2017 Mazda CX-5 vs 2020

What's the difference?

The new CX-5 has certainly picked up where the old one left off, and is better in every way. The new diesel is a cracker and the safety package belongs on a much more expensive car. 

Mazda has lead the way for so long and the CX-5 was such an accomplished car, a face-lift barely seemed necessary. While it's not all-new from the ground up, this is the kind of thing Mazda has taken to doing really well - every time we drive a freshened-up machine, it's those little details that add up to the feeling a lot of work has gone on to build on a solid base.

And with this diesel engine, the big wheels and those sharp looks, the CX-5 has something for pretty much everyone.

The CX-5 Akera is an acquired taste in the sense that it costs more than the GT for what are essentially cosmetic extras. The Nappa leather is lovely, yes, and the sunroof is good (I guess, I don't like them) but it doesn't do anything any differently than the GT.

However, like the GT, it's loaded up with gear and in the case of the turbo, it's the pick of the engines. It's also still right up at the head of the pack dynamically and aesthetically. Fifty grand is a lot of money, but the Akera is a lot of car.

If the first CX-5 impressed with its understated good looks, the new one goes further by being a very pretty car. Mazda's 'Kodo' design language looks good at just about any size, but this latest evolution puts the CX-5 in genuinely beautiful territory.

The slimmer headlights work well with a longer-looking nose and a body that looks more pulled down over the wheels. Despite bearing more than a passing resemblance to the old car, all the panels are new and that's partly because a shift of the A-pillars of just 35mm was enough to make everything move.

The cabin has come in for a much bigger change. There wasn't a great deal wrong with the old one, but it was feeling a bit old, and some of the materials weren't quite there. As ever, the CX-5's first generation launched into a completely different, rather more sparse segment. With competition from all sides, the new interior had to deliver a more premium feel.

With improved plastics and fittings, a more cohesive design (something simple like consistent fonts go a long, long way to giving that impression) and the sort of detail improvements I've come to expect from Mazda, the new interior is lighter, feels better, and looks better. Job done.

Having said all of that, I can't really recommend the white leather. It looked pretty good with the red exterior and well-judged interior materials, but it's unlikely kids will be kind to it.

I really like cut of the CX-5's cloth. It is a bit colour sensitive, although I really like this 'Polymetal Grey Metallic' hue ($495) which changes a lot depending on the lighting conditions.

The second generation has a more resolved, more ears-pinned-back design which is kind of ironic because one of the ads for the previous car used big cat imagery. The sleek headlights, the beautiful proportions and general elegance is going to age just as well as the older machine. That's a good design.

The interior is very clean but still really dark. The 'wood' in the Akera doesn't really help matters, but that's what you get for going for the top of the range. The Nappa leather on the seats is quite lovely, though and the car smells nice (at least when new). As with other Mazdas, the switch count on the centre stack is minimal with some lights moving up to the ceiling console. It's very calm and composed.

Never a class-leader in the spaciousness department, this CX-5 is still at the rear of the pack, but it hardly seems to matter. Boot space is up by 39 litres to 442 (VDA) with the seats up, tripling to 1342 litres with the seats down. The seatback is split 40/20/40 and you can drop each section individually, which is unusually generous.

The CX-5 has four cupholders (a pair up front and a pair in the rear centre armrest), a tray for your phone, bottle holders in each door and vents for the rear seat. Courtesy of a new higher centre console, the storage bin is deeper and also hides two USB ports.

The new car isn't any bigger, so the rear door aperture is still on the tight side compared to, say, Volkswagen's Tiguan or Hyundai's Tucson. It doesn't seem to bother owners I've spoken to, but it's worth noting. 

Once you're in, there is plenty of leg and headroom for rear passengers, providing the driver or front passenger isn't a Canadian Redwood.

The boot may now be 442 litres but it's well down on its obvious rivals, the Tiguan (615 litres) and RAV4 Edge (580 litres). Fold all three elements of the 40/20/40 split fold rear seat and you have a handy 1342 litres and a reasonably flat floor.

The Mazda tradition of tight rear seating continues. I just about fit comfortably behind my own driving position set for 180cm. Kids will be fine but, as ever, the rear door aperture is a bit tricky to quickly enter (like if it's raining). Three across the back is definitely a 'short trips only' proposition. 

There are four cupholders evenly distributed and bottle holders, with a pair in each row. You can also hide your valuables in a good-sized centre console in the front and you have somewhere to put your phone - under the centre stack - when you're on the move.

Mid-size SUVs for 50 grand better be good, no matter where they're from. As with the GT version, you're really gunning for the bottom end of the German crowd here, so you've got to have your marketing types sharply attuned to what buyers will cop switching to a Japanese brand.

The $50,830 Akera scores 19-inch alloys, a 10-speaker stereo, dual-zone climate control, reversing camera, keyless entry and start, hefty safety package, around-view cameras, front and rear parking sensors, active cruise control, heated steering wheel, electric and heated front seats, heated rear seats, sat nav, active LED headlights, LED fog lights, auto wipers, head-up display, lovely Nappa leather trim, powered tailgate, power windows and mirrors, electric sunroof and a space-saver spare.

Mazda's older version of 'MZD Connect' fills the 7.0-inch touchscreen which also features digital radio and Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. You can control the screen with the rotary dial once you're moving as the touch function is disabled when you're driving.

The sat nav is a bit light on for detail, so your phone is probably more helpful if you're going somewhere tricky.

The 2.2-litre 'SkyActiv' diesel is the only turbo in the range, for now at least. Developing 129kW and a very decent 420Nm, it has a portly 1744kg to move. Power reaches the road through all four wheels via a traditional six-speed automatic.

