AT A GLANCE
Mazda has added a gutsy turbocharged engine to its top-selling family hauler
There’s a power struggle developing in the family SUV market. Mazda is the latest to fire a shot, offering buyers the choice of a more powerful turbocharged engine in its top-selling CX-5. It follows the lead of Volkswagen, Holden and Ford, who all have higher-powered models at the top of their mid-size SUV range.
Mazda’s 2.0-litre turbo first debuted on the larger CX-9 and has since been fitted to the Mazda6. It lines up competitively against its rivals, with 170kW of power and 420Nm of torque. Volkswagen’s 162TSI Tiguan has 162kW/350Nm, the Ford Escape puts out 178kW/345Nm and Holden’s Equinox is good for 188kW/353Nm.
The engine is available only on the allwheel-drive GT and Akera models and costs $2500 more than the standard 2.5-litre petrol engine. That makes the get-in price $46,970 plus on-roads for the GT model and $49,170 for the Akera.
That’s big money for a mid-size SUV, but on the Akera Mazda has thrown in some higher quality fabrics and finishes to justify the premium. They include more luxurious Nappa leather on the seats, real wood inlays on the doors and dash and LED ambient lighting through the cabin.
Our test car had the darker black and aubergine leather scheme, but the Akera also comes with a cream leather interior, which better complements what is already a dark and formal cabin design.
On the tech front, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are finally standard fitment across the range. Steering wheel controls allow voice activation for a range of commands, including sending and receiving calls and text messages, changing the channel on the radio and giving satnav instructions. It all worked seamlessly on the test car, allowing you to concentrate on the road ahead.
Another welcome feature on our Akera was the rotary dial on the centre console for navigating the screen, rather than a fiddly touch screen which is invariably distracting to operate on the move.
The screen itself is relatively small still and there’s no whiz-bang adjustable digital readout in front of the driver, as you get on the Volkswagen Tiguan and Peugeot 5008.
The Akera’s head-up display is one of the best in the business, though, displaying a wealth of information on the windscreen. The speed and prevailing speed limit are displayed, as are the satnav turn instructions. When something is in your blind spot, or you’re too close to the vehicle in front, a warning is displayed.
The Akera’s safety arsenal is the equal of, or better than, most luxury brands.
Features include lane departure warning with steering assistance, radar cruise control, auto high-beam dipping, driver attention alert and rear cross traffic alert with braking.
ON THE ROAD
The new turbo engine doesn’t transform the CX-5 into a rocketship, but there’s lively response off the mark and you can feel there’s plenty of grunt in reserve when you ask it to overtake at freeway speeds. The existing CX-5 engines are impressively frugal and will do the job for most owners, but the torque-laden turbo is a better option for those who regularly have a full crew on board and like to tow a boat or jetski.
The turbo also allows you to take better advantage of the Mazda’s sharp steering and above average cornering ability. Flick it into sport mode and the intuitive auto instinctively downshifts when you brake, picking the right gear to give you optimum drive out of corners,. It’s not perfect, though.
Mazda says it has made further tweaks to the suspension and steering aimed at improving feedback and soaking up bumps better, but it still can’t match the plush feel of some rivals over bumps, corrugations and road joins.
The culprit could be the low profile 19-inch wheels on the Akera. They look great, but the skinny rubber doesn’t always adequately insulate the occupants from imperfections in the road surface. MAZDA CX-5 AKERA TURBO 8.2L/100km (okay) space saver (not ideal) 442L (generous)