Derv with verve
Frederic Manby.is seduced by the pulling power of some old diesel magic as he takes to trails in the Dales and the motorway fast lane in a Mazda CX-5 Takumi Auto Diesel SUV.
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’s 1970 ode to MercedesBenz, almost everybody I know is crazy about an SUV, something that didn’t exist in its modern idiom until the 1984 Jeep Cherokee. Now they are in every street.
A sports utility vehicle fits our lives, from country trails through the Dales to the fast lane on the motorway. SUV is a broad brush word and they can be soft or rugged. The nation'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.
Last year we bought more than 43,000 of these popular Nissans from Sunderland, that’s 13,000 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 for the ubiquitous Nissan. It is also an elite alternative to the big-selling Kia Sportage and Hyundai Tucson, which each exceeded total Mazda total UK sales.
Into the SUV foray, you can add Volvo’s XC40, Ford’s Kuga, a variety from Volkswagen, Seat and Skoda and then entry versions from Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz which overlap with the pricier versions of the CX-5.
Mazda had a good year, with sales up by 21 per cent, 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. 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 slowed but still rose by nearly 18 per cent last year, though market share only held steady at 16.5 per cent. The Government wants it to be 22 per cent this year.
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-wheeldrive and, you might say, is all that some drivers still desire.
UK sales of new diesel cars fell by 13.8 per cent last year. We bought 71,500. Another 70,933 had slightly cleaner mild electric hybrid assistance, taking the total of of new cars with diesel engines to more than 142,000. In contrast, the number of petrol and mild hybrid petrol cars increased to more than 1.06 million. Sales of pure battery cars also increased, to nudge 315,000 – still a long way south of industry ambitions.
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-wheel-drive, 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 181.5bhp 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. It is a serious car for the connoisseur of Japanese designs.
The CX-5 takes one in four of Mazda’s UK sales. It had a refresh last 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 cut-off 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 two-ton towing power and maybe that old diesel magic that you know so well. Its torque of 328 lb ft
'The experience was splendid, with a growl from the engine as it gains speed. On a lighter throttle, it cruises quietly enough.'
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 auto was a bit thirsty. The overall figure for 380 miles was 37mpg. The experience was splendid, with a 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. It is beautiful inside as well. By the Takumi stage, you get dark brown Nappa leather to sit on, and fillets of matching dark brown wood on the dashboard and doors.
The rear seats have useful release triggers inside the tailgate and so fold flat with one touch. Back passengers have two standard USB ports in the central arm rest 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.