g. the limitations of the suicide doors (I see this car as a 2 door coupe with easier rear seat access), or even, PHEV limitations, the majority of other reviews spoke very favourably of the REV, and called it the pick of the MX-30 range. Which includes the limitations of the PHEV concept, i.e., you need to have a home to plug it in, every night, to take advantage of the EV powertrain. Then you use EV mode for city driving, and the ICE engine range extender is there for longer trips. And furthermore.. it was reported widely the alleged rotary engine sound is largely drowned out by road noise and the radio when touring at speed. In the final analysis, as always, it's a case of each to their own .. but please don't blindly believe everything you hear.. question everything. Check out other reviews by motoring magazines on RUclips to get a balance. You will be surprised.
At the end of the day, 30mpg is terrible, if you do more than the electric range you are getting the same fuel consumption as an Audi RS3.@@shivasirons1
Pointless calculations.
Just learn physics 😊
burning the petrol directly in the engine 🚂 is always going to be more efficient than generating electricity.
We can conclude that it's going to use more petrol than a regular car.
I was wondering the same, i am used to litres and km, 30mpg is about 7.84 l/ 100 km... which is not very efficient, true. but with 50 l tank and that consumption, you drive ~635 km = 391 miles. It is pretty normal range and much better than most EV's then. Or is there something wrong with the numbers mentioned in the video? Even with 10l/100km (23.5mpg) consumption you can go 500km = 310 miles
As someone with an rx8, the doors are a very good point. Personally I *love* the suicide doors on mine, however this is mostly due to the fact that I use them as an access hatch to the backseats and not to put kids in the back. I can see how it could be easier access for strapping in small children in the back though.
The doors are especially situationally useful, they're great if you have a bit of space around, but in a cramped parking space opening the back doors will prevent you from getting in the front so you have to awkwardly stand in between the doors to get in. Having an rx8 the backseat is also there for occasional use, and I think I wouldn't like it as much if I had to use it a lot, however for the occasional 3 persons onboard its fine™ I suppose. It sounds like the doors on the mx30 have mostly the same pros/cons but being aimed at a different crowd rather than an enthusiast makes the cons stand out more than the pros.
When i do the school drop off in the RX8 in the kiss and drop lane, the other kids gather on the fence hoping to get a glimpse of the doors opening for my sons to get out and to hear that sweet bp pulse.
Back doors also allowed me to fit a dual sus 29er mtb in there on a few occasions. Dunno how that would benefit the mx 30. It just gives me a chance to talk about my RX8 😅
It’s such a pity because it’s a quirky little thing. It’d appeal to someone like myself, city dweller, small family, in need of a hatchback for the dog, design conscious, if the EV range were a bit better but it’s just way too compromised. Stick a proper battery in it and I’d buy one.
Or a turbo 1.5L and be done with it. Cheers!
Agreed, EVs have a strong wiff of diesel about them from 15 years ago. And we all know how that went.
Quirks shouldn't come at the expense of basic functionality.
@@Beer_Dad1975 Yeah that's true but they do give a car 'character'. I used to own an old Saab which was stupidly unreliable and required constant oil changes but the quirks made me think the designers really cared about their job.
At £31k min? 😂
It’s as if they benchmarked a 2013 BMW i3 range extender and couldn’t quite match it. And BMW stopped producing that as soon as the battery capacity was improved.
Yeah, its even got the similar doors.
Yes as soon as bmw discontinued the REX they lost most of their market.
You should give the Mazda 2 hybrid a go, currently running 59+ mpg in mine. Self charging hybrid, best of both worlds. EV when required and no range worries
it's a Toyota, of course it works :).
you mean your Toyota Yaris
@@andreasschipplock4568 No. The Yaris is a rebadged Mazda 2. Designed primarily by Mazda and built in Mazda factories.
@@rightwingsafetysquad9872 no :P. The Mazda 2 Hybrid is built in Toyotas factory in Valenciennes, France :).
@@rightwingsafetysquad9872 Wrong car
Family member has one of these, I've driven it a few times.
