UK Drive: Mazda CX-5 is an excellent petrol SUV for the here and now

What is it?

It’s little wonder then that the Japanese carmaker has shifted more than four million CX-5s, and the car has become the maker’s top-seller in pretty much every major market. As a result, the stakes are high for this third-generation model, and this is our first drive of it on UK soil.

What’s new?

It still looks like a CX-5, with Mazda favouring an evolutionary styling approach, and the car still shuns plug-in hybrid or pure-electric technology.

What’s under the bonnet?

But that’s now changed with Mazda simplifying things to just one engine. It’s a 2.5-litre, four-cylinder mild-hybrid petrol, as already found in the Mazda 3 hatchback and CX-30 SUV, with a reasonable output of 139bhp and 235Nm of torque. Unlike those smaller models, though, the CX-5’s engine is only paired with a six-speed automatic, but it does come with a choice of front- or all-wheel drive. Meanwhile, Mazda claims fuel economy of between 38 and 40mpg, which is nothing special.

And that’s your lot – no plug-in hybrids or a pure-electric version as Mazda feels that, in the here and now at least, the family SUV market is still predominantly petrol-biased. The forthcoming CX-6e is expected to fulfil the role of the electric SUV in Mazda’s line-up.

What’s it like to drive?

The sole engine is a fine performer, but only as long as you don’t ask too much from it. Drive with enthusiasm and the engine gets a little vocal, with the gearbox feeling a little flustered in its changes. But in more normal driving, you can make pretty decent progress, and the whole car seems remarkably hushed and refined.

How does it look?

Cleverly, the new car is 115mm longer, 30mm taller and 15mm wider than before, but it doesn’t look like it.

What’s it like inside?

The interior design is a sharp departure from the previous model, though, and from the rest of the current Mazda range, for that matter. Mazda has followed other carmakers and reduced clutter, which means there’s a large touchscreen in the centre of the dashboard, next to no buttons to control things like the climate control, and a large digital display for the dials. Happily, the Google-powered infotainment screen works well, but it’s a disappointing change from the smaller, within-eye-line screen of the earlier car that was controlled with a rotary knob. Interior quality is still high, however, especially compared to the class norms.

The standard interior is black, and it can look a little too sombre, but other models are available with white and tan options that really help brighten the mood.

What’s the spec like?

Only the Exclusive-Line and Homura can be optioned with all-wheel drive, which adds £2,000 to the price.

Verdict

With this generation boasting improvements to things that matter the most to family buyers, such as interior space, practicality and refinement, there’s little reason to see why Mazda won’t continue to see strong sales with the CX-5 – and that’s before you remember the fact that it’s probably still the most enjoyable family SUV to drive.