Mazda CX-4 spied testing in Australia

Mazda’s CX-4 crossover SUV is being evaluated in Melbourne, but don’t get your hopes up of seeing the sleek model sit between the CX-3 and CX-5 in local showrooms anytime soon.

Spotted by Wheels this week, the left-hand drive evaluation vehicle, plucked from the Chinese car market where the CX-4 is exclusively for sale, has been doing the rounds in Melbourne for some time now. Continued testing of the model in Australia might point to the Japanese brand considering the vehicle for our SUV-hungry market, but it likely belongs to another importer.

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For now, the new CX-30, unveiled at the Geneva motor show earlier this year, is the only new nameplate that we can expect to join Mazda’s line-up anytime soon.

Speaking to Wheels, a spokesperson for Mazda Australia explained that the local arm does not have a CX-4 in its fleet and that while the model would look good on our roads, it has the newer CX-30 to fill the gap now.

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Like the CX-4, the CX-30 will be available with 2.0-litre and 2.5-litre four-cylinder engines, mated to a six-speed automatic transmission and either front or all-wheel-drive. The feather in its cap will be the SkyActiv-X engine, which will likely arrive after its launch here in 2020. The engine is a high-compression ignition engine that produces increased power but with higher efficiency.

As Mazda has previously stated, the CX-4 is still not on the cards for Australia. The car in Melbourne is most likely an evaluation vehicle for another brand that has a global development hub near where the car was spotted. Given Ford’s You Yangs proving ground is not far down the road, it could be something the blue oval is looking into, though it does not yet have a similar-size SUV in its line-up. Ford Focus crossover anyone?