It's a unique car, from interior to exterior, I love the homage they paid to their Cork business of old. I think in future it'll be a cute, desirable EV, bit like the BMW I3 which has price creeping up year on year as people figure out what a neat car it is.
It's fast enough for a daily, has a smaller battery (easy to charge, keeps weight down and efficiency up), it's really a city vehicle that you can take on some smaller trips, a bigger leaf with better battery tech and more range. Family explained they've spent about 8 dollars to drive it in half a year or more lmao. Free power hour they charge in and until now they had no road tax, it's just enough to keep the battery topped off this way and costs almost nothing. Handles fine and just is an EV with some flair.
Suicide doors are neat and very Mazda too.
In the future? In the future there won't be any working batteries to put in it
I had one of those for a day when my 3 was in for a service. The one I had was as the EV version. It was fundamentally flawed by the woeful range but I did really like it for being quirky and having its own character.
I found the interior a breath of fresh air . I actually liked the cork and interior trim. Had a light airy feel and quality finish to it so refreshed from the dark oppressive interiors of most modern cars.
If I only needed a car for local urban use I wouldn’t mind one.
The car is designed to be run with a full battery start of every day - so unfair appraisal. Must be charged every night at home too. My usual commute is max 40 miles / day - so car is fine and for occasional trips down m4 I have a range of around 400 miles as demonstrated by proper testing in other reviews
The issue with these small battery evs/hybrids is the battery degradation. A small battery will go through far more charge cycles during the cars life than a large battery which will degrade it faster. There's a reason why Mazdas 8 year battery warranty only covers 160000km. You'll likely find that the battery needs to be replaced nearly as often as the engine on those old rotaries.
@@oxaile4021interesting - another recent review stated that the smaller battery setup in this car actually promoted better battery health! I don’t know anything about battery technology or chemistry - my own short coming perhaps! I’ve never considered an electric or hybrid before but I must admit the technology of this car caught my interest
@@oxaile4021 160,000km (100,000 miles) is pretty good really. Tesla only offers the same on their LFP battery Model 3 and Y cars.
@@rjdavies1982 Every battery cell has a realistic lifespan of about (in an EV) 1000-3000 0%-100% charge cycles. You can imagine that a battery that lasts for about 80km will go through far more charge cycles before hitting, say 150k kms than a battery that will do 400kms.
Or in math terms: a battery that can do 80kms on a full charge will hit 1000 charge cycles at about 80k kms where as a battery that can do 400kms on a full charge will hit 1000 charge cycles at about 400k kms. This is further exacerbated by the fact that a 80km range battery will more likely need to be fully charged to achieve it's daily use range where as a 400km range battery can be left to 80% charge level more often as the full range isn't usually needed during daily driving, further improving the battery longevity on the bigger battery.
@@oxaile4021Isn't it more the constant need to charge to 100% that harms them? I charge my ev always to 80% max. Good for 440 km. I do love the ev mx30. Considering it as second car.
Hi James - speaking of somewhat electrified + unconventional cars, i'm not sure if you still have Honda UK supplying you press cars but i am intrigued to see you review a Honda Civic e:HEV. Several journalists/youtubers have been getting incredible MPG figures (particularly in city driving) and once Toyota GB start selling the brand new Prius, it would be interesting to see how that also compares with the Honda Civic e:HEV. I'm just thinking if the Honda Civic e:HEV may be the car to get for enthusiasts who like driving but want to have low consumable costs - whilst their other fun sportscar is not in use.
I watch this and then immediately YT shows me What Car?'s review telling me it's "BRILLIANT".
You do start to wonder where these places get people to say such nonsense, its clearly not a good buy from multiple perspectives and yet they harp on about loving it, worse that people seemed to be buying into that opinion as gospel unless someone prompted them to remember all the other options they have (i.e. the normal EV, never mind anything else)
Some outlets are just determined to blindly sell EVs because their 100k BEV that their company pays for is giving them cheap motoring. And therefore that must mean every BEV is amazing.
@@MysteriousFigure Maybe some of those places actually used the vehcle as intended and that's the reason for the great reviews. Have you personally owned a plug in hybrid with home charger capability to know exactly where the benefits are? BTW, this Mazda works exactly like a 1st gen Chevy Volt but bigger.
