Popular mid-size SUV marks 10 years on sale in Australia with a minor overhaul
The Mazda CX-5 was once Australia’s top-selling mid-size SUV and now it’s come in for a tickle-up. Deep into its second generation yet still Mazda Australia’s best-seller (and the nation’s favourite medium SUV after the Toyota RAV4), the CX-5 is now available across six model grades and 12 variants with the choice of four engines, two transmissions and front- and all-wheel drive. Almost miraculously given the current state of things, pricing has gone up incrementally and not exponentially. That reflects the level of change, which is focussed on the details and certainly not extensive.
Happy anniversary
The 2022 Mazda CX-5 marks the 10th anniversary of the five-seat medium SUV’s launch. It’s been a huge success, selling 3.5 million units globally and more than 235,000 examples in Australia.
Now well into the second generation, which first appeared here in 2017, Mazda is rolling out the latest in a series of minor updates that essentially come annually.
To be frank it’s no big deal, but Mazda needs to keep the improvements flowing and the profile up as it fights the Toyota RAV4 for sales supremacy and impressive new rivals keep coming, like the latest Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage.
Of course, the battle only gets tougher as the CX-5 is entering its dotage. An all-new generation is due within a couple of years.
So for 2022 the Australian CX-5 range drops from 16 to 12 models, the GT badge is axed (GT SP continues) and there’s a new adventure-oriented Active derivative added at the Touring level.
There continues to be four engine choices; 2.0- and 2.5-litre naturally-aspirated, 2.5-ltre turbo-petrol and 2.2-litre turbo-diesel. A six-speed manual transmission is available with the entry-level 2.0-litre Maxx, but the vast bulk of sales are accounted for by the six-speed auto. Two-thirds of buyers also opt for all-wheel drive rather than front-wheel drive
Pricing goes up between $800 and $1100. The range kicks off with the $32,190 Maxx 2.0 manual and tops out with the new $53,680 Akera 2.5-litre turbo-diesel. All pricing is plus on-road costs.
The volume-selling Maxx Sport 2.5-litre front-drive auto we’re testing here starts at $37,990. This model was previously powered by the 2.0-litre engine.
The key updates across the 2022 range start with a revised front-end look that includes LED headlights with oblong lamps and integrated foglights (previously separate), a 3D look for the grille opening and a reshaped underside wing and bumper. There’s also a new bumper at the rear.
Inside, all models now have a head-up display that includes a digital speedo, a 7.0-inch digital display in the analogue speedo and uprated S-shaped front seats that were first seen in the latest Mazda3.
From Touring upwards – which means the Maxx Sport misses out – the CX-5 also now gets wireless smartphone charging, while the GT SP and Akera add a power tailgate.
There are safety and tech changes as well, which we’ll get into further along.
Already-standard Maxx Sport equipment includes dual-zone climate control, cloth seat trim, leather-wrapping for the gearshift knob and steering wheel, an 8.0-inch infotainment screen (only touch when stationary), sat-nav, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto wired connection, six-speaker audio, AM/FM and digital radio and USB connection front and rear. A temporary spare tyre sits under the rear floor.
The CX-5 range is protected by a five-year/unlimited-km warranty. Service intervals are a 12 months or a short 10,000km. The first five services will cost $1715 according to Mazda’s helpful calculator on its website.
Little change
The 2022 Mazda CX-5 range is well protected when it comes to safety equipment. In fact, there’s very little change here compared to previous iterations.
The new HUD and LED headlights across all models are positive initiatives, while the Maxx Sport adds traffic sign recognition and the GT Sport and Akera get a cruising and traffic support function that assists accelerator, brake and steering functions up to 60km/h, sets a proper trailing distance when following a vehicle ahead in heavy traffic and supplements steering torque to help maintain lane position.
The Akera alone gets new adaptive LED headlights with 20 segments – up from 12 – that can be independently lit or extinguished.
Key CX-5 safety equipment standard across the range includes front, side and curtain airbags, and autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian (day and night) and cyclist (day) detection that operates in a speed range between 15-160km/h.
There’s also blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning, lane keep assist (easily deactivated by a dashboard button), rear cross traffic alert, driver attention alert, a reversing camera and rear parking sensors. The Maxx and Maxx Sport miss out on front parking sensors.
The CX-5 comes with outboard Isofix mounting points in row two and three top-tethers on the seatback.
It gets a five-star ANCAP safety rating based on 2017 protocols.
As you were
The 2022 Mazda CX-5 is very much as you were when it comes to technical story. At its core is a monocoque frame underpinned by MacPherson strut front- and multi-link rear suspension, electric assist steering and disc brakes all-round.
Mazda says the CX-5’s body is now more rigid and better damped, lowering noise, vibration and harshness levels. The suspension dampers, springs and stabilisers have been retuned in search of better ride and handling. Petrol-powered CX-5s have a new steering vibration counter-measures.
The engines are entirely unchanged in terms of power, torque and fuel consumption. The 2.5-litre we’re focussed on here produces 140kW at 6000rpm and 252Nm at 4000rpm.
With the aid of cylinder deactivation, the fuel consumption claim is 7.2L/100km (on 91 RON or higher) for the front-wheel drive auto combo. The driver is now advised the deactivation system is operating via a new display.
