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What's the difference?
Australia loves Mazda.
We have all sorts of Mazdas. Big ones, small ones, relatively affordable ones, expensive ones, but one which stands above the rest is the CX-5.
That's because this mid-sizer does a lot of the heavy lifting for the Japanese brand, keeping it in the fight against titans like Toyota in the sales charts.
If you're ready to feel old, this second-generation version of the CX-5 with its eye-catching design is now a whopping seven years old, although it has been tweaked recently in 2022 to bring a few updates, as well as the addition of the variant we're looking at here, the Touring Active.
So, the question we're wrestling with is whether this car's continued massive popularity is still warranted.
Is this still one of the best mid-size SUVs you can buy for your family, or should you be considering more recently arrived alternatives?
The Volkswagen Tiguan R Grid Edition can be a loud, wild beast tearing at the tarmac with 235kW (more than 300 horsepower!) and next minute a comfortable and quiet mid-sized family SUV.
But another one of its talents is being more than $6000 less to buy than the Tiguan R on which this special edition is based.
How is that possible? What's the catch? Could it be the one of the best buys on the market right now?
You'll know after reading this review.
Despite being far from the most modern option on the market, I'm surprised to see how well the CX-5 is holding up, particularly compared to more recently launched rivals when it comes to driving dynamics and cabin ambiance.
In fact, this car still feels so up to the task it's hard to believe Mazda is already moving its styling upwards and onwards with spiritual successors on the way like the CX-50 and CX-60.
For now, it's hard to go wrong in the CX-5 range, and actually, the Touring Active is the value pick of the bunch if you're willing to do away with certain small luxuries which this design feels like it should have.
If there is a catch to the discounted price of the Tiguan R Grid Edition it's that you'll have to live without leather seats and a head-up display, which is fine in my books as long as the dynamics and engine are the same, which they are in this special SUV.
What isn't ideal is the Tiguan R Grid Edition not having blind-spot warning or rear cross-traffic alert, which are standard on the regular Tiguan R.
Volkswagen had to make a hard decision there, and to be fair, the lack of availability of semiconductors is the reason behind this, not cost reduction.
If you are able to accept this, you'll have a relatively affordable SUV that can do both beast mode and family mode with impressive skill.
Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.
What has always sold the CX-5 is its understated but upmarket-looking design. Even after all these years it oozes cool with its big trend-setting and deeply three-dimensional honeycomb grille, tasteful chrome highlights, and sleek light fittings, which of course are all elements now emulated by other brands.
The recent update brought with it new shapely LED lights front and rear, a tweaked face, new wheel designs and some updated features for the interior.
Meanwhile, this Touring Active grade scores some bright green touches inside and out, as well as additional silver trim pieces and gunmetal wheels.
Inside it's still hard to believe Mazda manages to make a car look and feel this good at the price. It's not hard to imagine someone test driving a Toyota RAV4 and subsequently being blown away by the premium look and feel of the CX-5.
The Lego brick neon green highlights in the interior of the Touring active, which form part of the vent surrounds and work their way into the seat trim, bring an unusually youthful flair to the usually serious Mazda cabin, but they won't be for everyone.
Other highlights include a tasteful smattering of silver trim, a blend of soft-touch materials in the dash and doors, and a more subtle approach to multimedia than many other brands, with low-set screens far from the driver.
Some carmakers would go overboard in coming up with the styling of a 300+ horsepower mid-sized SUV, but not Volkswagen which is the master of understated, yet cool, design.
Any model wearing that R badge is special. On first glance the Tiguan R Grid Edition looks ready for a boardroom meeting but look closer and you'll see it's ready for battle.
Check out the Tiguan R Grid Edition's quad exhaust, its aggro R front bumper, the 21-inch 'Estoril' alloy wheels and the blacked-out grille.
The cabin is a premium looking place but like the insides of all Volkswagens it seems very business class, functional but not too fancy.
Thankfully the sports seats, while not Nappa leather as in the Tiguan R, stop it from all being a bit serious and grown up in here.
As one of Australia's most popular mid-size SUVs, you'd hope the CX-5 is up to family duties, and the good news is it mostly aces the brief.