I don’t get this negative review. He acknowledges that it drives great. Looks great, fun to drive.
Hi James,
Good review as always. I drive one of these at work - it accompanies a 2004 LR Discovery 2 and for how we use it, it's a perfect car. The range is great as we only do around 15 miles a day and charge it up over the weekend when we take the discovery out for our off road duties.
I can certainly see why the 120 mile range is an issue for most and when it was brought up to us as an option for our car we were highly sceptical but everyone seems to enjoy it now. The rear doors arent as practical as one would think as you rightly said but the rear seats are usable. We do often find though that the car just isn't big enough for our needs once there are people occupying the rear, the boot isnt as big as we need.
We are soon to receive a replacement for the Disco 3 in the form of a LR Disco Sport P300 hybrid and I do fear that the mazda might be shelved by most however I do have fun driving it.
My heart sank when I saw a review of this the other day. Not bloody suicide doors again, was my first thought. Then, the reviewer started going on about the revolutionary way the range extender worked, like it was something new -- and the odometer flashed up in shot at 35 mpg. Then started chunnering on about charging times. What an age we live in. I'll stick with my old ICE for a bit longer, I think.
If they are good enough for Rolls Royce...
My SkyActiveG Mazda 3 (mild hybrid/petrol) averages 42mpg, so this new system is nuts.
This can drive 80km just on electricity, with zero petrol.
@@EvoraGT430 Yeah, even using Mazda's official figures, the CX-30 standard petrol version gets a better MPG than this car using its full battery and petrol tank. It's actually impressive they made an EV that inefficient.
The in-laws have this one. And it will ultimately depend on how many miles you do. They do less than 40mile round trips most of the time, so genuinely under EV. Not a perfect solution, and the rear doors suck. I personally don't do loads of miles so if I were to replace the CX30 sky active x. I'd have looked at this car, as having driving the in-laws. I'd have strongly considered it. However in fairness.... EV have made such big improvements, I could see just getting an EV next. A 7 out of 10 :-)
I just bumped on to your videos. Amazingly good. The script, the points, your voice. All so good. Thank you.
Great review James. I also was expecting it to be a very clever solution to the electric range problem… but clearly it’s not. Considering it’s essentially Mazdas version of BMWs i3 REX it should have capitalised on the technological improvements since that was released, but I guess it doesn’t. What a missed opportunity.
Mazda had an idea that they would do something akin to variable valve timing on a rotary by varying the load on the engine to make it rotate faster or slower at different phases of the cycle. I'm guessing that didn't work out.
I love the design of this car and find it very appealing. I just wish they sold the more conventional mild hybrid model the Japanese market gets.
Very honest review. It seems plug in hybrids generally give poor fuel consumption for high mileage drivers, the people who need good efficiency the most.
Thank you for taking the time to produce this video. Maybe you could have shared the same information in a quarter of the time?
The cork in the interior is an Easter egg to Mazdas origins as a cork manufacturer
In a rotary instead of pistons that reciprocates you have a Dorito that spins.
From what I have read, Mazda has sold approx 140 of these MX30 things in Australia over the past 3 years...
Yeah they are rare in NZ too, I've seen 4-5 of them and one is owned by my family. Cute looking car and definitely appeals to the ladies.
140 too many.. the EV one was 80K in Australia STUFF THAT.. and I own 2 Mazdas, one being an Rx8. That car is a mess!
Yes i understand they have been discontinued in Australia along with the cx9 and soon to be deleted cx8. They are to be replaced by their overpriced CX60/90 range.
@@michaelandmariedownes6070 Maybe - but they are moving into the Premium segment. And have started poorly with problems already with these cars. Recalls so soo..
Great review, honest and straightforward as ever
I see this car as a 4 door coupe. Useless to some people but also right to others.As for the use of cork, it's a nod to Mazda's origins and it's a highly versatile and sustainable material (the point of the electrification movement)
Thanks so much for this review - I've been seriously looking at side-grading my Mazda3 (diesel) for an EV and obviously Mazda xx30's are on my radar.
