2022 Hyundai Tucson vs Mazda CX-5

What's the difference?

Well packaged and ultra-practical with strong performance, the Hyundai Tucson diesel has a lot going for it. Add excellent safety, solid economy plus a good ownership package, and it’s looking even better. The value equation could be sharper, driving refinement more polished and some may need time to acclimatise to its distinctive design. But the Tucson diesel is a quality mid-size SUV option. 

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. That's clearly Mazda's approach to the CX-5, which is no longer the newest kid on the block, but remains a strong option in the segment.

The cabin tech and the lack of electrification options certainly carbon-dates it, but the drive experience and style are still very much up to the job.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with meals provided.

Although the Tucson’s silhouette follows a clearly recognisable mid-size SUV template the design details within it are distinctively different.

A multi-faceted grille blends with sectional, angular headlight clusters either side, and sits above the swoopy curved top of a secondary air-intake underneath. There’s nothing else remotely like it in the segment, or the market more broadly for that matter.

The car’s flanks are segmented by distinct creases running at an angle through the front and rear doors, accentuating the way they’re drawn inwards along their lower edges.

Our Elite grade test car’s 18-inch alloy rims are ‘busy’ in the style of a frenetic Cubist painting, and the geometric theme continues at the back with jagged tail-lights adding visual interest to an otherwise conventional rear end treatment. 

Available colours are on the 'muted' side: 'Titan Grey', 'Deep Sea' (blue), 'Phantom Black', 'Shimmering Silver', 'Amazon Gray', and 'White Cream.'

Inside the look is clean and simple with a two-tier dash top flowing in towards the large, central multimedia screen and ventilation control panel. A pair of chrome ‘rails’ define the upper level, also housing the air vents as they curve around and continue into the front doors. 

The interior palette is predominantly grey with gloss black and brushed metal accents, while the leather-appointed seats are fuss-free with detail metal highlights contributing to an overall relaxed, quality feel.

Short answer? If you like the outgoing CX-5, you're going to like this one, too. And if you don't? Well you're bang out of luck.

Me? I'm in the former camp. The CX-5 was, and thus still is, a handsome and understated offering in the mid-size SUV space, somehow managing too look smaller, sportier and a little more polished than some of its key rivals.

This is the Where's Wally of design updates, though. You'll find the changes in a new-look grille, which has a new textured design that's intended to look and feel more three-dimensional.

The lights, front and rear, have been tweaked to better match the incoming the CX-60, too. Oh, and there's some body-coloured or gloss-black – depending on the trim – elements, too.

We also welcome a new trim level, the Touring Active, which includes some bright green grille and interior elements, and a new colour in Zircon Sand.

Inside, it's largely business as usual, too. There's new and more supportive seat materials, and wireless charging across some grades, but that's it really.

Still, I'd argue the CX-5's cabin is ageing like a fine wine rather than a glass of milk, and it still fills plenty polished and premium inside – even if the tech offering (led by the 8.0-inch central screen which is crying out to be made touch sensitive) is starting to feel a little off the pace.

At just over 4.6m long, a little under 1.9m wide, and close to 1.7m high, the Tucson sits squarely inside the mid-size SUV class footprint.

Space efficiency in the front is impressive with the simple dash design and forward-sloping centre stack adding to a feeling of openness. There’s ample headroom for my 183cm frame and storage is plentiful.

There’s a pair of cupholders in the centre console, a tray incorporating a Qi wireless charging pad ahead of the transmission shift buttons, a bin/armrest between the seats, large pockets in the doors with space for bottles, and a decent glove box.

Move to the rear and legroom is impressive. Sitting behind the driver’s seat set for my position I enjoyed heaps of headroom and there’s enough shoulder room to make three adults across the back seat comfortably do-able for up to medium-length journeys.

Inclusion of twin adjustable air vents is a plus, and storage runs to a pair of cupholders in the fold-down centre armrest, deep bottle holders in the doors, and map pockets on the backs of the front seats.

Power and connectivity options include two USB-A sockets in the front (one multimedia, one charging only), plus another two (charge-only) in the rear. There’s a 12-volt outlet in the front console and another in the boot. 

Speaking of which, the critical boot space measurement is a useful 539 litres (VDA) with the rear seat upright, and no less than 1860L with the 60/40 split-folding backrest down.

Remote release handles for the rear seat on either side of the cargo area are a thoughtful addition.

We were able to fit the CarsGuide three-piece suitcase set and a bulky folding pram in with room to spare. Tie down anchors and bag hooks are included and a full-size alloy spare sits under the boot floor. Nice. 

