A facelift can be one way or the other. In this regard, the recently redesigned Mazda CX-5 is unusual: from the outside you can see almost nothing new. The Japanese apparently find their CX-5 so successful that it started the current model year with almost no external changes. Nine years ago, the CX-5 was the first Mazda in the new Kodo design with reduced forms without shrill corners and edges, but with dynamically flowing lines. It is so well received that it is still the undisputed bestseller of the brand today. So the outer shape was not tinkered with. After all, the massive radiator grille with the eye-catching crossbars now has sharply cut LED headlights, and there are new LED rear lights with 3-D effect at the rear.
The second generation of models is 30 millimeters flatter than its predecessor. And the track width has increased to 1.6 meters at the front and rear. The compact SUV measures 4.6 meters in length, 1.84 meters in width and 1.68 meters in height. The wheelbase remained unchanged at 2.70 meters. However, you should always be aware, especially on construction sites, that the car, including the larger than average exterior mirrors, is 2.12 meters wide.
Forgot the parking space of the car? No problem
A lot more has happened under the sheet. More efficient drives, better connectivity and greater convenience were at the Agenta. This innovation is immediately noticeable in the interior: with the 2021 model year, the new infotainment system introduced with the new Mazda3, including the 10.25-inch display in 8: 3 format, has now also moved into the CX-5. Apple Carplay and Android Auto are now available as standard. This infotainment system now has DAB + and an interface to the new MyMazda app. It is an all-rounder. You can use it to lock the car remotely or to display the current location if you can no longer find the parked CX-5 in a strange city. It also warns if a door is broken into. Travel destinations can also be entered in the app and sent to the navigation system.
Mazda went to great lengths to ensure that you sit optimally and that the controls fit. The center armrest and the front armrests are almost at the same height. This also contributes to the comfortable sitting position as does the fact that the top edge of the door is softly padded. The seat structure itself has been improved: In the front seat backrests, there are now modified damping mats, which distribute the body pressure over a larger area. And the special urethane foam only lets through those vibrations that give the driver good feedback on the road surface; unwanted vibrations are suppressed. This is what you especially look forward to on longer tours.
Head-up display now as standard
In addition, there are high-quality and carefully processed materials that are in no way inferior to those of German premium cars. You just feel comfortable. And because the CX-5 has become an extremely quiet car after the acoustic revision, you can enjoy the excellent, specially tuned Bose sound system with ten speakers. This enables concert sound even at a lower volume. As standard.
The Japanese largely do without digital displays and complicated infotainment with many submenus like at VW. There is also a special feature that is otherwise only known from the upper middle class. Here it is standard: a real head-up display.
Although the CX-5 has no new drive units under the hood, meticulous precision work on the engine management, the standard six-speed automatic converter and the all-wheel drive, which now runs with less friction, reduce the WLTP standard consumption of the top model by 0.4 liters per unit compared to its predecessor 100 kilometers. The four-cylinder, which complies with the current Euro 6d emissions standard, now has cylinder deactivation. At a constant speed of 40 you save 20 percent. Those who travel at 80 km / h save five percent. How much the temporary deactivation of the two outer cylinders saves depends of course on your own driving style.
The Japanese also took a different approach with braking energy recovery: the so-called i-ELOOP system, standard on the G-194 petrol engine, stores the electrical energy recovered during braking in a capacitor instead of in a special battery. Together with the standard start-stop system, which ensures a smooth restart, you save up to ten percent fuel, depending on the driving conditions.
The Japanese are also doing things differently than the rest of the automotive world when it comes to propulsion: The 2.5-liter four-cylinder with 194 hp is extremely highly compressed for a gasoline engine at 13: 1. And the large-volume gasoline engine does not have a turbocharger, so the maximum torque of 258 Newton meters is only reached at high 4000 tours. However, that sounds a lot worse than it is in everyday life. Because this motor convinces with one special feature: It distributes its power evenly over the entire speed range – linearly without turbo thumps. This results in a relaxed and stress-free driving style, although the CX-5 can reach 100 km / h in 9.2 seconds and a maximum of 195 km / h if required, according to the factory.
