Mazda’s SUV is styles better
Mazda CX-5 Takumi Auto Diesel ◆ The marque is in the all-electric slow lane, but with a car as good-looking as this, it’s hard to complain, says Frederic Manby
Oh Lord won’t you buy me an SUV, my friends all drive them and I want one, too. Well, with due admiration for Janis Joplin’s1970 ode to Mercedes-benz, almost everybody I know is crazy about their SUV, something that didn’t exist in its modern idiom until the 1984 Jeep Cherokee came along.
SUV is a broad-brush word and they can be soft or rugged. The country’s second best-selling car is the Nissan Qashqai, one of the softer type, but with the styling that makes it more than a large hatchback.
In the first 11 months we bought 39,000 of these popular Nissans from Sunderland – that’s 10,000 more than Mazda sold of its complete model range in the UK. So the Mazda we test here is going to be quite rare. It is the CX-5, a posher rival to the common Nissan and a smarter alternative to the Kia Sportage and Hyundai Tucson, each of which also exceeded Mazda’s total UK sales.
Into the SUV category you can also add Volvo’s XC40, Ford’s Kuga, a variety of models from Volkswagen, Seat and Skoda as well as entry-level versions of SUVS from Audi, BMW and Mercedes-benz which overlap with the pricier versions of the CX-5.
Mazda has had a good year, selling mostly petrol cars, some with mild hybrid technology, badged as M Hybrid, one battery model, two PHEVS and diesels in the CX-5 and the larger CX-60. Sales grew by 24.7 per cent to reach 28,735, well ahead of the 18.6 per cent increase for the market.
Mazda’s plan keeps costs down. Nationally, both PHEV and HEV sales are surging, respectively by 27.8 and 38.8 per cent in the UK.
This supports the Japanese maker’s continuation of conventional engines and a more gradual move to full electric than that of many of its rivals. The world, overall, is not going electric in the near future and some makers have been wrong-footed by the extension to 2035 of the European deadline to go electric. UK battery car sales have slowed.
The car you see here is a reminder of when the majority of us bought diesels. It is the CX-5 fitted with a 2.2 litre diesel. It has all-wheel-drive and, you might say, is all that some drivers still desire.
UK sales of new diesel cars fell by 16.8 per cent in November. By the end of the month we had bought 66,610 of them in 2023, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. Another 66,096 had slightly cleaner mild electric/hybrid assistance, making a total of 132,706 new cars with diesel engines.
In contrast, the number of petrol and mild hybrid petrol cars increased to more than 990,000. Sales of pure battery cars also increased, to nudge 287,000. Mazda’s cheapest car is the Mazda2 hatchback, from £18,615.
Prices for the CX-5 start at an approachable £31,045 with a smooth 2-litre un-blown 163bhp petrol engine in Centre-line trim using Mazda’s e-skyactiv M Hybrid technology.
The six-speed automatic is £33,035. Four more trim levels, all front-wheeldrive, all with an automatic option, take the price to £38,535 for the lovely Takumi model. CX-5 is also offered as a 2.5 litre 193bhp petrol automatic version with four-wheel drive, in that top Takumi specification at £41,130
Prices for the 181.5 bhp diesel start at £36,345 in the middle tier Exclusive Line, and £38,335 with automatic gears. The Takumi version has 4WD, costing £40,735 with manual gears and, tested here, £42,730 with automatic gears.
The CX-5 is a global leader for Mazda and takes one in four of its UK sales. It had a refresh this year, bringing in the M Hybrid efficiency for the petrol engines and cylinder deactivation on the 163bhp model – already fitted to the 193bhp engine, to save fuel and emissions when on a light throttle.
The diesel has neither cylinder cutoff nor M Hybrid electrical assistance nor a turbocharger. Mazda’s Skyactiv technology favours large-capacity engines without a blower.
You will buy it for its economy and range and towing power and maybe that old diesel magic that you know so well. Its torque of 328 lb ft gives plenty of response and lugging ability. It looks classy.
Mazda rates the Takumi diesel automatic at 42.8mpg and 173g CO2. The addition of automatic gears and 4WD take a toll.
The FWD diesel with manual gears is rated at 50.4mpg and 147g. As a comparison, the best economy from the petrol model with manual gears is 43.5mpg and 146g for the Centre-line with manual gears.
Our week with the Takumi 4WD was, consequently, a bit thirsty. The overall figure for 380 miles was 37mpg.
The experience, however, was splendid, with a surging growl from the engine as it gains speed. On a lighter throttle, it cruises quietly enough.
The CX-5 has the exterior styling which lifts Mazda from the masses, arguably as good as if not better than the rest. They are beautiful inside as well. By the Takumi stage, you get classy dark brown Nappa leather to sit on, and fillets of matching dark brown wood on the dashboard and doors.
Back passengers have two standard USB ports in the central armrest and heater switches for the outer seats.
Front travellers have two small USB ports and a phone charger pad.
A large information touchscreen screen can be voice-controlled or managed with a command wheel and buttons between the seats. It is a perfect system with minimum distraction for the driver. A head-up display helps too.
One curiosity that I noticed – only the rear windows wiped clear of rain when dropped. The front windows remained obscured.
The CX-5 is a global leader for Mazda, and is responsible for one in four of its UK sales