That range is far too small for me, although I do love the idea of that rotary "top-up"... Slap a bigger battery in it and I'll probably buy one.
The only attraction of this car to me is the used prices sub £16,000 for a year old example it is compromised but maybe a bit of a bargain Mazda can't be making any money selling these.
The use range of this car is very specific. It’s designed to be used on the electric mode most of the time, use a little bit as an hybrid a few times a month and only use it as a gasoline car on a few trips per year. If that’s your use case, fuel economy doesn’t matter. The rotative engine is a good concept for a range extender, very simple, very light, very small.
If your use case is different from what I have described, this car, and by that means, almost any range extender car, doesn’t make sense
Mazda has made an excellent choice that most reviewers apparently do not understand. It is not an hybrid car, but an electric car with a range extender, and they have determined that 95 % of daily usage is under 50 km and 99 % under 100 km. So a range of 100 km makes a lot of sense for an electric car and avoid lugging 500 kg of battery around. The thermal engine is there to dissipate any remaining range anxiety and to allow on occasional longer trip.
How much kWh can you store in a 150kg battery!? The battery is half the size,yet it's 150kg heavier!
Thanks for clarifying this. The reviewers don't get it.
Ive got the MX30 EV 80 miles in winter months lost 40 % its value in 12 months cant wait to get rid
Mazda: two steps forward, one step back.
ok, paula abdul :)
I wouldn't be that charitable - how much did this cost Mazda to develop?
@@jamesmiller113 i think they developed rotary as part of deevlopment for sports cars, and this phev was just a esg score complaince car sort of thing
@kalmmonke5037 that makes sense, yeah - it's a shameful situation, wishful thinking forcing companies to engineer trash nobody wants
@@jamesmiller113 it's incremental refinement to an already existing car - MX-30. Why to be so dramatic? Mazda makes smart bets and experiments. Nobody forces you to buy this particular car. The tech from first gen MX-30 was a test bed and got refined to CX-60 PHEV. It worth to put things in perspective rather than be grumpy about an isolated point in time.
Fair review. Loved the idea of the rotary flaws being overcame by the BEV benefits and vice versa. Sad it didn't work out in reality.
Wow. So thrilled to see this. The last similar drive train was the Chev Volt. Very sad it disappeared before I could get one.
I still believe a small battery and a range extender is a superior concept to half a ton of batteries.
In theory yes, but somehow this one weighs about the same as a Model 3 RWD and has far less range.
The half ton of batteries is at least in part offset by the deletion of the combustion engine powertrain ... and all of its associated maintenance. I have a Chevrolet Bolt, which weighs 1600 kg, only slightly more than a modern VW Golf, but ... no oil changes, no sparkplugs, no timing belts, etc. Heavy long distance trailer towing etc is another matter but in the absence of having to do that, straight EV rules as long as you can charge at home (which I can). Most hassle-free vehicle I have ever owned.
Yes I agree, the closer the battery gets to zero gives the best range.
Hence my preference for a 1.5l Diesel giving me just shy of 700miles range on a 5 minute fill up that I didn't need an app for
I drove it at a dealership and has a similar impression with you recently. I know the weakness of rotary engine as a RX-8 owner. I expected the feel of rotary sound but it was merely a generator. Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross PHEV has Charge mode where accelerator pedal move translates actual engine aspiration surge. I want Mazda to improve continuously to please royal rotary fans with such a gimmicks. Besides, Compactness should be used for low centre of gravity. Since BEVs tends to have larger wheel and taller body shape with upright driving position, it has relatively a lot of body roll at curve. If it had a dedicated body to take advantage it, it could have been appealing point.
Strange how this is classed as 'progress'. My old 2005 clunker Volvo S80 diesel averages 46mpg.
Not exactly a fair review. You should hv recorded once it was fully charged.
