Mazda CX 5

The Mazda CX-5 is a compact/small-family crossover SUV produced by Mazda starting in 2012 for the 2013 model year lineup. It is Mazda's first car featuring the new KODO - Soul of Motion Design language first shown in the Shinari concept vehicle in May 2010.It is also the first vehicle featuring the company's full Skyactiv Technology suite, featuring a rigid, lightweight platform, combined with a new series of efficient engines and transmissions resulting in reduced emissions and fuel consumption. The Skyactiv Engine and Transmission Technologies were released in the 2012 Mazda3 compact sedan and hatchback.


It's the comfort and refinement that are most obvious. Mazda has used a new insulation material in the construction, and it gives the CX-5 a similarly hushed, isolated cabin to the best German execs.

It just feels very mature to drive, and Mazda - matched only by Ford in the mainstream sector - does dynamics better than just about anyone else. The bigger-wheeled Sport is taut and agile around corners, steers nicely and maintains momentum. The ride might be a fraction stiffer, but all CX-5s have an easy-going, relaxed feel ideal for family life.

Performance is the main reason to choose the 2013 Mazda CX-5. The CX-5’s handling, which reviewers say runs a close second to the small and sporty Mazda MX-5 Miata, is as good as it gets in this class. The CX-5 earns praise for its neutral handling and great corner-hugging ability. Test drivers like the CX-5’s six-speed manual transmission just as much, saying it shifts smoothly and makes the CX-5 really engaging to drive. One thing reviewers crave is more power from the Mazda CX-5’s 155-horsepower four-cylinder engine because a boost would come in handy when traveling uphill.


The Mazda CX-5 has one primary competitor, and that’s the Volkswagen Tiguan. Like the CX-5, the Tiguan is one of the sportiest, most nimble compact SUVs, and it’s also more powerful than the CX-5, thanks to its 200-horsepower four-cylinder engine. Think twice before choosing the Tiguan if fuel efficiency and affordability are your main concerns because it has lower fuel economy ratings and costs several thousand dollars more than the Mazda CX-5.

This is a good car, a fine family SUV that will serve you well, if unremarkably. It's on sale from 18 May, and its arrival signals the phasing out of the larger CX-7, like the 2 supermini, one of Mazda's underrated, underappreciated cars. Let's hope the CX-5 avoids the same fate. It deserves to.