Mazda CX-5

Overview

Mazda has been known to make driver-centric cars. The Japanese company engineers, as well as designers, have been given the brief to make the vehicles as aerodynamic as possible. Whether the car is sitting 190 mm above the ground or closer at 120 mm, it has to give a joyful experience to the driver and those seated inside. So, when Mazda commissioned the CX-5 crossover, the engineers were told to retain these things in the SUV. Of course, components too will be shared to keep the costs low and practicality has to be at an all-time high as well. These traits made the CX-5 a much sought after SUV in Europe, Middle East as well as in South West Asia. Agreeably so, our market is besotted with the vehicle as well. The Mazda CX-5 is one of the best options out there if you can’t afford the Audi Q5, Porsche Macan or the Mercedes GLE. So, what are the changes to the Mazda CX-5 2018 edition and should you be considering it over the aforementioned rivals? 

Interior & Features

The cabin of the new Mazda CX-5 needed the most improvement. Why you may ask? The cabin quality of the earlier car wasn’t that great and fit and finish also couldn’t be compared with a European car. Mazda seems to have invested a lot of time redesigning the interior like it did with the outside. There is a noticeably improved cabin quality and while it still displays a few low rent parts, all of them are generally relegated to the lower region of the dashboard. The instrument cluster gets a slight revision and the OS for the MZD Connect infotainment system has been thoroughly upgraded. While this is all cool, the system still feels old school and speaking of which, Apple CarPlay as well as Android Auto too are inconspicuous by their absence. The 10-speaker Bose system though is spot one and delivers crisp audio quality. Menus can be switched through a rotary knob like the one Audi gives and allows for selection too. There are powered seats as well and the leather upholstery on the top-spec trims give it a premium gloss. The multi function steering wheel is leather wrapped and feels good to hold too.

The rear seats of the Mazda CX-5 are reclining and these add to the comfort factor. Seating three abreast at the back isn’t that big a deal and there is also 490-litre of space behind the rear seats. Mazda offers a 40:20:20 split for the seats and this helps immensely with loading bigger stuff. The boot can be electrically opened too. Unfortunately, the CX-5 still is being offered as a 5-seater whereas rivals in the same space offer seven seats.

Exterior

Compared to the outgoing CX-5, the 2018 version looks very sharp.  The slim headlights house LEDs and they have high beam assistance too. This means when you drive at night and need all the assistance from the headlights, the beam switches to high. However, if it detects another vehicle coming from the opposite direction, then the light switches on to low beam instantly. The low beam itself has a much wider throw and it helps immensely. The grille of the Mazda CX-5 is similar to what you get in other products from the carmaker. The hood too looks like a sculpted ornament. The 19-inch wheels wrapped in new rubber and resting on alloys look nice too. A shark fin antenna at the back is new and the LED tail light, as well as the stubby boot,t make things interesting. Indeed, Mazda has got the design elements just right for the new 2018 CX-5. The overall length, width and height of the new car is 4,540 mm x 1,840 mm x 1,670 mm respectively.

Ride & Handling

As discussed before, the chassis has been tuned to deliver handling pleasure and the CX-5 is a joy to pilot through a set of corners. It not only delivers a crisp handling and steering feedback but also has decent ride quality. We feel that Mazda should have softened the springs a bit and this could have aided the ride quality to be a tad more supple. Mazda’s G-Vectoring system takes care of how the chassis is supposed to behave and this, in turn, is dependent on the engine and what torque it is producing at the moment. If the system detects that the vehicle is turning too fast, it cuts off torque to the outer wheel. Mazda claims that this is the first time that the world has seen such a technology.

Engine & Fuel Consumption

Mazda offers three engines for the Filipino buyer with the CX-5. There are two petrol and a lone diesel engine. Speaking of the latter, it is a Euro 4 compliant unit and measures 2,200 cc. The turbo diesel unit makes 175 PS of power and 420 Nm of torque. The bigger petrol engine is again a 4-cylinder unit and makes 190 PS and 250 Nm from its 2.5-litre naturally aspirated heart. For the smaller 2.0-litre petrol, Mazda a power figure of 155 PS and torque of 200 Nm. All three engines can be ordered only with a manual transmission. Mazda offers AWD for the diesel and 2.5-litre engine whereas the smaller 2.0-litre can only be ordered with a front wheel drive configuration.

All three engines are silent in their own right. That being said, the best driving pleasure can be derived out of the diesel engine. It has a lot of torque right from the word go and brings along with it a silky refinement. The efficiency is also very good, sometimes bordering on 20 kmpl depending on the manner it is driven. The gearshifts too are smooth. The petrol mills in the meanwhile have to be worked hard. Mazda’s i-stop is offered on all three engines and it enhances fuel efficiency by cutting off the engine when stationary. It also saves energy for future use, for example, while starting the car or in coasting.

Braking & Safety

Mazda offers the CX-5 with Dynamic Stability Control, ABS with EBD, brake assist, front and rear parking sensors as well as rear view camera. In term of advanced tech, there is also the Blind Spot Monitoring system, Lane Departure Warning, and Lane Keep Assist. GNCAP has given the Mazda CX-5 a five-star crash safety rating.

Verdict

The Mazda CX-5 is for those who love driving and at the same time need practicality. The car is fairly loaded and offers high spec safety features too. The diesel is fun to drive and at the same time ensures that you go to the pumps less often. It’s a steal considering that the competing Europeans are priced much higher as well. There are six trims of the Mazda CX-5 on offer in Philippines and prices start from Php 1,550,000 and go all the way to Php 2,222,400.