I did consider one of these as a company car, even though I despise crossovers personally. Relatively cheap for the spec and with an electric range to put you comfortably in the (for now) 8% BIK rate bracket which means it would've been like £50/month for a fully kitted-out one of these. However, I was only looking at PHEVs (which is what this gets classed as) since I knew I wouldn't be able to charge much at home being in a rental property without a charge point, outdoor socket, or opening window on the correct side of the property. As a result the mpg that I saw people talking about on forums - and is backed up by the comments here, and this video - is just too poor for someone who'd be running on petrol more often than not. If it was getting 40ish mpg on petrol or better then it would've been perfect, but it just doesn't get anywhere close... For perspective, I own a Volvo 240 with a non-lockup torque converter automatic that has managed 33mpg on a run, and my current company car (Audi A3 8Y eTFSI 40) gets 40mpg everywhere, up to 48.5mpg indicated on a longer run at 60-65mph and that's with a completely empty battery.
Like a lot of enthusiasts I want Mazda to succeed through its left-field thinking. I miss Saab for that reason. However I had rather hoped range extension was going to mean another 150 miles on a 250 mile range in optimum conditions. Where I live in Finland, distances are big between towns (i.e. charging points) and winter temperatures can severely reduce the range of an EV car, so the idea of a range extender makes sense from not only for practicality, but from a safety point of view when it's -30c out there.
We had a MX30 and over time the range dropped even when charged. Went back to Mazda dealer multiple times due to the battery. In the end got rid of it and went over to a MHEV. We were even offered the latest version of the MX30 with the rotary engine but after our experience with the previous one we said no.
I love my Mazda CX-5!
I like that because they’re an independent company they have the freedom to make mad shit like this.
You need to test a Suzuki Jimny. It's probably the most dynamically-challenged road car you can buy new. It's also a car that everyone wants once they've tried it. And you can't easily get hold of one.
I think the car would be perfect for people doing very little miles during the week (school run, shopping) but like to go on a little family road trip during the weekend without the range anxiety. Best of both worlds if you have a drive, a home charger and if you think owning an EV will make whatever difference you're hoping for.
I run a RX8 as my daily. 21mpg is the norm, less if you're after some fun. 27mpg on long distance cruising. The suicide doors are fine if there's nobody around. But it's impossible to open if your car is surrounded by other cars (supermarket car park for example). You get used to it and work around it.
£30k to £40k to do that? So you'd need another car for everything else?
So much for the "cost of living crisis"
Different cars for different people and purposes. I have an MX-30 EV for shorter trips. With the 200km range (that in my experience is always more than that in the summer) I have never charged anywhere but at home. For longer trips, (and when I prefer four wheel drive) I have the Mazda 6.
So, the car costs about half of what I would have to pay if I needed it as my one car. That's £30k. Then I have spent £250 less per month in diesel+electricity the year I have had it. The annual service was £250 less than "normal". Since it's got sensible power and weighs no more than an ICE car, the tires look new and will last years - I don't know what the proven difference is, but talking to people it seems they are munching through tyres at more than double the rate they used to before EV ownership.
It's an absolute delight. But I agree on the R-EV's battery. It could have been better with the same range instead of an even smaller one. But what then about the weight?
Well, he wasn't talking abot EV, but R-EV. Less that half the range, and you have to include apex seals (wich will be a massive bill guaranteed), oil consumption, engine cooling system maintenace and oil changes,.... this car is literally the worst of both worlds.
30 miles a day on pure EV would be ample for me, plus I can charge in my garage every night. I do longer runs every few weeks so using petrol for that would be fine. The lower kerb weight of the smaller battery means less wear on tyres and better handling.
Point rather missed.
But it only does around 25 to 30 mpg once the battery is depleted, imagine driving from London to Cornwall it would cost you a fortune.
@@pillred5974except you would stop for bathroom breaks and food…at least I would. I would charge the car during those stops. I live in Devon and drive to Heathrow/Gatwick/Bristol/Birmingham airports once or twice per month. It would halve my BIK tax (compared to my current Yaris).
Correct. But, if you drive from London to Cornwall just once in a year, who cares about the cost?
Not many people go on only one journey of over 50 miles in a year though do they. @@jambosalad
the mx hybrid is over 100kg heavier over the standard mx and thats with the hybrid having a smaller battery.
