Mazda CX-8 2019 review: Asaki

There are really no complaints here because the CX-8 is smooth sailing. There’s no lurching or jerky start/stop functionality, it all works very nicely and you can do it with little effort. The handling is good and steering is spot on - not too heavy or too light.

It’s got a 2.2-litre twin-turbo diesel engine (it’s only available in diesel), which is enough for it to get up hills quickly, without hesitation, and you feel confident driving it because it does what you ask it to.

The 140kW/450Nm 2.2-litre four-cylinder diesel is the only engine choice in the CX-8.

It handled the open road out to the bush really well, dealing with hideous Friday afternoon traffic as well as the long highways without a hint of protest. Because it’s quite sizeable I also felt safe driving that far with the kids in the back.

Parking is relatively easy, I fit into a fair few parking spaces that surprised even me. On this top of the range model there’s also a front, rear and 360-degree camera to help you refine your parking approach.

The turning circle is the same as a large seven-seater, at 11.6m you’ll become an expert at the three-point-turn, but the steering wheel turns easily and the gears change quickly so it's no headache to do.

My family of four fit in very comfortably, we had loads of space to pack the boot with two small suitcases, bags of food and wine and beer and, um, gin. For sundowners, naturally. The boot is large if you’re not using the back two seats - a good 742 litres VDA (to the roof), and that will fit pretty much anything a growing family can chuck at it.

With the back two seats in use, that space drops to 209 litres VDA (to the roof), but you’ll still be able to fit groceries and school bags in there. With all seats down it opens up to 1727L VDA, and you can have a secret lie down if you want to escape all the children on your long weekend (who, me?).

The third row was very spacious - it fit me at 161cm and even my friend at 175cm who had to sit back there with her son (meltdown, don’t ask). The car functioned as it was meant to - as a five seater SUV with those two seats in the back only used when you need them, which we did having two families at the one house for the weekend! I found the space in the third row better in the CX-8 than most other cars in this category.

My children aged five and seven had loads of room in the second row, and so did all the adults. There really is a fair amount of room in there. You’ll also be able to fit a third child seat in this row - it will be tight but it will fit.

And the front had enough leg and head space for me and my 185cm husband, we didn’t feel cramped at all over the whole week.

It’s a big car but it’s not too big. For those that find the CX-9 just a tad too large, this CX-8 will alleviate your size concerns for parking and driving. My kids are also able to climb in on their own (they’re getting big now!) and it’s a good height off the ground to fasten children’s car seat belts up which really is one of the biggest reasons parents love SUVs.

Despite its size, it's not too hard to handle.

There are six cupholders in total, two in each row. Plus a bottle holder in each door, a decent sized centre storage bin and four USB outlets for devices, two in the front and two in the middle row. The second row also gets its own climate control air con, but there are no air vents in the third row and also no sunroof, which you will get in a top spec Nissan Pathfinder for example, so kids back there may feel a bit cramped on long journeys.

The CX-8 Asaki has a power tailgate which I always find super helpful when overloaded with shopping bags.

Mazda uses its own multimedia system on the 7.0-inch touchscreen, which includes a sat nav, digital radio and Bluetooth connectivity. It is behind on the technology of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but they will both be available at the end of 2018 and you are able to retrofit these into your recent model Mazda.

The audio is great, turn the music up, you’ll appreciate it.

The Mazda CX-8 Asaki comes in at $61,490 which is a good $15,000 more than the lower level Sport version. Fuel consumption is 6.0L/100km because it’s diesel, so you get more bang for your buck.

The warranty is Mazda’s standard three-year/unlimited km cover, which, in the future-forward year of 2018, and other companies offering five and seven years, now sounds fairly average. Services are required every 12 months/10,000km.