First drive review: Mazda CX-5

Tuesday, 12 April 2022

Mazda has given the CX-5 a refresh for 2022 and added a new model to the line-up – the Activ pictured here.

MAZDA CX-5
Price range: $42,290 to $64,290

The Takami (left) is now differentiated by body-coloured wheel arches, while the Activ (right) is a new model in the Mazda CX-5 line-up.

Powertrains: 2.0-litre petrol inline four with 115kW/200Nm, 7.7L/100km, six-speed automatic transmission, FWD (GLX and GSX), 2.5-litre petrol inline four with 140kW/252Nm, 8.2L/100km, six-speed automatic transmission, AWD (GSX, Activ and Limited), or 2.5-litre petrol inline turbo four with 170kW/420Nm, 9.1L/100km, six-speed automatic transmission, AWD (SP25T and Takami).
Body style: Five-door SUV.

The CX-5 gets new taillights, as well as a new rear bumper and hatch. It’s quite hard to tell though.

On sale: Now.

It has been ten years since Mazda first launched the CX-5 in New Zealand (yes, really), and now it released an upgraded version for 2022, and added a new model to the line-up for good measure.

The Takami tops the CX-5 range and is powered by Mazda’s SkyActiv 2.5-litre turbo petrol engine.

Make me an instant expert: what do I need to know?

The first major update for the CX-5 since the 2017 and visually consists of new headlights, grille and bumper at the front, with new taillights, tailgate and bumper at the rear.

**READ MORE:

The Activ gets green interior highlights to indicate its active, outdoorsy attitude. Or something like that.

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The SP25T is also turbo powered, and gets gloss black and dark chrome exterior trim.

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The frontal changes are the most obvious, with the larger grille opening, a new, thicker mesh in the grille and larger chrome accents around it. However, you might struggle to spot the changes at the rear at first glance…

The SP25T, Takami and Active get coloured accents in the grille.

Engines remain unchanged in the CX-5 range, but the excellent diesel has been dropped, with the CX-5 now a petrol-only line up, and there isn’t a hint of electrification in sight either. Bear in mind, however, that the CX-5 is essentially the last on this generation of underpinnings, with a range of new SUVs heading our way (CX-60, CX-70, CX-80 and CX-90), with a range of mild-hybrid and plug-in powertrains. And, yes, Mazda New Zealand has confirmed that the CX-60 will be the first here, and it will come with a PHEV powertrain.

The 2.5-litre turbo engine in the Takami and SP25T is a fantastic powerplant, while the naturally aspirated 2.5 in the other AWD models is impressive too.

But all of this is for the near future – what is here now is the CX-5 line up that starts with the GLX and GSX front-wheel drive models. The GLX kicks off the range at $42,290, while the GSX is $44,790. Both are powered by a 115kW/200Nm 2.0-litre that drives the front wheels through a six-speed automatic transmission.

The $47,990 AWD GSX is next and, while it comes with the same equipment as the 2WD GSX, it is powered by a 140kW/252Nm 2.5-litre petrol four, with the same six-speed transmission.

Next up is the new model in the line-up, and arguably the star of the show – the Activ. This lands at $50,990 and features the same AWD/2.5-litre/six-speed transmission drivetrain as the GSX, but ups the spec and adds some lime green interior highlights and stitching (to match the subtle coloured highlights in the grille), similar to what Toyota and Subaru have done with the RAV4 Adventure and Forester X respectively.

This also includes upping the off-road cred with a new off-road mode that optimises traction in the newly renamed “Mi-drive” drive mode system.

Then comes the $57,790 Limited that adds extra kit like adaptive LED headlights, a power tailgate, a Bose audio system, leather upholstery, power adjustable and heated front seats, and a ‘cruising and traffic support’ function on the adaptive cruise control. The Limited also gets the 2.5/AWD drivetrain.

The we get to the two turbocharged models – the SP25T and the Takami.

While the Activ model is aimed at those with a more active, outdoorsy lifestyle, the two range-toppers split their focus, with the SP25T being about dynamic performance, while the Takami is pure luxury. Both, however, are powered by a turbocharged version of the 2.5-litre SkyActiv engine that pumps out 170kW of power and 420Nm of torque, pushing it to all four wheels through the six-speed transmission.

The SP25T lands at $61,290 and also gets gloss black exterior trim, including the wheel arch trim (the GSX, GLX and Activ get matte ones), red interior stitching and black metallic 19-inch alloy wheels to differentiate it (as well as the same coloured graphic in the grille as the Activ, but in red), while the Takami costs $64,290 and gets body coloured wheel arches, high gloss silver 19-inch alloys, a heated steering wheel, Nappa leather upholstery, a handsfree function for the power tailgate, a 360-degree camera, and heated outer rear seats, as well as the same off-road mode as the Activ.

All models of CX-5 get a comprehensive suite of safety and driver assists as standard, with blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, lane keep assist, radar cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, and tyre pressure monitoring across the range. Everything from the GSX and above also gets driver attention monitoring, rear autonomous emergency braking and traffic sign recognition.

Where did you drive it?

A brief drive around outer suburban Auckland, with a brief stint on the motorway was our lot for the CX-5 launch, although while tweaks have been made to the damping control, vibration suppression and Mazda’s G-vectoring control system, it was still business as usual when it came to driving the updated CX-5 – which basically means it is still excellent.

While it is hard to say if the ride and handling tweaks have made a meaningful difference without driving the new and old model back-to-back, the fact remains that the CX-5 was always one of the best in its segment for ride and handling, and would seem to remain so still.

Both versions of the 2.5-litre engine (turbo and non-turbo, we didn’t drive the 2.0-litre) are still wonderfully strong and smooth, while the seats were as comfortable and supportive as ever. In short, the Mazda CX-5 is still a excellent thing to drive and be in.

What’s the pick of the range?

The Activ is definitely the most interesting of the lot, with its off-road mode and colourful trim, and while it arguably represents the sweet spot in the range in terms of value for money, it is a shame it isn’t available with the more powerful turbo engine.

If, of course, you want luxury, then the Takami is where you should head immediately – the level of fit, finish and quality inside its Nappa leather-clad interior is up with the Euros, while the wonderfully strong turbo engine belts it effortlessly along.

Why would I buy it?

You want what is still easily one of the best mid-size SUVs in its price range. Simple.

Why wouldn’t I buy it?

You wanted a diesel – the decision to drop it wasn’t a Clean Car-related thing (it would have been in the zero fee band), hardly anyone bought it, which is a shame, because it was excellent.

While the CX-5 is still an impressive machine, it is getting on now – the tweaks to the styling do update it, but it will be hard for the neighbours to tell you have a new one unless you get a different colour. We would recommend the new addition to the palette, however, as the new Zircon Sand Metallic finish looks brilliant in the metal.