If towing’s on your priority list the Tucson diesel is rated at 1900kg for a braked trailer and 750kg unbraked, plus ‘Trailer Stability Assist’ is standard.

The Mazda CX-5 range stretches 4550mm in length, 1840mm in width and around 1680mm in height. It rides on a 2700mm wheelbase, and has been pretty cleverly packaged to deliver enough cabin and boot space to satisfy most people.

Speaking of which, the (auto-opening in some trims) boot opens to reveal a usable, though not massive, 438 litres with the rear seats in place, and that number swells to 1340 litres with the back pews folded flat, with both those numbers measured in VDA.

Backseat riders will find enough leg and headroom to stay happy, especially if they're my height, 175cm, or less. But the way the centre console and rear tunnel cut into the middle seat's leg room means its pretty much ruled out for adult riders.

I do love the pull-down divider's hidden USB charge points and twin cupholders in all but the base model, and the rear-sear air vents.

Elsewhere, you'll find the usual accompaniment of bottle and cup holders, as well as twin ISOFIX attachment points, one in each window seat in the back.

There has been some juggling of the CX-5 range for 2022, which has now resulted in five trim levels, four engine options, two fuel types and two transmissions offered across the CX-5 range, with prices spanning $32,190 for the entry level Maxx manual – or $2k more for the automatic – and $53,680 for the top-spec Akera auto. And to save you doing the math, that means prices are up somewhere between $800 and $1300 across most of the range. 

The Maxx cars deliver things like 17-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, black cloth seats, an 8.0-inch central screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a six-speaker stereo and leather on the steering wheel and shifter.

Maxx Sport models than add LED fog lamps, dual-zone climate, sat nav and hidden USB charge points in the pull-down seat divider in the back.

Next up is the Touring, which will give you keyless entry, a wireless charger for you mobile, front parking sensor and a neat boot floor which can be reversed when you’re carrying muddy gear for easier cleaning.

New for this update is the Touring Active, which seeks to up the style a bit with 17-inch alloys finished in a grey metallic, gloss-black side mirrors and Maztex seats with fluoro-green accents in the cabin and on the body work.

Still with me? Don’t worry, we’re almost there. Next comes the sporty-looking GT SP, which adds 19-inch alloys, a cool looking gloss-black treatment to the mirrors and grille, a black interior trim, a sunroof and powered boot, heated front seats, and a 10-speaker Bose stereo. You also get Mazda’s clever Adaptive Front-Lighting system, which turn with the vehicle to ensure the road ahead is always illuminated when cornering.

Finally, there’s the top-tier Akera, with it silver 19-inch alloys, ventilated Nappa leather front seats, adaptive LED headlights, and a second 7.0-inch screen.

Mazda CX-5 2022 Price List:

Tucson diesel models are powered by a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, common-rail direct-injection turbo engine. The all-alloy (D4HD) design is part of Hyundai’s ‘Smartstream’ engine family, producing 137kW at 4000rpm, and 416Nm from 2000-2750rpm. 

An eight-speed (traditional torque-converter) automatic transmission feeds power to Hyundai’s ‘HTRAC’ on-demand all-wheel drive system, a multi-mode set-up built around an electronic, variable torque-split clutch (using inputs like vehicle speed and road conditions) to manage distribution of drive between the front and rear axles.

There are four engines on offer here, and we’ll pop the details down below. But what you really need to know is that the pick of the bunch is the punchy 2.5-litre turbo, which is such a good fit for this vehicle. It pairs exclusively with a six-speed automatic and AWD, and it's a peach.

Elsewhere, you’ve got a choice of petrol or diesel, manual or automatic, and two- or all-wheel drive. Choices, choices, choices. There are plenty of them here. 

Mazda CX-5 2022 engine options:

Hyundai’s official fuel economy figure for the Tucson diesel, on the ADR 81/02 - urban, extra-urban cycle, is 6.3L/100km, the 2.0-litre four emitting 163g/km of C02 in the process.

Over a mix of city, suburban, and freeway driving we saw a real-world (at the bowser) average of 8.0L/100km, which is pretty handy for a car of this size and weight (1680kg).

You’ll need 54 litres of diesel to fill the tank, which translates to a range of 857km using Hyundai’s official economy number, and 675km based on our ‘as tested’ figure.

Non-turbo vehicles are equipped with a 56-litre tank, while the turbocharged models nab and extra two litres for 58 in total. There’s no electrification on offer in the CX-5 family, and with petrol prices increasingly horrific these days, that’s also something that weighs on your mind. 

The good news is that petrol-powered examples of the CX-5 run on the cheapest 91RON fuel. The bad news is that with no electrification on offer (like hybrid or PHEV), and fuel prices reaching skyward everyday, there's no real way to mitigate those costs.

