New Mazda CX-5 on sale now: prices, specs and full details
The Mazda CX-5 is powered by the brand’s latest mild-hybrid petrol engine and starts from just £31,550
Following its reveal in Autumn last year, the new Mazda CX-5 is now on sale with prices starting from £31,550. This latest generation of Mazda’s biggest seller features a somewhat familiar design, but boasts a completely new interior and mild-hybrid petrol power.
As before, the CX-5 is the Japanese firm’s competitor into the ever-popular family SUV segment. Here, it goes up against competition from the likes of the Nissan Qashqai, Kia Sportage, Hyundai Tucson and Ford Kuga. Unlike those cars, no full or plug-in hybrid version of the CX-5 will be offered at launch, and there are no plans for an EV version, either; Mazda will instead tackle the electric family SUV market with the forthcoming CX-6e.
New Mazda CX-5 pricing and specs
The Mazda CX-5 is available in four trim levels: Prime-Line, Centre-Line, Exclusive-Line and Homura. Starting at £31,550, the entry-spec Prime-Line gets all the basics including 17-inch dark-coloured alloy wheels, a 12.9-inch touchscreen with built-in Google Maps and wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, dual-zone climate control, adaptive cruise control and a reversing camera.
Stepping up to Centre-Line will set you back an extra £2,500, but appears to be well worth it. This adds larger 19-inch diamond-cut alloys, heated artificial leather seats (Prime-Line cars get cloth upholstery), a heated steering wheel, an electric driver’s seat, a head-up display, a wireless phone charger, tinted rear windows and a powered bootlid. Smartphone connectivity in Centre-Line cars and above is wireless, too.
Exclusive-Line is priced from £36,550 and adds an electric front passenger seat, heated rear seats, a 360-degree parking camera system, a panoramic sunroof, a Bose sound system and the option for two-tone leather upholstery.
Finally, the Homura tops the range, starting from £38,950 and setting itself apart with black wheels, gloss-black wheelarch cladding and black leather seats with ventilation for front passengers. It also benefits from adaptive LED headlights, interior ambient lighting, a hands-free powered bootlid and, perhaps most importantly, a larger 15.6-inch central touchscreen.
At launch, all versions of the Mazda CX-5 come with the same 2.5-litre Skyactiv G petrol engine. Producing 140bhp and boasting mild-hybrid assistance, this comes as standard with front-wheel drive. However, Exclusive-Line and Homura models can be specified with four-wheel drive for just over £1,600. Regardless of which you pick, all models come with a six-speed automatic transmission.
New Mazda CX-5 design and interior
At first glance it’s at the front where the new CX-5 is most distinctive from the other models in Mazda’s current UK line-up. New vertical headlight arrangements mean this family car looks rather more aggressive than its predecessor. Clearly drawing some inspiration from the incoming 6e saloon, the two clusters are connected at the bottom of the grille by a single strip of matching clear plastic, but while this is faintly resemblant of a lightbar, it doesn’t function as such.
Elsewhere, there are only a few other notable changes from the previous model’s appearance, representing an evolution of Mazda’s ‘Kodo’ design language. This recognisable approach is very much intentional, because Christian Schulze, Mazda’s director of research and operations, claims, “The [CX-5’s] loyalty rate has been very high, and people who buy a Mazda really come into the brand”. It’s because of this apparent loyalty that Mazda’s engineers are keen to preserve a sense of familiarity.
Moving towards the back, a set of twin exhaust pipes add a bit of sporting flavour to this family-focused SUV, while redesigned tail-light clusters share some resemblance to those found on the posh Mazda CX-80. Mazda has also done away with a tailgate emblem in favour of displaying its name in typeface form – we’ve seen this on recent models from Skoda, Lexus and Tesla as well, so it’s clearly becoming a bit of a trend.
This eradication of logos continues inside the new CX-5, where the steering wheel also proudly displays the word ‘Mazda’ in the middle. There’s another removal that could prove a lot more controversial: physical switchgear. The vast majority of functions (including the climate controls) are now operated via the touchscreen, and while there are steering-wheel controls, these are made up of panels rather than individual buttons. This rather drastic reduction of traditional controls makes the CX-5 one the most minimalist Mazdas we’ve seen to date.
There are two sizes of touchscreens on offer, depending on your chosen trim level. Both systems use Mazda’s latest software, which has been developed in conjunction with Google.
New Mazda CX-5 powertrain and performance
Mazda has been on a bit of a rebellious streak lately when it comes to powertrains. With a 3.3-litre six-cylinder diesel and even a rotary engine on its books, the brand’s line-up is very different to many of its rivals’. But with the fully electric Mazda MX-30 no longer offered in the UK, British buyers will need to wait until the 6e arrives later this year before being able to buy an electric Mazda.
Rumour had it that the firm would offer the new CX-5 with full-hybrid or even plug-in hybrid tech, but at launch all models are powered by the latest 140bhp 2.5-litre Skyactiv G engine. This is a naturally-aspirated petrol unit that’s accompanied by mild-hybrid technology in order to boost fuel economy.
How effective is that mild-hybrid system? Well, the CX-5’s efficiency is nothing to write home about; front-wheel-drive cars are claimed to average 40.4mpg and emit between 157 and 159g of CO2/km, whereas 4x4s return between 37.7-38.2mpg and 168-169g CO2/km. It’s not all that fast a car, either, with 0-62mph taking 10.5 and 10.9 seconds for each model respectively.
So will we see a full-hybrid, plug-in hybrid or even a zero-emission CX-5 down the line? The incoming Mazda CX-6e will slot in as the maker’s mid-size electric SUV when it arrives in 2027, but Schulze did say that “we have two evolution steps for this engine, and one will come a year after launch to ensure Euro 7 compliance.
“One year later we will have another evolution which will be combined with a full-hybrid system made by Mazda,” he said. It would appear that an EV or PHEV variant is unlikely, then, even though the latter is an option in the larger CX-60 and CX-80 models.
New Mazda CX-5 safety and practicality
As is often the case with new cars, the incoming Mazda CX-5 is a bit larger than the old one. Specifically, it’s 115mm longer, 15mm wider and 30mm taller. Fortunately, this additional bulk means there is a respectable amount of head and legroom in both the front and rear, even for taller occupants. For those who need to fit a car seat, the rear doors have also been designed to open wider than before.
Boot capacity has increased, too, up to 583 litres with all five seats in place. This is significantly larger than the Nissan Qashqai’s 479 litres, and it even outshines the Skoda Karoq’s 521 litres. In short, the CX-5 is set to boast one of the biggest boots in its class. Mazda has also lowered the loading lip, which is especially useful for lugging heavier cargo.
Both the first and second-generation Mazda CX-5s managed to achieve a full five-star Euro NCAP safety rating, so the pressure is on the incoming model to maintain this record. NCAP’s testing regime is now tougher than ever, though, so the new car is fitted with the manufacturer’s latest advanced safety tech. However, some of these features, such as the 360-degree camera, only come on top-spec cars.
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