Mazda CX-5 Road Test

Last of the gunslingers

In the headlong scramble for posItIon In the electrIc car market, one brand is notable not quite by its absence, but certainly with its apparent reluctance to commit to an electrified future.

Mazda is still a firm believer in the power of the internal combustion engine – and while it has produced an EV in the quirky MX-30, the main focus remains on petrol and diesel.

The CX-5 SUV is established as Mazda’s leading seller in the UK, accounting for around 25% of sales. Now in its third generation, the 2022 model represents a substantial facelift, with some new powertrains and variants joining the range.

The shift toward SUVs seems unstoppable – Mazda still offers a very competent upper-medium sector saloon and estate range in the Mazda6, but the CX-5 has long overtaken the 6 in terms of sales. Indeed, since the launch of the first Mazda CX-5 in 2012, more than 70,000 have been sold in the UK.

Whether SUVs represent acceptable private hire vehicles is still open for debate – they don’t look like taxis, but in terms of practicality, the CX5 ticks plenty of boxes. There’s plenty of rear seat legroom and headroom, a good-sized 522-litre boot, a high standard of finish, decent fuel economy and, importantly, keen pricing.

The 2022 facelift includes revised front and rear bumper designs, new headlight and taillight clusters and a more three-dimensional grille design. The wing trim no longer heads into the lamp cluster.

The range now spans 20 models in five trim levels: SE-L, Newground, Sport, Sport Black and GT Sport, each of which has subtle styling differentiation – especially so on the Newground, Sport Black and GT Sport levels, including colour co-ordinated interior and exterior trim.

The CX-5 range starts at £28,145 for the 2.0-litre Skyactiv-G petrol 165PS SE-L. As an alternative, a 150PS Skyactiv-D diesel is available. The 165PS Skyactiv-G engine is new, and is the only option on the Newground trim level, which is perhaps the most disinctive, and the car featured in our photographs. All SE-L and Newground models are front-wheel drive models.

Newground features front and rear silver underguard trims matched to silver lower body side skirts, black door mirrors and 19in black diamond cut alloy wheels. It has subtle lime green accents on the grille and inside on the air vent trims and seat piping. Newground also has an exclusive paint colour, called Zircon Sand Metallic. With manual transmission, as featured here, the CX-5 Newground costs £29,175. Automatic transmission takes that up to £30,775.

The biggest seller is expected to be the Sport model, which also has the 165ps Skyactiv-G petrol or a choice of diesels with 150PS and 184PS output. The higher-powered diesel has a choice of front or all-wheel drive, and only comes with an automatic gearbox.

The other new trim level is Sport Black – again, a 2WD/165PS petrol combination, but with a sportier look including gloss black detailing and subtle red accents within the grille and stitching. Above that sits GT Sport, with the addition of more powerful petrol engines and all-wheel drive – topping the price list at £39,435.

The interior is particularly well-finished,

ProDriver TESTED 38.9mpg / 29mph MAR 2022

and reassuringly old-school, with analogue speedometer and rev counter, plus a digital information panel in the third of three circular, overlapping gauges.

The satnav screen is a centrally-mounted widescreen unit positioned on top of the dash, so it’s right in the driver’s sight line. Happily, it’s not just a touch-screen – there’s a rotary controller behind the gear shift allowing data input and manual zooming with comfort. Heater controls are separate too, another positive – no need to delve into deep menus just to turn the fan down a notch.

On top of that, it’s one of the best handling cars in its class. We tested the car in Scotland, over some challenging roads in not the best weather conditions. The CX-5 is impressively sure-footed, with plenty of feel through the steering wheel when turning in to sharp bends.

With prices starting under £30,000, the CX-5 feels like a lot of car for the money. It feels bigger and more luxurious than many obvious market rivals – more Audi than Seat.

It’s a big car, but there’s very little body roll and the suspension handles bumps and potholes very well. The CX-5 is strictly a 5-seater, though it’s not easy to get seven-seater SUVs of this type licensed, as the third row of seats on rivals such as Skoda Kodiaq or VW Tiguan are really only suitable for children.

Fuel economy is very acceptable for a big car with a 2-litre petrol engine. We averaged 38.9mpg on a 90-mile test route, averaging just below 30mph – for once, very close to the quoted WLTP combined figure of 41.5mpg.

verdict

SuvS are Still not the natural go-to body style for private hire, but as conventional Mondeo-sized saloons fade into history, along with car-derived MPVs, you may have little choice. At less than £30,000, the CX-5 should be on the agenda. OK, there’s no London-licensable PHEV version, but elsewhere there’s no reason why it can’t do a job, as its cabin is roomy and its boot voluminous. It’s a very relaxing drive too, and fuel economy is very decent for a petrol-engined car of that size. Diesel is even better at a quoted 47.9mpg combined, though the diesel automatic offers a whole 10mpg less, according to the WLTP test.