I have an electric MX-30 and can say i'm really satisfied with it. A lovely car.
Did he drive through South Harting at one point? I'm sure I recognised the church.
I briefly thought about getting one of these. They had some good deals with 0% interest but the flawed range was obviously the reason why and I suspect they were trying to shift stock before pulling the plug. I've only ever seen one of them on the road.
Out of all the reviews I watched so far, this is the only one who has rightfully pointed out the massive flaw in the concept of using the Wankel engine as a range extender. It is simply too inefficient vs. its advantages for packaging. It's not like they have made the car roomier because of it, the car is quite a small crossover.
I think it would still make sense if it was quieter, simply because of the smoothness, you don't want a rough i3 lump ruining the EV experience. But because its too loud and intrusive it loses that point too. Maybe an opposed piston engine, or a flat 2 would make more sense. At least then you could cancel out the primary forces even if it sounds a bit rough. Imo another interesting experiment would be a steam turbine, it would be fairly quiet and definitely smooth, but efficiency is a big question mark. It would be interesting to see though how it does against the also very inefficient wankel.
Nissan has some cool variable compression 3 cylinder engines or even a fairly basic 4 cylinder atkinson engine would have been more efficient and probably similarly sized since they won't have a "toyota" e-cvt and it'll be primarily electric motor driven anyways.@@__-fm5qv
The generator it attaches to is shown as twice the size of the engine. Diminished return. Also I'm not hearing about Hybrid having an advantage in cold climates, that's the real potential if all that heat is tapped.
@@spentron1 Maybe a better setup would be a slightly larger than 20kwh battery with a smaller generator and rotor setup to act as an actual range extender only when the battery is fully depleted. But in this case why not just get a separate genset and an electric car to achieve the same thing. The engine is just not up to par with conventional hybrids, it only has the wow rotor engine cool factor.
@@JoseMariArceta you need to be able to tell the car what kind of trip you're expecting, which it probably does but I don't recall him mentioning. But yes a rotary especially needs to be used less.
I thought about buying one but was put off by two huge issues:
1. When the battery's empty, fuel consumption is tragic.
2. The petrol engine will fire up momentarily when you demand full power. Rotaries need to be fully warmed up before shutting them down, or you can get carbon jamming the rotor, then the engine needs to be opened up. So it's not a good use of the rotary at all.
It is a relief to hear that Mazda may have finally addressed their harsh ride, that was always a deal-breaker, hopefully it applies to all their current models.
Mazdas are becoming boring! The 'harsh ride' in their older vehicles was a part of why they were so fun to drive. The more comfortable you make a car, the more a disconnected from the road snoozefest it becomes. I have personally watched this happen with BMWs over the decades, now Mazda is heading in that same direction.
@@truthseeker3536 That's a fallacy, sorry. Drive any Lotus and you will learn why.
@@truthseeker3536I have much more fun driving my heavier and more comfortable Jetta over my comparatively diminutive Mazda 2. The harshness of the Mazda seriously feels like I'm breaking it when driven hard, something I don't experience in the Jetta. And it feels stiffer over bumps but feels like it has much more body roll overall.
Russ is right - Lotus proved a comfortable ride and engaging drive are not mutually exclusive. In fact, the opposite can be true
I have a 2021 mx30, it’s terrible range in the winter lucky if it’s 50 miles. Also has this cretinistic bug where the alarm goes off randomly for 30 seconds at like 12.01 then the alarm- try’s to refresh or when you start remote charging, plus it’s deprecated like a brick worth about 11k now and owe 22 on it so I got to keep it another 2 years and then will vt it.
Love the honesty and simplicity of this video. Looking for a new car and trying to Find a decent One for a decent price. This looked so Nice on paper But oh my… such a shame cuz the design is really Nice :/
Im quite fond of the quirkiness of this car.
I was so looking forward to your review on this car James. As you say, it is a brilliant concept on paper. I will happily defend the rotary engine with my life, having owned various models for decades. I don't quite understand why Mazda didn't fit the larger capacity battery pack as standard. It is a car for a very small demographic that can match mileage to the battery performance. The rotary engine as a battery range extender is not an entirely new concept either. It was originally proposed for that role in the Audi A1 E-tron concept.
