Mazda CX-5 Maxx Sport diesel 2015 review

When it first arrived in Australia in 2011 the Mazda CX-5 was praised for its styling and general liveability as a crossover wagon, but we weren't impressed by the performance of the only engine on offer at the time. Quoting the Mazda marketing slogan we said the petrol unit was more 'Zoom' than 'Zoom-Zoom' in the way it performed.

That criticism was answered a few months later when Mazda offered the CX-5 with the option of a turbodiesel - we soon announced the Zoom-Zoom was back. So in the interest of our motoring enjoyment we recently re-tested a CX-5 for a week, and again came away impressed

Interestingly, the diesel powered Mazda CX-5 is being promoted as a performance unit rather than an economy one.

Design

Explore the 2015 Mazda CX-5 range

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• Mazda CX-5 Maxx Sport 2015 review

To our eyes, Mazda's Kodo styling theme with its big grille, long bonnet and deeply sculpted sides works even better in the CX-5 than in the rest of the range. We love it

Engine / Transmission

The Mazda SkyActiv turbodiesel fitted to the CX-5 puts out an impressive 420Nm and 129kW.

It sits beside a six-speed automatic transmission and drives all four wheels, unlike the petrol which comes with the choice of front-wheel or all-wheel drive.

Features

A premium nine-speaker Bose surround sound system was specifically designed for the CX-5. There are USB and Bluetooth inputs as well as iPod playback which includes on-screen music information and Aux jack as standard.

We didn't particularly like the TomTom satnav system in the CX-5 as its graphics didn't match the quality of rest of the interior.

Safety

Every model across the Mazda CX-5 range comes standard with six airbags, Dynamic Stability Control, ABS brakes, Emergency Brake Assist and Electronic Brake Force Distribution.

Mazda Australia is proud of the fact that the CX-5 came with the option of an impressive list of safety firsts in its class; these included lane departure warning and automatic high beam control available.

Driving

This is a comfortable five-seater if those in the back aren't overly large, though as is usual in this class two adults and three youngsters is a more sensible way of doing it.

Mazda CX-5 has a three-piece 40:20:40 fold-down rear seats to let you juggle luggage and passenger loads. A luggage cover keeps 403 litres of cargo out of sight. The luggage area can be as voluminous as 1560 litres with the rear seats folded.

A low lift gate and large boot opening make for easy loading.

The diesel isn't noisy at start up as are many other four-cylinder diesels. And the sounds that did find their way out from under that shapely bonnet were unlike any other diesel - or petrol for that matter. The engine has a low pitched note that's easy on the ear and a far cry from many of the clattery diesels of old.

Response to the accelerator is pretty good although there is the lag that's inevitable in all turbocharged engines. It's minimal, and once the turbo has wound itself up and the new six-speed automatic transmission has found the most correct gear for the conditions the CX-5 really gets along very sharply.

Best of all, the engine is willing to rev almost as freely as a petrol unit. That's due to the lighter weight achieved through increasing use of high-strength steel. It there's less reciprocating mass to be accelerated churning up and down in there.

A redline at 5200 revs is something you just don't see on other diesels - though the Europeans are starting to get better numbers out of theirs.

We found our test Mazda CX-5 diesel typically using 7L-9L/100km in around town driving and in the sixes on the open road. These are higher than average numbers for this class, but keep in mind Mazda has designed this as a performance diesel, not an economy one.

The CX-5 had mild understeer when hustled on fast bends, but it's capable of going a lot harder than the typical owner will demand before needing any correction from the driver, or the backup of stability control.

It has a fuss-free pleasant ride even on corrugated dirt roads. On motorways it's almost in the luxury sedan class for noise and vibration suppression.