Mazda MX-30 Hatchback

107kW Prime Line 35.5kWh 5dr Auto [2023]

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Remember the Mazda RX-8 – the noughties sports car with the reverse-mounted rear doors that used the (somewhat awkwardly named) Wankel rotary engine? And who could forget the awesome, but thirsty, RX-7 before that?

Well, the engine is back - the rotating part, at least.

If that comes as a shock in an age in which the glow of the combustion lump appears to be fading with its last embers, then the following fact may shock you even more.

Mazda has put this rotary mill in a car that was, until now, all-electric.

We see the surprise on your face. So far, it looks like time is going backwards - but it's not as drastic a move as it first appears.

Firstly, this is Mazda – the Japanese manufacturer that's always been known for doing things differently.

Secondly, the whole reason for putting the engine in the car is to create a plug-in hybrid version of the MX-30, which has been available for several years now as an all-electric car.

In truth, the original wasn't incredibly well received.

It didn't excel in any area, and its real-world range meant that anything more than an hour's journey down the motorway would leave you in danger of being stranded due to a depleted battery.

So, now that it's combined with an electric motor and a petrol unit, things are looking up.

We will see if it’s made much of a difference.