Citroen and Mazda are the most innovative cars Co. Truly amazing and beautiful cars and very safe on the road and are not gas thirsty. Thanks Mazda, you deserve a Big Star. I drive my SM to car shows and I love my MX 5 .Voila.
You dropped a quid in the footwell!
They got rid of the superb Mazda6 to introduce more SUV's.
If you look up the Mazda6 sales you will see it was a declining car with little future prospects in its current guise.
I will never understand why so many people get so made at car makers axing cars that dont keep the lights on. If the car was 60k it might have had the profits to keep it going.
This isnt the 90s or 80s where such sales numbers were acceptable. Its the 2020s, and the future is uncertain. Brands are trying tp keep a lean lineup that makes the most money and profit for their limited production space, r&d money, engineers, etc.
Most mainstream branded cars these days that sale below 60k are guaranteed to be axed. Depends on the cost of course.
The CX-5 is a very good suv though
Love it. Kudos to Mazda for trying a very different direction.
IMHO, this is kind of a prove that Mazda isnt really interested in this kind of powertrain. Kind of like Toyota and Subaru these days
I love Mazda as a manufacturer, they make superb, innovative vehicles. BUT, why manufacturer a car with a drive train like this? It is utterly pointless and highlights the current crazy direction that car making is heading in. I cannot wait for the day when a proper alternative to EV vehicles arrives, until then I will continue to drive efficient petrol and diesel vehicles.
As an owner of a Chevy Volt, you would be surprised how far you can get with ~30 miles of electric range. That said, when the engine range extender kicks in it isn’t exactly glorious for that car either, and I prefer my Mazda 6 for long range trips. I think if a driver likes the Volt and wants a slightly larger newer car than this could be a reasonable upgrade.
You should be able to reduce the sensitivity of the collision braking system if my much older Mazda is anything to go by.
Yeah this car has also been discontinued in Australia. With our longer distances we can travel here it is just too far behind the competitors to really be considered. Like you said. If it has a larger battery pack in all versions it might just make sense, but not with its current specs.
The BMW i3 Rex did it better. And that came out in 2013! Way ahead of its time. Used a 2 stroke BMW scooter engine for battery charging purposes and I calculated ran at 45-55mpg on the motorway when I wanted to conserve the battery charge level. That had a 27.3 kWh useable battery. 200 mile range. It only had a 9 litre petrol tank! Great review and summation.
wasn't a 2 stroke engine
Was a efficiency-modified 2 cylinder 4 stroke out of the BMW C650GT
Wrote in a rush! 2 CYLINDERS 4 stroke. Yes.
"It only had a 9 litre petrol tank!" - which makes it terrible for people who can't plug it in, and actually need to use the engine. Biased because you had one.
100k miles on my 2017 REx.
Saved $2,000 annually on fuel.
Still waiting for anything to fail.
Biggest issue is tires last only 30k miles (may be my fault☺️)
@@donswier30k miles is loads, I worked for a fast fit garage a couple of years ago and we would see worn out tyres just over 20k miles on the drive axle on average for most cars. We had several contracts with lease companies whose drivers don't care about the cars where some people would wear out tyres in less than 15k miles .
Would like to see you driving a Mazda2 2023.
I bought one last year and really like. Not very quick but fun all the same.😊
Or he could do Yaris. It´s the same thing.
Yea, in the US the RX-30 is gone, Canada has it, but not the Rotary version.
I think the Rotary engine was only considered because it's rather small compare to standard piston engines.
I agree with the doors but I think you might set the battery recharge level to 70%. If the previous tester set that to 0% all the problems you observed would arise. The concept is not to have the engine generate the energy to drive the motors but to recharge the battery. The engine has to continuously charge the battery even when the vehicle is stopped. And the contention is that in everyday driving the engine has enough energy to keep the battery at say 70%. I think it's a setting issue that has sabotaged your test!
great video. So for a company car driver, they don't get the great tax advantages of a full EV, but it would seem no benefits range-wise over a regular EV (that is, one with decent range). I doubt this car will be around long (notice its full EV version already on the way out). Love the styling though, and i3 type rear doors.
