OAKLAND COUNTY, Michigan — My former Detroit News colleague Scott Burgess made it a practice of getting into a Porsche 911 each year as a reminder of the industry’s sports car performance standard.

The same might be said of the Mazda CX-30 Turbo SUV.

The Japanese automaker’s entry-level hellion is the SUV segment’s handling benchmark. And for 2025, it has addressed its biggest customer ergonomics complaint: the lack of a touchscreen. In an age when sport utes make up 70% of non-pickup sales due to their superior utility, the CX-30 is a reminder that you don’t have to sacrifice cargo for fun.

I couldn’t wait to drive the 227-horsepower CX-30 Turbo in my driveway each day. It made daily chores enjoyable — and often led to extended drive time as I detoured to twistier roads. On the way hom

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