Mazda CX-5 Akera 2014 review

Mazda's CX-5 is a runaway sales success. They're everywhere, bought by young 'uns and not-so young 'uns in vast numbers. But chart success is not always a hallmark of quality, as a brief glance at what passes for a music chart will attest.

The CX-5, though is different. Along with its cheery sales numbers comes handsome looks, some clever tech and a reputation for ride and handling. The top-spec Akera though is a test – priced where the Germans start (Audi Q3, BMW X1, Mercedes-Benz GLA), it has to fight badge snobbery as well as a crowded field from Japan and Korea.

VALUE

The CX-5 range starts at a very modest $27,880 for a two-wheel drive manual petrol 2.0-litre and goes all the way to nearly $50,000 for the diesel Akera. This petrol Akera is the last stop before that high water mark, weighing in at $46,570.

The Akera's long list of standard features include leather interior, keyless entry, nine-speaker Bose-branded stereo with Bluetooth and USB, reversing camera and parking sensors all round, cruise control and a cluster of sensors inside the windscreen for auto-wipers, headlights and lane departure warning.

The headlights are of the adaptive bi-xenon variety (and very good, too), the seats up front are electrically adjustable, heated and have two memory slots.

DESIGN

The Mazda CX-5 is a lot of car and the Akera's big 19-inch wheels add to that big look. Sadly, its rather lovely styling causes a couple of little problems. The first is that over the shoulder, you can't see a thing through those tiny windows. On the Akera, blind spot monitoring is a very welcome addition.

Secondly, the rear doors are not an easy proposition for smaller kids. They don't open very wide and it's a bit of a climb up. Once they're in, though, there's plenty of space and they sit up nice and high and they can easily see out.

It's not bad in here, but a car that costs the same as an Audi Q3 or a BMW X1 could do with a bit more luxury than what's on offer.

Having said that, it's all perfectly functional. It just doesn't feel all that special. In its defence, neither does the X1.

It isn't the biggest inside, either. On a hardware trip to gather a lot of wood, our long-term Hyundai ix35 fitted more in. The Mazda does have the better finish by a country mile, better than Honda, Hyundai, Kia or Ford and not far away from the Germans.

SAFETY

ABS, dynamic and stability control, six airbags, city brake assist, lane departure warning, blind spot monitoring all add up to five ANCAP stars.

INFOTAINMENT

The nine-speaker stereo is unbelievably slow when plugging in an iPhone. You get a swirly thing on the screen and whatever you choose on the device is not reflected on the screen and the audio matches neither what you chose on the device nor what's displayed car's screen. Which is, to say the least, perplexing.

That screen isn't really big or smart enough for you to use, it's actually quite fiddly. Once you've deciphered it, though, it's not bad and sounds quite good. Needs work, though.

ENGINE / TRANSMISSION

The Akera is powered by the larger SkyActiv 2.5-litre four-cylinder. There's no turbo, but it pushes out 138kW and and 250Nm through all four wheels and with a very good six-speed automatic.

Mazda claims a combined fuel figure, aided by stop-start, of 7.2L/100km but this seems a distant possibility with our 12.2L/100km figure that didn't include an undue amount of hard acceleration.

DRIVING

The CX-5 is without doubt one of the better SUVs and holds up pretty well against a lot of lower-slung sedans.

The power and torque figures don't suggest it, but together they do an impressive job of pushing the 1650kg Akera down the road at a very decent pace. The transmission is very responsive to the right foot and there's some real fun to be had behind the wheel.

Passengers will be very happy with the good ride and lack of body roll that one or two competitors suffer from (Honda CR-V and Subaru Forester). On the freeway, they will also appreciate the quietness of the engine and the well-suppressed wind and tyre noise.

From the driver's seat, you could be driving a well-sorted hatchback with some kind of clever dimension-shifting windscreen. It is hard to believe it's a high-riding SUV, which is quite an achievement.

The wheel is well-weighted for the most part, so banging around the 'burbs is never going to cause the CX-5 any trouble. The throttle is pretty soft to aid smooth progress but on the plus side, this means that there won't be any embarrassing lurching when it wakes from stop-start.