In addition, the test car has a standard six-speed automatic. In the age of eight, nine, even ten-speed machines, this seems to be antediluvian technology. But the once sleepy machine has been thoroughly revised and suddenly shows with its lively switching activity that there is another way. It reacts faster to the gas and shifts as smooth as butter.
You quickly realize: This Mazda wants to be driven differently. If you handle the gas pedal sensitively, you will experience a completely new driving experience: the combustion Mazda behaves like an electric car! This is where the four-cylinder engine benefits from its displacement surge: Instead of castration (fewer cylinders and less displacement as with small-scale turbo engines), 2.5 liters displacement is used here. And the large-volume vacuum cleaner develops its output of 194 hp in a completely calm and cultivated way in a way that modern turbo engines can no longer do. As quietly, smoothly and confidently as the car with the further developed automatic system moves in the city and across the country, that is fascinating. The large four-cylinder is no longer the fine acoustic quiet step beyond the 5000 revolutions per minute. Then he clearly speaks up. So, slow down a little – and you’re driving relaxed again, but not slowly. The four-cylinder and the revised six-speed automatic work well together: at a speed of 120 the crankshaft rotates just 2400 revolutions per minute, and at a speed of 130 it is also a very relaxed 2800 tours. The speeds are generally very low. When swimming in city traffic, the motor usually only turns 1100 to 1200 revolutions. You don’t hear anything from the four-cylinder. At 100 km / h on the country road, there are 1900 tours.
Surprise at the pump
The low speed level pays off at the pump: the new top model with 194 hp, all-wheel drive and automatic is said to consume eight liters of super per 100 kilometers according to the WLTP measurement cycle. Theoretically. And practical? Is this Mazda better than theory. On the obligatory economy round, the 1646-kilogram all-wheel drive was content with just 6.3 liters of Super per 100 kilometers – without becoming a traffic obstacle. And at least with 19-inch wheels and 225 mm slippers, which are not exactly fuel-efficient. And with hard-working automatic air conditioning at outside temperatures above 35 degrees. You can enjoy the perforated leather seats, which are ventilated as standard. On the total of 1850 test kilometers, it was an average of 7.4 liters of Super E10, i.e. even 0.6 liters less than Mazda indicated for factory consumption. With the 58 liter tank, you can easily cover a range of over 700 kilometers.
Despite the impressive standard 19-inch tires, the CX-5 still bounces comfortably. The dampers respond sensitively, and the comfort-oriented set-up suits this car, which is not overly sporty and tough. It’s just a very pleasant long-haul vehicle – which can also move a lot: With a payload of 561 kilograms and a braked trailer load of 2000 kilograms, the CX-5 ranks at the top end of its class. The large loading space with a volume of 506 to 1620 liters fits in with this.
Conclusion: It’s clever when you do something differently from the others. This is how you are perceived and can present yourself as an attractive alternative. It was precisely this philosophy that put Mazda on the road to success years ago. Be different and keep getting better. With the new vintage of the CX-5 Skyactiv-G 194 AWD i-Eloop Sports-Line, this has been done really well. Because points in need of improvement such as the somewhat sleepy six-speed automatic, the somewhat bumpy suspension and the somewhat outdated infotainment have been consistently improved in detail. So this CX-5 has become a rolling wellness lounge, if you drive it properly. And the current top model of the CX-5 is at the same time an all-inclusive offer, in which almost everything is on the highest level and in remarkable quality. There is no need to rummage through long lists of extra charges. You are much more pleased about the seemingly endless list of equipment. This is also put into perspective by the apparently steep test car price of 45,490 euros. The end of the flagpole has already been reached with the CX-5; for German premium SUVs such as Audi Q5, VW Tiguan Allspace or BMW X3, the price list only starts there.
And if you don’t want to spend that much money on the CX-5: It is available with 194 hp, automatic and front-wheel drive as well as with the proper Exclusive Line equipment from 35,390 euros. And with the 165 hp petrol engine including front-wheel drive and six-speed manual gearbox, you can get there from 27,690 euros.