We have the full EV version and absolutely love it. Never an issue with range for us. Drives great and feels very refined! Perfect electric vehicle for your everyday commute!
I feel like BMW did this abit better with the i3 REX. my aunt has one and gets about 65-80 miles on a charge before the petrol engine has to kick in, and even then it will do over 50mpg.
Normally love your videos. They are generally very even in content good to bad. But this was just a crap dump. The customers that have brought one from me have loved it and we have sold more REV’s than the standard one. I also don’t know how the hell you’ve been driving because we haven’t seen below 48 mpg and that was a motorway trip to wales. We normally got between 80-100mpg! So maybe you need to try again. It’s all a bit negative. Don’t think I’ll be watching anymore.
This concept is not flawed. It's been done before, and properly too. Chevy Volt. I own one from 2012 and for me it is really best of both worlds since i cant justify owning two cars. Similar power and battery pack with conventional engine (not the sharpest one for sure). Gives me el. range of 50km and spends about 6.2l/100km (37mpg) as avarage with mix and fast highway (140km/h). Perfect for houndreds of short trips and than few big ones. As single car in family it is good. I imagine with todays improved tech and engines it could do very well in this world as great solution for people like me. Evidently rotary is not best engine for that. As i like that concept and it works for me i've had high hopes for mazda (would like more 3 then mx-30 - i hate suvs) as my next car but it looks like i would need to wait some more.
Great universal space in centre console that can even be used to store a pair of Christopher Biggins glasses!
Thank you for confirming EXACTLY what I suspected.
What have you suspected?
@@absolute_abundance that the usability isn't great due to the reduced battery range.
Hmm.... I was ready to write and abuse you, but you've got a point... A lot to like here, but the result doesn't quite make sense. Wanted to like this car.
I think the battery being depleted when delivered has impacted on your perception. Petrol Ped considered it really good for travelling, setting the battery minimum/maximum charge levels and allowing the car to operate in normal mode. Impressive fuel economy. As you said, for normal use charging at home means no need for the petrol.
Pete is very welcome to come to his own conclusions
A significantly evolved version of this setup is rumoured to be the powertrain for the next MX-5
I really like cork - the color, the texture, everything. But I'm used to it falling apart easily and I can't imagine it being a long-term viable choice for vehicle interiors.
@17.57...I think that's the best piece of road in the entire UK! Anyone know where it is?????? Even looks like there's a Marshall to waive you onto the main road...Wow....just WOW
I was SO looking forward of seeing a small rotary in an EV, should be a good compromise. Nope, a duffer. The Audi Paris-Dakar cars are running a powered ev system and won.
Beautiful car. That said, still not sold on EVs. ❤
Those rear doors are cool. But instead of opening up 90 degrees. It should slide back.
Great review again
I'd buy it I wish disappointed that it doesn't have the EV range as the full EV but still would work if it's plugged in every day most people don't do more then 50 miles a day and the petrol engine is there if you need its there for when you want to go and see family two hours away like every few months it's for people who want an electric car but don't want the hassle if they need to make a longer journey than they normally would and they just want to get there
Cracking looking little car. And as Pure EV is NOT the future (do not believe the Government lies), then Hybrids like this will prevail. We are holding onto our Mazda 3 & Corolla Hybrid for as long as economically possible, as any alternative vehicles on sale for the foreseeable future are definitely a no go.
Was the test of getting in and out of the back done in a carpark? The only cars that are any good there have sliding doors, you don't get a decent opening angle with regular doors and haven't for years due to cars getting wider.
Always liked Mazda and quirky cars, so the EV version appealed to me when it was released until I saw the range... I rejoiced at the PHEV announcement, as I thought it would be the EV plus the rotary for extended range, so I immediately clicked the video link... oh dear, it's just a Wankel, next!
It’s not selling well - rarely seen one over here in Ireland and Mazda was always fairly popular over here. It’s even fairly well priced. Think the range is poor