Up front, there's plenty of room for adults, with a good amount of adjustability, and great visibility despite a relatively high belt-line and dash.
The seats in this Touring Active grade are manual adjust only, which may be a downside for some, while the blended seat trim of ‘Maztex' synthetic leather and suede isn't my preference.
I'm more in favour of a basic cloth seat, which will be much easier to clean and will probably wear better, or the lovely real leather seats which appear on higher grades.
Nicely-sized bottle holders appear in the doors and centre console, and the latest update also brings a wireless charger under the climate unit, to match the wireless phone mirroring.
On the topic of phone mirroring, Mazda has taken the commitment to dial-operated systems to a fault.
The multimedia screen, perched atop the dash, is not a touch unit, and is instead operated only with the centre dial.
This dial is fine for operating Mazda's relatively straightforward software, but is downright clumsy when it comes to flicking through menus on Apple CarPlay, in particular.
Still, I appreciate the very straightforward climate panel, which consists of physical buttons and dials for all of its controls. Far preferable to the trendy touch panel, or worse, multimedia-screen interfaces on some rivals.
The rear doors open nice and wide, making it easy to fit child seats, and room back there is more than sufficient for adults in the outer two rear seats, as well.
I had plenty of legroom and headroom behind my own driving position at 182cm tall.
The quality trims continue in the doors, and there's a large bottle holder in each one, alongside a further two in the drop-down armrest.
Interestingly, this part also has a flip-open tray with two USB 2.0 connectors, a tidy way to get power to the rear passengers, but one which can't be used if the middle seat is occupied.
There are no additional outlets on the back of the centre console, although there is a set of air vents back there.
The boot measures in at 438 litres, which is not on the larger end for the mid-size SUV space, and may cause some families to run into issues, particularly if they need to carry a pram on top of regular luggage.
As it is though, it fit our CarsGuide demo luggage set with minimal room to spare. There is a space-saver spare wheel under the floor.
The Tiguan R Grid Edition is a five-seater, mid-sized SUV, it's not a seven-seater like the Tiguan AllSpace and there isn't an R version of that larger Tiguan. There is an R-Line Allspace, however.
Still, the Tiguan R Grid Edition is spacious with excellent headroom and even at 191cm tall I could sit comfortably in the second row behind my driving position.
This sounds really nerdy, but I love the way Volkswagen does door pockets - they're gigantic and I tend to throw my wallet, house keys and the mobile clutter from the rest of my life in there.
There are four cupholders on board, too (two up front and two in the second row).
The cargo capacity of the boot is big for the class at 616 litres. There are two levels to the boot floor, along with cargo hooks.
You'd expect a $64K SUV to have a power tailgate but the Grid Edition doesn't have one and this is down to the global semiconductor shortage.
The manual tailgate is fine, just remember to close it yourself - embarrassingly, on the launch I pressed the 'blank' panel where the button should be only to almost drive off with it open.
Also missing is wireless phone charging, but there are three USB ports (two up front and one in the rear).
Dark tinted side windows in the rear and climate control with directional air vents in the second row are big ticks on my own checklist for a good family car - the kids will be protected from the Aussie sun and travelling in a comfortable temperature. Never had these luxuries in my day...
Since it arrived Down Under in 2022, the updated CX-5, thanks in large part to its ongoing popularity, is available in a long list of confusingly labelled variants.
To be precise, there are now 11 different versions of this SUV, two basic front-wheel drive variants, and nine all-wheel drive models with three different engine options.
Confused? Me too. To cut to the chase with the Touring Active, though, it's the third cheapest all-wheel drive version, featuring the least powerful of the three engine options.
For roughly the same money you can get into a base model Toyota RAV4 GX all-wheel drive hybrid, or mid-grade all-wheel drive versions of the Hyundai Tucson (Elite) or Kia Sportage (SX+), although I would argue none of those options have quite the visual appeal of our Mazda.
Standard equipment on the Touring Active grade includes 17-inch gunmetal alloy wheels, ‘Maztex' synthetic leather and suede interior trim, a new-for-the-update 10.25-inch multimedia screen with dial control (more on that later), a semi-digital instrument cluster, updated navigation system, and wireless phone charging to match the wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
There's also dual-zone climate, and re-designed LED light fittings front and rear.
