Mazda CX-5 2019 scores powerful turbocharged engine

Mazda's most popular SUV has just been fitted with arguably the brand's best engine, with the CX-5 now borrowing the turbocharged 2.5-litre motor from the bigger CX-9 in its home Japanese market.

The changes arrive as part of a model update for the Japanese brand’s mid-size SUV, and while currently only offered in Mazda’s home market, the refreshed CX-5 is expected to arrive in Australia in the second half of 2019.

The current petrol-powered CX-5 range, updated in May this year, tops out with a 2.5-litre petrol engine that produces 140kW and 251Nm, but the new and more powerful engine option would boost outputs to 169kW and a hefty 420Nm.

And those are serious numbers. Not a true performance SUV (the Alfa Romeo Stevlio Q, for example, will push 375kW and 600Nm to its tyres), but certainly enough to knock some serious seconds off the school run. Mazda is yet to confirm performance outputs, but the new model should prove brisk, with the turbocharged 2.5-litre CX-5 by far the most powerful model on offer in the line-up.

“Acceleration response is faithful from low revs, through the mid-range and up to the highest rpms, creating an interactive feel that makes drivers want to stay behind the wheel,” says Mazda, which is a polite way of saying you will enjoy driving this punchiest of CX-5s.

Other updates include the introduction of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in Japan, as well as an updated version of Mazda’s G-Vectoring Control, which is designed to increase traction on slippery surfaces and through sudden direction changes. While the first roll-out of Mazda's G-Vectoring system was all about smoothing out the drive experience, this Plus version is about adding stability on the exit of corners or when changing lanes. The system will apply "light braking" to the outer wheels when it senses the driver returning the steering wheel to the centre position, helping gently pull the car back into a straight line.

The safety features have been updated, too, with nighttime pedestrian detection added to CX-5’s AEB system, and a mildly refreshed interior treatment, including adding two more speakers.

In Japan, a top-spec Exclusive special edition ups the luxury features further, adding Nappa leather and woodgrain trim, heated and cooled front seats, white LED interior lighting and a seven-inch TFT in the driver’s binnacle.

Is this the perfect engine-car combo for the CX-5? Tell us in the comments below.