We were putting the 2.5-litre, turbocharged models to harder work than they would normally be subjected to, but we also retuned fuel use figures north of 10.0L/100km. And on today's prices, that means $21 every 100km.

Maximum power of 137kW in a roughly 1.7-tonne SUV may not seem like a tarmac-tearing equation, but it’s the Tucson diesel’s hefty torque output that puts life into this machine.

Peak pulling power of 416Nm is available from 2000-2750rpm and this five-seater gets up and goes. You can expect 0-100km/h acceleration in the high 9.0sec bracket and mid-range punch makes the Tucson diesel an effortless proposition around the city and suburbs. Eight ratios in the auto means freeway cruising is relaxed, too. 

The downside of diesel is invariably engine noise, and although the Tucson’s 2.0-litre unit rarely lets you forget it’s there it’s not a massive deal.

While the auto is smooth and geared nicely, I’m not a fan of the electronic ‘shift-by-wire’ selector buttons on the console.

Yes, it saves space, and yes, Ferrari does it, but there’s something about the ability to simply move or flick a more conventional shifter that makes parking or three-point turning maneuvers smoother and less intense than pushing individual buttons.

The suspension set-up is strut front, multi-link rear, and unlike the majority of Hyundais released here in recent years this car’s tune is ‘global’ rather than one developed in local conditions.

On smooth surfaces the ride is supple enough, but typically patchy suburban roads make their presence felt. That said, the car feels stable and under control in corners, although the steering feels overly light, and road feel is okay only.   .

We stuck to the bitumen for this test, but those keen on light off-highway work will have Hyundai’s ‘Multi-terrain’ system at their disposal, with ‘Snow’, ‘Mud’, and ‘Sand’ settings offered.

All around vision is good, the seats remain comfortable and supportive over longer distances, and the brakes (305mm vented discs front / 300mm solid discs rear) are nice and progressive.

The big multimedia screen looks sleek and presents well in terms of navigation, although I’d be in favour of physical dials for major controls like audio volume. But you may feel differently.

Who says that buying a family SUV means waving goodbye to any sense of driver enjoyment from behind the wheel? 

Mazda has done a stellar job of making the updated CX-5 feel connected to the road below it, sit nice and flat through corners, and – with the right drivetrain equipped – deliver enough lusty grunt for easy overtaking or simply shortening the distance between bends.

It's no performance car, and nor is it trying to be, but it's also not some big and boat-like SUV that tips and rolls through bends and disconnects the driver from the experience.

Instead, it sits somewhere in the middle of those two polls, offering a firm-ish but comfortable enough ride in town, and a sense of athleticism when you're outside the city limits. 

One of the focuses for Mazda this time around was on the NVH (how much of the outside world enters the cabin when you're the road), and while I can't offer up a direct comparison with the outgoing model – it's been too long since I've driven one – I can report that this new car is mostly quiet and comfortable, even at speed, with very acceptable levels of wind and road noise in the cabin.

That sense of smoothness is helped along by really predictable steering, and a fairly seamless gearshift from an automatic 'box that swaps its cogs quickly and without much fuss. 

So, more of the same really from the CX-5. But to be fair, that's not a bad thing here.

Even the cheapest Mazda CX-5 gets blind spot monitoring, a driver attention alert, forward collision warning with AEB front and rear, lane departure warning with lane keep assist, active cruise, a reverse camera, rear parking sensors and rear cross-traffic alert.

Springing for the Touring Active adds front parking sensors and a head-up display with traffic sign recognition, while the GT SP adds Mazda's Adaptive Front-Lighting.

The entire CX-5 range wears a five-star ANCAP safety rating, but was last tested back in 2017.

Hyundai covers the Tucson with a five year/unlimited km warranty, and the ‘iCare’ program includes a ‘Lifetime Service Plan’, as well as 12 months 24/7 roadside assist and an annual sat nav map update (the latter two renewed free-of-charge each year, up to 10 years, if the car is serviced at an authorised Hyundai dealer).

Maintenance is scheduled every 12-months/15,000km (whichever comes first) and there’s also a pre-paid option which means you can lock in prices and/or fold service costs into your finance package.

The first service is free (recommended at one month/1500km), and Hyundai Australia’s website allows owners to price maintenance costs out to 34 years/510,000km.

Over a slightly shorter timeframe a service for the Tucson diesel will currently set you back $375 for each of the first five years, which is in the middle ground for the segment. 

The Mazda CX-5 is covered by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty - which is about middle of the road by today’s standard. You also get capped price servicing, and a trip to the dealership will be required every 10,000kms.

You can expect to pay around $350 for each of the first five services.