Despite the swish look, there are things missing here. For example, my partner was surprised the seats were manually adjusted in a car which looks this nice inside, and I have to agree.
Plus, you have to spend significantly more to get into a version with the turbocharged engine. There's also no sunroof at this grade, nor is there a powered tailgate.
The Tiguan R Grid Edition lists for $63,990 - that's $6500 less than the regular Tiguan R. Volkswagen also says just 300 or so will be made available.
You're saving money because there are some big dollar items in the Tiguan R that didn't make it into the Grid Edition.
So, the Nappa leather upholstery from the Tiguan R is replaced with fabric sports seats in the Grid Edition, it also misses out on a head-up display and 'Matrix' LED headlights.
The good news is all the engineering stays the same and there are still plenty of great features.
Coming standard are 'Performance' LED headlights and LED running lights, three-zone climate control, heated front seats and a heated steering wheel, paddle shifters, a 9.2-inch media display with sat nav, there's also wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The only option available on the Tiguan R Grid Edition is the panoramic sunroof.
When it comes to rivals there's the Cupra Formentor VZe for $62,990, Skoda Kodiaq RS for $69,290, and check out Mazda's new CX-60 Evolve which costs $59,800.
For such a contemporary looking car, things feel a little dated when it comes to engine tech.
Rather than employing a fancy hybrid or downsized turbo unit with a tricky transmission, Mazda relies on a regular 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine, mated to a traditional six-speed torque converter automatic transmission.
The engine produces 140kW/252Nm, hardly on the high end for the segment, and it needs to drive all four wheels.
If this doesn't sound like enough punch for you, there's also a 2.2-litre four-cylinder diesel engine (140kW/450Nm) available on the Touring Active grade, but it carries a roughly $3000 premium.
In that nose is 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine making 235kW and 400Nm, and it's driving all four wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic.
A superb engine, a great transmission with lighting quick changes and brilliant traction from the all-wheel drive system.
And exactly the same as found in a regular Tiguan R. Volkswagen hasn't taken anything out here.
That makes the Tiguan R Grid Edition a 235kW family SUV with a 0-100km/h time of 5.1 seconds. That is quick.
How much fuel does it use? Less than you probably think.
As you'd imagine, a 2.5-litre engine with no electrical or turbocharged assistance can punish you at the fuel pump.
While the hybrid RAV4 has managed to bring fuel efficiency as low as 4.8L/100km to the mid-size SUV space, our Mazda has a comparatively high official combined efficiency of 7.4L/100km.
After 400km of driving in real-world suburban conditions, my test car consumed 9.0L/100km, decidedly higher again.
Thankfully, the CX-5's relatively low-tech engine is capable of consuming entry-level 91 unleaded. It is only compliant with Euro 5 emissions standards, and has a 58-litre fuel tank.
Using the official economy figure, driving range comes in at just over 780km.
You'll need to feed your Tiguan R Grid Edition premium unleaded petrol and Volkswagen says that over a combination of open and urban roads you'll use 8.8L/100km.
That's not overly high considering this SUV isn't small, but how much fuel you use will really depend on how you drive it and no there isn't a hybrid or electric version.
A 58-litre tank means the official consumption figure translates to a driving range of around 660km.
If you've driven any Mazda in the last decade or so, this latest CX-5 won't throw up any surprises. The drive experience adheres to the sporty, firm and purposeful ethos which Mazda has cultivated over a long period of time.
This is defined by nice accurate steering, an overall light and springy feel for the car, and a firm ride.
While the engine has to push harder than some in this class to move along its mid-size bulk and the demands of all-wheel drive, it's still a comparatively fun family SUV to drive.
Especially when compared with the comfortable-but-tame RAV4, and perhaps overly tech-y turbocharged dual-clutch versions of the Tucson and Sportage.
In this way, the Mazda's old-sounding powertrain may be an advantage. In particular, the six-speed automatic transmission is smooth and predictable, great for family buyers and won't throw up any surprises, particularly for those coming out of older vehicles equipped with similar components.
For its most recent CX-5 update, Mazda has tweaked the suspension further, which has thankfully gone a long way to taking the edge off the once too-hard ride.
