8 gets a 10
Mazda has really pushed the boat out with its seven-seater offering – the Mazda CX-8. An all diesel powertrain, luxurious appointment, legendary handling qualities which Mazda has demonstrated time and time again, summarise the latest SUV, but doesn’t really do it the justice a drive will.
Mazda New Zealand is understandably excited about its latest addition to the SUV range which up until this year consisted of the Mazda CX-3, CX-5 and CX-9.
There was a little flutter with a Mazda CX-7, but that model fell by the wayside some time back; the CX-5 filling the gap it left extremely well.
However, Mazda NZ had one more ace up its sleeve, well it was more of number card really – the all-new for 2018 Mazda CX-8.
The question most would ask is: ‘why?’ If the CX-5 is doing the business in the Medium SUV segment – and it is – with the CX-9 picking up the Large SUV segment buyers, where would the CX-8 sit?
It wasn’t so much a segment offering in terms of size, more of an offering in terms of fuel choice and the exclusivity factor. You see, the CX-8 is only available as a diesel-powered SUV and it is only available in a very small market, Japan domestic and ... us.
In addition, the CX-8 is targeting a broader cross section of buyers with a big focus on the fleet sector, which is good news for the private consumer.
The fleet market is a demanding beast, looking for high spec’ levels at value proposition prices and thus, the savvy private buyer stands to gain.
But isn’t Mazda taking a gamble on the diesel only option? Not really. The CX-8 is close enough to the CX-9 in terms of size and the 9 is only available with a petrol engine, so for those who don’t do diesel, there is a viable alternate.
In saying that, the Mazda CX-8 does reap the rewards of Mazda’s latest diesel engine technology. The SKYACTIV diesel is a next generation 2.2-litre, twin turbocharged engine, which is both ultra-efficient and ultra-refined.
Revised fuel injectors, improved combustion processes and variable geometry is used in the turbochargers to give the new gen SKYACTIV diesel a sophistication to rival a petrol engine – and deliver all the obvious benefits of diesel: stronger engine, cheaper fuel and better economy among others.
We could go on about the engine ad nauseam, it is that good, however, there is so much more to the Mazda CX-8. The sophistication is not limited to what’s under the bonnet, by any means. Inside, the CX-8 is all class. High quality stitched leather, chrome highlight, wood panel trim, black Piano plastics and even this is only scratching the surface.
The seats are heated but not only for the front occupants, the second-row citizens can enjoy toasty buns too, but the best seat in the house has to – and always will be – the driver’s seat. To illustrate the point, the beautifully balanced steering wheel is also heated.
But comfort is only part of the picture. The CX-8 is loaded with the very latest high-tech safety equipment from Mazda.
This includes blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, advanced smart city brake support, traffic sign recognition, intelligent speed assist, radar cruise control with stop and go function and the usual complement of ABS brakes, trailer sway mitigation and electronic
stability control.
Even with all of this, the CX-8 has more. It is what is called a full-size seven-seater, and while there will always be compromises for the rearmost occupants in any full size seven, the CX-8 mitigates one area especially, with its 80-degree opening rear doors which provide easier access to the rearmost seats.
It may seem a little odd to own a seven-seater when in many cases, the family car the SUV has replaced could only ever seat five. Indeed, there was a time when automakers produced sevenseater SUVS as a matter of course.
Customers shied away, asking why a seven-seater would be needed, when instead you could have a five-seater with increased cargo space.
Automakers responded accordingly, and the five-seat SUV became more commonplace, but we are slowly seeing a resurgence of seven seaters, with Mazda riding the crest of the wave with the CX-8.
And driving dynamics? Is the CX-8 following in the wheel tracks of other legendary Mazdas of recent times? Yes, resoundingly yes.
The CX-8 offers a supremely confident ride with the extra weight offered by the diesel engine, combined with Mazda’s sublime SKYACTIV chassis contributing to a well planted feel of a vehicle with surprisingly little body roll – the perfect formula for long distance road trips.
Mazda doesn’t release new models as readily as some carmakers do, but when it does, those releases – more often than not – become benchmarks for their segment.
The CX-8 looks to be no different.