Experimented with some of the driving settings with the Mazda CX-30. One is the Speed Limit function. Set a speed and you can only exceed that with a vigourous press of the accelerator pefal to initiate kickdown to a lower gear ratio. You have to use the accelerator to maintain speed, unlike the adaptive cruise control which will hold a speed reliably for you. Another setting is Sport mode for the six-speed auto transmission. This allows higher engine revs before upshifts are made, handy for hills and turns. Sport mode will not work in cruise control but will do so in Speed Limit mode.
The centrally-mounted sensors at the top of the windscreen include a camera for recognising street signs and traffic lights, these are shown on the dashboard and heads-up display. In Speed Limit mode as soon as a new limit sign is passed, it registers with the abbreviation "Res" superimposed over it. This means one presses the Resume button on the steering wheel (also used with cruise control).
Sport mode does more than just allowing gears to hold at higher revs: it also stiffens the already firm suspension and sets a more direct steering response for the electric power steering.
Eight hours ago I tried Speed Limit mode and Sport mode together on a hilly road with numerous turns, both sharp and sweeping. I set the speed to the road's posted limit of 80 km/hr and let the beast have its head. Very enjoyable, the steering response and the roadholding were both enhanced with the use of Sport mode. On the trip back home over the same road I used cruise control (which shut off Sport and Speed Limit modes) observing the steering and roadholding to be less enhanced than previously.
There are five trim/equipment levels in Australia for the CX-30: Pure, Evolve, Touring, Astina and Astina X2. Mine with all the features mentioned above and lots of other goodies is the one step above basic level, the Evolve level. The Pure models have a softer ride because they have 16-inch wheels with a higher tyre profile ratio. The others have lower-profile tyres and an 18-inch wheel.