It's still a firm and reactive SUV, though, amongst the more entertaining to drive in the segment.
If it's possible to drive in every condition over the space of eight hours then you can do it in Victoria. From grid-locked Melbourne CBD traffic in the hot morning sun to an awesome mountain run with the temperature dropping and mist rolling in.
So, in the space of that day the Tiguan R Grid Edition showed what it could do in pretty much every situation you'll be in.
Traffic is traffic, no matter what car you're sitting in but the Tiguan R Grid Edition is a comfortable place to be with those supportive sports seats, good visibility and light steering.
So, a normal Tiguan in everyday driving, right down to the comfortable and composed ride, even if this Grid Edition rolls on impossibly thin 255/35 R21 Hankook Ventus Evo S1 tyres.
But as we left the suburbs behind and pushed into the countryside towards Lake Mountain in Victoria's Alpine region, the 235kW turbo-petrol engine cleared its throat and made itself known.
Overtaking proved to be quick and simple on the highway, and hills were squashed easily by the grunt of that engine.
There's a little blue 'R' button on the steering wheel which puts the Tiguan R Grid Edition into 'Race' mode - more like Beast mode. The dampers firm up for flatter handling and the exhaust note changes to a deep rumble.
The Tiguan R Grid Edition isn't just powerful, it turns into corners beautifully, the transmission downshifting like a pro, the grip from the tyres impressive and the traction from all-wheel drive reassuring.
That same day I drove the T-Roc R Grid Edition as well, the little brother of the Tiguan R Grid Edition. I found the mini-monster T-Roc to be more fun and agile, but it is smaller and lighter with only a fraction less grunt.
Still there are not many mid-sized family SUVs that could outperform the Tiguan R Grid Edition at this price.
There are no optional pieces of safety equipment in the CX-5 range, and thankfully the active systems are minimally invasive for the driver, too, letting the drive experience shine further.
Standard equipment includes auto emergency braking (works high speed going forward, and low speed in reverse), lane keep assist with lane departure warning, blind spot monitoring with rear-cross traffic alert, traffic sign recognition, as well as adaptive cruise control and front and rear parking sensors.
As a bonus, there's a nice high-def reversing camera, although you'll have to spend more for the 360-degree version, and a tyre pressure monitoring sensor, too.
The CX-5 has five airbags, dual ISOFIX and three top-tether mounting points across the rear row, and maintains a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating from when this generation launched back in 2017.
The Tiguan R Grid Edition was tested by ANCAP in 2016 and received the maximum five-star rating.
Do you remember what you were doing in 2016? I do, I was writing about how amazingly safe the Tiguan was with its newly received five-star ANCAP rating. But that's a while ago now and safety tech benchmarks have come a long way.
To be fair, most new models are independently assessed when they're new and go through the process again when a major change or new generation is launched.
And this Tiguan model is getting towards the end of its cycle and will be replaced soon by an entirely fresh version.
What's important to know is that while the Tiguan R Grid Edition has a good crash rating and great safety tech like AEB, lane keeping assistance and manoeuvre braking (for parking), it misses out on blind-spot warning and rear cross-traffic alert.
These are two safety aids that help enormously and it's a shame they aren't included here on a family SUV.
It's for these reasons the Tiguan R Grid Edition hasn't scored tremendously well in this safety section. But make no mistake - this is a very safe SUV.
For child seats there are two ISOFIX points and three top tether anchor mounts across the rear row.
You are well sorted for airbags, too. Curtain airbags extend from the front to the back, Plus for the driver and the co-pilot there are front and side airbags, plus a driver's knee airbag.
Mazda keeps things simple here with five years of warranty, five years of roadside assist, and a five-year capped price service program.
For the latest update, the service intervals have been pushed out from 10,000km to 15,000km and 12 months, and the average cost works out to be $423 per year for the 2.5-litre petrol engine option as tested.
This is not the cheapest servicing in the segment, but it's not unusually expensive, either.
The Tiguan Grid Edition is covered by Volkswagen's five-year, unlimited kilometre warranty.
A five-year servicing plan costs $3200 (annual average $640) and you'll need to get the car serviced every 12 months or 15,000km.
Expensive servicing and no standard capped prices lowers the score here.