Mazda’s CX-5 SUV deserves to be top of the list

By Gerry Murphy

A couple of week ago I reviewed the Mazda CX-3 and was impressed. This week it is the turn of its bigger sibling, the CX-5. That raised my expectation for the CX-5 and like you have an image of a city before you visit it, there was a certain criterion expected from the car. Would it live up to that standard?

As the market for this type of vehicle continues to grow, the choice is vast and one after another the car companies are battling to attract buyers into their compact SUVs. The CX-5 is direct competition with the Ford Kuga, the Toyota RAV4, Hyundai’s iX35 (which will become the Tucson when the new version arrives later this year), the Kia Sportage, Honda CR-v and the Volkswagen Tiguan.

While it is one of the growing batch of SUVs, it is sometimes forgotten but, in my view it should be right up there at the top of everyone’s hit list as one of the best of the breed.

Quite simply, Mazda’s CX-5, considering it’s an SUV, is a driver’s delight and that’s what makes it stand out from the rest. It may not be quite as plush as a few of the competition, but it is excellent on the road, has a vast array of goodies and looks the part too.

From the outside, Mazda designers have created one of the most impressive SUVs on the market with a combination of car-like styling and enough beefiness to give you a car that will adorn the driveway of any home and turn heads as you pass by.

Inside, the furnishings are now classy and functional offering the comfort levels and the driving position to suit any frame. Highlights include one of the best steering set-ups in the sector. It fits perfectly in the hand, is a lovely size and responds to the driver’s touch in all circumstances. The seating is a mixture of comfort and sturdiness that holds the driver and passengers in position no matter how vigorously you drive it.

That is the real bonus you get from the CX-5 compared to some of the opposition. Some cars like this do present problems when driven around roundabout and on twisty roads. It handles and corners with the surefootedness of a regular car and that makes it one of the best in the class to drive. I can’t emphasise how important this is. Too often you find yourself in a fight with an SUV to keep it on track. This is not the case with the CX-5.

My test model was the Mazda CX-5 2.2-litre SkyactivD manual AWD. Mazda CX-5 2.2-litre SkyactivD, four-wheel drive, six-speed manual transmission. Priced at €31,995 as tested but you can have the 2WD version for a starting price of €27,995. CO2 emissions come in at 136g/km putting it into Band B2 with an annual road tax bill of €280 Mazda claim it is capable of a combined fuel economy of 5.2 litres/100km. I managed 6.7 over an extended weekly distance of over 1,500 kilometres.

That is a lot of territory in one week and not likely to be matched by the average motorist. However, there was hardly a moment when the Mazda didn’t live up to the expectations that I had before taking it for the weekly test. I did have high expectations given the performance of the CX-3 a couple of weeks earlier. But, like New York, Venice or Vienna, the Mazda CX-5 surpassed those expectations by quite a distance.

Specification:

Make:   Mazda

Model: CX-5

Engine: 2.2 SkyactivD

Achieved Fuel

Consumption:   6.9L/100kms

CO2 Emissions:  136g/km

Annual Road Tax:  €290

Price: €31,995

Gerry’s Rating:  9/10