Twist of LIME
A more rugged Activ model heads up Mazda’s revised CX-5 range
You might be aware that Mazda has a bunch of new electrified SUVs on the way.
If you are, you might also be a bit confused about where they will all fit in.
There’s a CX-50 that has been designed for the US market, so don’t worry about that. There are also CX-60, CX-70, CX-80 and CX90 models coming, with a range of mild-hybrid and plug-in powertrains, which are more relevant for New Zealand. That’s a lot to take in, although perhaps appropriate for a company that claims to have a “multi-solution” strategy to future technology.
For the record, Mazda NZ has confirmed it will definitely kick off this new generation with the CX60 and yes, it will come as a PlugIn Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV), although not until mid-2023.
For now, the company is going great guns with the existing CX5. It was a top-three SUV in the country for March, which also happened to the biggest month for the model in its decade-long Kiwi history.
Now there’s a new model — the first major change since 2017. Well, a mild facelift is more like it, but it does bring a new version called the Activ, complete with bright green trim and extra offtarmac credentials.
Activ sits bang in the middle of
the CX-5 lineup, above the GSX (currently the most popular CX-5 variant) and below the Limited.
You’ll know it by the lime green accents on the grille and interior.
Activ comes only with the midrange naturally aspirated 2.5-litre petrol four, and only with AWD. Mazda’s renamed “Mi-Drive” drive-mode switch gets the standard Normal and Sport settings, but gains an extra Off Road option in the Activ, recalibrating powertrain and traction systems for off-tarmac use. For example, the stop-start system is disabled, there’s constant drive to the rear wheels above 40km/h and the braking system really clamps down on wheelspin to keep the car moving in the rough.
It’s actually the same AWD setup that’s fitted to the (smaller) US-market CX-50, which was conceived as a more off-roadoriented Mazda SUV. So while the company is still not making any great claim of turning the CX-5 into a true mud- plugger, it says the new Off Road mode does bring tangible benefits to the Activ in low-traction conditions. It also brings a dirty brown graphic backdrop to the instrument panel, which is kind of cool.
All CX-5s get a new face, with a reshaped grille and bumper. There’s a new tailgate at the rear (the only truly new sheet metal for the 2022 model) and there have been subtle changes to some of the exterior trim and detailing.
A 115kW/200Nm 2.0-litre engine still powers the entry GLX and GSX models, the 140kW252Nm 2.5-litre serves in the GSX, Active and Limited AWD variants and Mazda is still offering the higher-powered 170kW/ 420Nm 2.5-litre turbo in the sportsthemed SP25T and flagship Takami.
What you won’t find is a diesel option. Excellent though it was, it’s been a slow seller (less than 10 per cent of volume in the mainstream GSX) and has been discontinued for NZ. That’s not a Clean Carrelated decision, by the way: the diesel would have been in the nofine zero-band had it continued.
Something for the trainspotters: the SP25T is the only model other than Activ to get those flecks of colour on the grille, in red for this model (although the shapes are still there on other models, just invisible in black). And the Takami is the only model other than Activ to get the Off Road mode in its Mi-Drive controller.
There’s been some minor magic worked underneath across the range, with relocated suspension components and extra structural adhesive intended to improve refinement and suppress noise, vibration and harshness (NVH). The G- Vectoring Control system (which imperceptibly modulates the throttle in corners to reduce pitch and roll) has also been further improved.
We had the briefest of drives during Mazda NZ’s media launch event in Auckland in both the Activ and SP25T, but first impressions suggest the new CX-5 is one of the quietest, most driver-oriented medium SUVs around. If it wasn’t already.