Mazda gets Activ(e)
New CX5 model expands mid-size SUV range
Mazda’s CX5 Activ is the latest addition to its CX5 range and the latest entrant in an intensely heated market segment.
It also follows an emerging trend of sport/activity-focussed medium SUV fit-outs from most of the big name-plate manufacturers.
For Mazda, the Activ version slots in above the GSX. Key numbers tell the story: it is dimensionally similar to its major rivals at 4.575m long with a track of almost 1.6 metres within an overall width of 1.854m. Its doors open on seats that are nicely at hip-height and yet it has a full 200mm of ground clearance and a turning circle of 11.0m.
It stands out from the rest of the CX5 range thanks to model-specific alloy wheels and cool green trim highlights inside and out including grille inserts and the dash airvents.
The Activ launches at $50,990 and features Mazda’s AWD/2.5-litre/six-speed transmission drivetrain. The Skyactiv-G engine is normally aspirated and is under-square – bore 89.0mm by stroke of 101mm making for an emphasis on torque rather than outright power. It produces a pretty reasonable 140kW at 6,000rpm but the torque number is key: Activ makes 252Nm at 4,000rpm and it will run on 91 octane fuel.
One note for the even more active user: available two steps up the range is an SP25T version that almost doubles that: 420Nm at just 2,000 rpm. Towing? Sounds like the turbo is the best choice, giving down-low grunt to tow 750kg unbraked or 1,800kg braked. With added power comes added price though: the SP25T is almost $12,000 more expensive.
Might be fun to test them back-to-back, though of course anyone properly serious about doing a lot of towing would also be looking across at Mazda’s BT50 ute workhorse.
Fuel economy? Hmmm. The Activ has Mazda’s i-stop function to reduce overall fuel use and the official figure is 8.2l/100km; we didn’t manage to get the numbers to dive under 9.0, though as always we weren’t really doing anything especially economical and the weather was pretty ordinary so aircon, lights, wipers were all getting a hammering.
The Activ’s off-road or rough road skills are managed by in the new(ish) Mazda Intelligent Drive Select (Mi-Drive) and its user-selectable Sport/Off-road driving modes which enable the driver to choose the most appropriate drive mode with one touch of a switch.
A key selling point over rivals is that automatic transmission, which is a ‘real’ one; Mazda continuing to focus on ever more intelligent automatics while others tend to use continuously variable transmissions. Those who need to tow a trailer-load of garden supplies or a pop-up camper will understand the thinking behind this.
The Activ ramps up tech and spec over
the GSX, and adds the previously mentioned lime green exterior and interior highlights and contrast stitching. A refreshing change to shouty orange or red stitching.
As always, Mazda is deeply focussed on driver, passenger and road user safety, building the Activ on a comprehensive suite of safety and driver assists as standard: autonomous emergency braking, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, radar cruise control, a simple tyre pressure monitoring system and gentle lane keep assist across the range.
The lane keep assist function is worth a mention – unlike other “hand of God’ versions of this tech, Mazda’s is a gentle and subtle pressure through the wheel to alert the driver to their wandering. A wee orange steering wheel graphic pops up on the dash to direct the driver’s attention back to the task at hand.
Everything from the GSX and above also gets driver attention monitoring, rear autonomous emergency braking and traffic sign recognition.
Infotainment is of course not ignored. A six-speaker audio system is accessed through a 10.25-inch screen. Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and navigation are all standard.
A leather steering wheel with paddle shift option complements Maztex/Grand Luxe synthetic suede seats and overall the interior is pleasingly uncluttered, instruments informative without overdoing the lights and gewgaws.
The two-piece, reversible load space floorboard and the tailgate sill are on the same level to aid loading or can be lowered for extra cargo space. The Activ model also features a floorboard with a water-resistant side for wet or dirty items.
We had the CX5 in a week that punished us with the worst and tantalised us with the best of Auckland’s always-fickle weather.
On a rainy Auckland afternoon, we were a bit stuck for somewhere ‘off-roady’
to take the Activ for photography – but then it dawned on us: this one’s not about off-road, it’s about being very good at so many things New Zealanders do every week.
Those 19-inch alloys and their Toyo Proxes tyres are not only well proportioned and sit nicely in the CX5’s wheel-arches, they are what is required by most users in most situations. With such good ground clearance and with approach and departure angles that match most rivals, the CX5 is more ‘rough road’ than hard-out off-road. Its AWD transmission works so well on slimy muddy intersections that it is also a sure winner on ski-field access roads right up to the time that chains become mandatory.
We ended up heading west to the Manukau, hoping to catch a break in the clouds, and explored the edge of the harbour just short of Waiau Pa. Remarkably, we wandered into some kind of CX5 Twilight Zone. In the space of a half hour of motoring around Seagrove and environs, we saw no less than 12 other CX5s. It’s very ‘horsey’ country out there so we did see a couple of BMWs and a Porsche Cayenne as well. But it was the CX5 that was doing all the work, and doing it without fuss.
Verdict: those who need a medium (compact?) SUV but who want to stand to one side of the masses would do well to have a closer look at the CX5 Activ. Comfortably among the best mid-size SUVs in its price range.