The diesel is also fitted with technology to reduce the clatter reaching the cabin, start-stop tech and Mazda's 'G-Vectoring Control'.

Towing capacity is rated at 1800kg for braked trailers and 750kg unbraked.

The 2.5-litre turbo engine is a familiar one, first appearing in the bigger CX-9 and then the lovely Mazda6. Pushing 170kW at 5000rpm and 420Nm at just 2000rpm to all four wheels via a six-speed automatic, it's a lot more relaxed than the other petrols in the CX-5 range and more refined than the diesel.

It also comfortably out-punches everything else in the segment.

The all-wheel drive system is obviously road-biased - along with the wheels and suspension - and is mostly front-wheel drive to help save fuel.

The sticker on the windscreen reckons you'll get 6.0L/100km on the combined cycle while exhaling 158g/km of CO2. With a 58-litre tank, that suggests a range just short of 1000km. And you know what? You might be able to do that if you don't spend too much time in traffic.

Mazda's 'i-stop' technology meant that over three weeks, we averaged 7.8L/100km in mostly urban and suburban driving. While that's a bit above the combined figure, it's not far off the urban number, 7.0L/100km.

The turbo's official combined cycle figure came out at 8.2L/100km, 0.8L/100km more than the non-turbo's ADR readout.

Once again, the turbo excelled, with a 9.2L/100km reading, close to the 9.1 I got in the GT last year in October. It's a point worth making because the 2.5-litre struggles to better 10L/100km in my hands.

An added bonus is that you can run it on standard unleaded.

The CX-5 has always been at or near the top of the medium SUV heap when it comes to the drive. The same couldn't be said for overall refinement. The old car suffered quite a bit from a classic (and fading) Mazda fault - cabin noise. The front suspension was the worst offender, with every bump, thunk and pop reaching your ears, along with tyre roar. 

It wasn't insurmountable - you could just turn up the stereo - but around town you got used to a cacophony of noise.

The new CX-5 - as with most major updates - has changed all that. While the underbits have barely changed (testament to the popularity of the car and the quality of its fundamentals), every spare gap has been filled with noise deadening materials, there's more carpet and just more stuff to reduce the racket. While it's not exactly silent, it's not far off the Tiguan, which is arguably the class benchmark.

As before, it's a lovely thing to drive. Easy-going but accurate steering, a firm but compliant ride (this car is not intended for off-roading) and a responsive transmission all combine to make life very relaxed behind the wheel.

The star of this car is the 2.2 diesel. Quiet, smooth and distinctly un-diesel in its aural character (inside at least), it makes the CX-5 a proper all-rounder. It cruises at speed in sixth, overtakes with just a little bit of toe pressure and is quite frugal, coming reasonably close to matching its claimed figures. Around town there is little lag to deal with and the power comes on nice and smooth.

The only complaint we had was that the blind spot monitor is perhaps a little over-enthusiastic, seemingly beeping every time we used the indicator to change lanes.

For a mid-size family SUV, the CX-5 is still a very nice car to drive. Mazda doesn't have to engineer in nice steering, a crisp turn-in, well-judged brakes or pour the effort and expense into a well-sorted multi-link rear end. We know from other cars in the segment that not all of these things need to be in the mix to make a car sell. 

Even on these huge 19-inch wheels and without the inclusion of dynamic or adaptive damping, the Akera manages to ride well for most of the time. You'll get the occasional jolt from one of those nasty rubber speed bumps that councils have been randomly installing at roundabouts over the past couple of months.

It's also very nice in the corners if the mood takes you and your passengers are willing. While the tyres could be better - this seems to be where Mazda suddenly decides to skimp a little - the all-wheel drive helps keep things calm and composed.

What really makes this car, though, is the engine. No, it doesn't turn it into a performance SUV, that is absolutely not the point, but a lot of smooth torque means your options open up.

Overtaking is quiet and unfussed, 420Nm and third gear working together like Torvill and Dean (there's a contemporary reference for you). What it really means, though, is that kicking around town in the CX-5 is much more relaxed.

You need a lot less throttle, the transmission doesn't have to shift around as much and you see that in the real-world fuel economy. While that's an added bonus that won't cover the extra cost of the turbo, everything else is.

The six-speed auto is pretty good and in this segment isn't a bother because you either get saddled with a CVT or a seven-speed twin-clutch. I'll take a conventional six-speed transmission over a clunky DSG or droning CVT any day.

The CX-5 arrives with six airbags, ABS, brake assist, stability and traction controls, forward AEB (including pedestrian detection), front and rear collision warning, auto high beam, blind-spot monitoring, road sign recognition (including stop signs), speed limiter, lane departure warning, lane-keeping assist, rear cross-traffic alert and reverse AEB.

You also get two ISOFIX points and three top-tether restraints for the kiddies.

The CX-5 scored a maximum five ANCAP safety stars in April 2017.

Mazda's three-year/unlimited kilometre warranty is part of the CX-5 package, along with capped price servicing. Roadside assist is offered at $68.10 per year.

Your dealer will expect to see you every six months or 10,000km and will charge you between $317 on three of the five scheduled services, $387 for the second and $359 for the fourth. Extra items include $69 for the cabin air filter (every 40,000km) and $64 for brake fluid every 40,000km or two years.

Mazda provides a healthy five year/unlimited kilometre warranty that now also includes roadside assist.

Service intervals are close together, with 12 months/10,000km - 12 months is normal. 10,000km isn't. Mazda does offer capped-price servicing, with services costing between $315 and $343 meaning $660-plus annual spend. That's before extras like brake fluid and pollen filters.