A new transmission and throttle map adjuster called Mi-Drive, accessed via a switch on the centre console, has normal, sport, tow and off-road modes, the later only available with AWD models. The auto is also claimed to be more responsive and refined.
Other key features of the CX-5 remain as before; the torque vectoring G-Vectoring Control Plus cornering aid, the on-demand i-Activ all-wheel drive system and the off-road traffic assist function introduced in 2020 that locks the rear diff to aid progress on gnarlier surfaces.
The Maxx Sport rolls on 17-inch alloys and 225/65R17 rubber (Yokohama Geolandars in the case of the test car). GT Sport and Akera employ lower-profile rubber and 19-inch alloys.
Compared to the measurements the second-gen CX-5 debuted with in 2017, the 2022 version has very minor variations. There’s a couple of litres less luggage space at 438/1340 litres and it’s slightly longer at 4575mm, slightly wider at 1845mm and the same 1675mm height for most models. The 2700mm wheelbase is identical.
Kerb weights are up between 10 and 20kg in a range that weighs between 1521kg and 1765kg. Braked towing capacity is 1800kg.
Similar yet different
For all the similarities to its predecessors, there is something distinctly different about the 2022 Mazda CX-5 when you settle into the new driver’s seat. The seat itself.
While it has manual height adjustment, it couldn’t be adjusted as low as I wanted. And I wasn’t the only person to comment on this during the launch. The lack of side bolstering – especially for the base – means there’s also a tendency for you to roll around a bit in corners.
On the positive side the seat was noticeably plush and comfy, like a nicely worn-in sofa. This also applied to the Nappa leather version in the top-spec Akera. The reach and rake adjustability of the steering column helped find a decent driving position.
The luxury version’s seatback also seemed bulkier than the cloth version in Maxx Sport, which meant it impinged on more rear-seat kneeroom. Neither was especially generous in this regard. There are more spacious mid-size SUVs – Tucson for one – when it comes to carrying lankier people in the back.
The CX-5 does cater to its occupants well in terms of interior storage opportunities, while the boot is not the biggest in class but does have a lowerable floor that can eke out slightly more room.
The driver gets the freshest experience of anyone thanks to the new HUD and digital readout in the middle of the three-dial analogue instrument pod. These are positive improvements, although they can’t disguise the familiarity and age of the overall design.
The infotainment screen is small and only acts as a touch-screen when the vehicle is stationary. On the move it’s controlled by a dial and buttons. Look, it works, but next-generation big screens are far more impressive and sophisticated. GT Sport and Akera get a bigger screen and eschew the touch function altogether.
But while it seems a bit aged in places, the interior of the CX-5 Maxx Sport is built to a high perceived quality standard, uses decent materials and appears well bolted together. To this day, no-one does a better job of assembling affordable vehicles than the Japanese.
Speaking from personal experience based on the ownership of multiple Mazdas, your chances of buying an utter lemon are lower than many other brands.
And so to the driving. The Maxx Sport lives up to its pricing and specification by pretty much nailing what a mid-size family-oriented SUV should be all about.
Its powertrain is capable without being fiery or excessively thirsty (from 9-10L/100km in the real world). It pulls cleanly and willingly and not too noisily even with a few revs onboard. And they are required for overtakes, hill climbs and just getting on with the cut and thrust of urban motoring.
Sport mode dials up the transmission’s responsiveness, although it always stays in the background. Flappy paddles are the ultimate go-to for engine response.
If you want a lazier, easier level of power and performance then opt for one of the diesels and pay at least an extra $7690 for the privilege (the cheapest turbo is the $45,680 Touring Active diesel).
The Sport Maxx’s ride and handling runs that typical Mazda balancing act that delivers a slightly too firm set-up at low speed in return for better body control in corners on the open road. The steering becomes lighter, less rubbery and more accurate once you turn off lane assist and its artificial resistance.
All up, it’s a dynamic combination comfortably lived with once you adjust, delivering confidence to your driving experience.
Certainly, it’s a better compromise than the Akera on its 19s, which banged and crashed across laterals and sharp-edged bumps and holes uncomfortably at low speeds. It settled down as speeds rose but continued to be busy. The lower-priced CX-5 is definitely the nicer car to travel in.
The MaxxSport verdict
To be frank, there is not a lot new going on with the 2022 Mazda CX-5. When the press kit devotes space to the movement of the seat heater buttons from the door to the centre console that becomes obvious.
But what has been done is worthwhile because there are some small improvements and it doesn’t change the fundamental worth of the car or its competitiveness in the mid-size SUV segment.
The CX-5 Maxx Sport emphasises that worth. At a time when new-vehicle prices are routinely spiralling upwards by thousands of dollars, it is still affordable, that bit better equipped and remains a sensibly enjoyable Mazda drive.
How much does the 2022 Mazda CX-5 Maxx Sport cost?Price: $37,990 (plus on-road costs)Available: NowEngine: 2.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol mild-hybridOutput: 140kW/252NmTransmission: Six-speed automaticFuel: 7.2L/100km (ADR combined)CO2: 167g/100km (ADR combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2017)
Keyword: Mazda CX-5 2022 Review