Amid the release of the latest incarnation of the award-winning Mazda6, the launch of the CX-8 and the refresh of the CX-3, the fleet fave CX-5 almost faded into the background… almost…
The CX-5 started the SUV path Mazda has now claimed, and it’s a well driven path with CX-5 being the trailblazer, followed by the CX-9, the CX-3 and now CX-8. Oh yes, we couldn’t really forget the CX-7 which in fact precluded the CX-5, but it was discontinued in 2012, so it doesn’t really count.
The CX-5 though is now in its second generation – the first having seen one facelift from its debut in 2012 – and while it may not have the cachet of the CX-8, the first of Mazda’s ‘proper’
SUVs needs to be acknowledged for
its ‘firsts’.
CX-5 for example, was the first Mazda to feature the KODO Soul of Motion design language which is a hallmark of pretty much every Mazda since. CX-5 also has the distinction of being the first Mazda to incorporate all elements of SKYACTIV technology, best described in a hazelnut shell as: chassis, engine, transmission harmonisation and optimisation.
For the 2018/19 CX-5 there are front-wheel-drive, all-wheel-drive, GLX, GSX and Ltd grades, two-litre petrol, 2.2-litre diesels and 2.5-litre petrol choices available – all of which have seen upgrades – with an eight-colour palette that favours popular fleet colours.
This particular example – a 2.5-litre petrol in Ltd spec grade – is perhaps not the first choice as a rep-mobile, well, not unless your reps really deserve a pay-rise and you can’t float the budget. No, this is the luxury spec which your MD/owner/ledger-savvy CFO might look to get into.
It’s still 100 percent Mazda CX-5. It handles well, accelerates briskly (that 2.5-litre is the same as the one in the latest – regular grade – Mazda6 by the way) thanks to the 140kW and 252Nm power and torque outputs spurring the AWD 1677kg SUV on and leaves the occupant wanting for nothing in terms of safety tech and specification in general.
But in terms of improved performance the SKYACTIV-G 2.5 has seen the inclusion of cylinder deactivation, which operates between 40km/h and 80km/h to reduce fuel consumption, but give you the full benefits of all four pots as required. And what’s more, you won’t know the system is doing its thing,
that’s how refined the system is.
And ‘refined’ is the word which best summarises the CX-5. Given the rampant success seen by Mazda’s mid-sized SUV, it seems all but impossible that the vehicle could be anymore meaningfully improved, and yet this is precisely what Mazda has done.
As a result, driving a new CX-5 is just as rewarding an experience as driving the first-generation vehicle which was a prime mover when it came to shaping the segment over a decade ago.
Mazda has always applied the phrase ‘Zoom Zoom’ as an intrinsic part of the brand as it came into its own in the new millennium. Zoom Zoom is the intangible joy of movement in motoring, and the CX-5 for 2018/19 is one of the best examples of Zoom Zoom you’ll find in the Mazda range. Drive one; and tell me I’m wrong.
