2002 Mazda E2000 Reviews

Mazda revealed its new CX-5 family SUV recently, bringing fresh styling and upgraded tech, but not everyone was happy.Australian Mazda CX-5 owners forums have erupted, with Mazda's engine choice — or lack thereof — in the firing line.Mazda’s much talked about in-house hybrid technology won’t be available when the car launches next year. 2027 might even be stretched, with the vital new tech earmarked for a US launch towards the end of that year, there is no certainty Australia will get it before 2028.The brand has also ditched the more potent turbocharged petrol engine from the future line-up. This is likely a response to the federal government’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES), which punishes carmakers for every gram of CO2 they emit per kilometre over a certain threshold.Instead Mazda will launch with a detuned version of the current 2.5-litre non-turbo four-cylinder engine that will make 132kW and 242Nm, or 8kW and 10Nm less than the outgoing version. Current owners are not happy.“New CX-5 is being launched half baked (how can you launch your best selling car with 1 single engine option???),” said one Mazda CX-5 Club Australia member.“So disappointed Mazda have missed the boat on hybrid opportunity,” said another.“It’s boring, will not buy it. Pathetically Slow Zoom Zoom,” stated another.Others quipped: “Mazda still thinks its competition is the RAV4? Wrong!”“Not only have they failed to deliver a ‘knock out punch’, Mazda haven’t even made it into the ring.”Even Mazda Australia’s own Facebook post was peppered with negative comments.“I’m stunned they dropped the turbo,” said one commenter.Others were less fussed.“I think the car itself looks great, as most Mazdas ,” said one fan.“I’m personally not fussed about not having a turbo engine, I’m not after the ‘fun factor’ and don’t drive aggressively.”"Stunning," said another. "Absolutely love it," replied another fan.Mazda’s new in-house developed hybrid will be worth the wait.Mazda North America VP of Strategic Planning, Stefan Meisterfeld, told US publication CarBuzz: “The hybrid system will have performance that is comparable to or exceeding the turbo powertrain.”That means it'll likely top the 170kW and 420Nm of the outgoing turbo CX-5. That kind of performance will leave conventional hybrids in its dust.Mazda Australia boss Vinesh Bhindi told CarsGuide the new CX-5 Hybrid will deliver on the brand’s Zoom Zoom promise."My understanding is that it will be totally Mazda, it will be designed in a way that delivers what Mazda wants it to deliver – the Jinba Ittai (Japanese for horse and rider as one), the Zoom Zoom element,” he said.The new CX-5 is more than just an engine, though.The company has evolved its handsome looks and heavily refreshed the interior to give it a more premium feel.It'll have wider opening doors, a panoramic sunroof option, ambient lighting and a 15.6-inch multimedia touchscreen.Mazda is also ditching its rotary dial multimedia display controls and instead going for more conventional touchscreen and physical button controls.It is bigger on the outside, so expect a roomier cabin.

It’s been over five years now since COVID lockdowns started and in some way it feels like a lifetime ago. For a lot of people buying new cars during this period, however, there were long wait times. COVID lockdowns were a key reason for this, but another major reason for delays was the global shortage of semiconductors.

Will Mazda's hybrid CX-5 be too little, too late?

Mazda opted to develop its new hybrid powertrain for the CX-5, rather than utilise Toyota's RAV4 Hybrid system as the brand does with the CX-50 in the USA, because it wanted to ensure its most popular vehicle was more dynamic to drive than its Japanese rival.

Mazda has globally revealed its new third-generation CX-5 mid-size SUV ahead of it arriving in Australia in 2026.

The new Mazda CX-5 has made its global debut, with the third generation of Mazda’s popular mid-size SUV featuring an updated design and interior.

Chinese carmaker Jaecoo has confirmed its J5 small SUV will go on sale in the United Kingdom paving the way for the small SUV’s entrance to Australia.The J5 looks very much like the J7 mid-sized SUV only smaller, measuring 4.3m in length, and rivalling the Kia Seltos, Mitsubishi ASX and Mazda CX-30.The J5 will debut in the UK with a 1.6-litre turbo-petrol engine and seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.In the UK the five-seater SUV will go on sale in two trim levels: the Pure and the Luxury.Coming standard on the Pure will be a six-speaker stereo, power adjustable front seats and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Stepping up to the Luxury will add a panoramic sunroof, heated and ventilated front seats and wireless phone charging.Jaecoo is the luxury-focussed sub-brand of Chery and currently has two SUVs on sale in Australia - the mid-sized J7 and the J8 large SUV.The J5 will definitely be making its way to Australia as well, but as to when this will happen is unknown. Recently Jaecoo Australia’s Chief Commercial Officer, Roy Munoz, confirmed the J5 is headed to Australia to CarsGuide, but didn't reveal timing.Pricing for the J5 hasn't been announced in the UK nor Australia, but buyers can be certain it will be less than the J7 and the J8.As a guide the J7 starts at $34,990 drive-away and the entry grade J8 is $49,990.Jaecoo doesn't have any electric vehicles on sale currently in Australia with both the J7 and J8 using petrol engines, but the J7 is also available with plug-in hybrid power.Jaecoo is a very new brand to Australia having only arrived in May this year and follows its parent company Chery, which launched its vehicles here in 2023.Currently Chery has several models on sale in Australia including the petrol powered C5 small SUV and its E5 electric twin, while there’s three hybrid SUVs also available: the small Tiggo 4, the mid-sized Tiggo 7 and the large Tiggo 8. 

New CX-5 officially teased!

Mazda is emptying the decks.The Japanese brand has one of the most exciting new car portfolios in the works with a wide range of models such as a new CX-20 SUV, a hybrid CX-5, several electric cars and a rotary-powered sports car.These complement its new premium SUV line-up, which has launched in the past two years, and ranges from CX-60 up to CX-90.Mazda is a small carmaker by global standards but its new product pipeline is sure to help fight off the ascendence of new Chinese brands.One of the most exciting new models is the production version of the Iconic SP show car from the 2023 Tokyo motor show.Mazda Chief Technical Officer, Ryuichi Umeshita, in an interview with US outlet Motor Trend revealed the Iconic SP won’t replace the MX-5 as previously thought but will bolster the brand's sports car range.“You can expect Iconic SP will be a good successor for RX-7,” Mazda Chief Technical Officer Ryuichi Umeshita tells MotorTrend.Umeshita told Motor Trend the new sports car wouldn’t cannibalise MX-5 sales, but would complement it. Toyota has found success with a similar two-pronged sports car team with the GR86 and Supra.There is a strong chance the new sports car could be called the RX-9. The brand has held the trademark in Australia for decades and its rotary powerplant makes it worthy of the RX name.Iconic SP Concept was registered with the Japan Patent Office earlier this year.That registration confirmed some eye-popping features such as retractable pop-up headlights and twin-rotary EV power.Unlike previous RX models, the new version won’t use the rotary engine to drive the wheels but it will be used as a range-extender hybrid. In this set-up it is used purely as a generator to top up a battery that feeds electric motors.This gives it petrol-car practicality with electric-car grunt and performance.The patent confirmed the car’s overall styling would remain close to the Iconic SP concept with its Coke Bottle design, as will the slimline window runner mounted side mirrors.

Mazda Australia has set up trademark requests for a series of badge names that point to a potential influx of electric cars.Five filings with IP Australia consist of anticipated or possible electric cars names from the brand, including the Mazda CX-6e and Mazda 6e, which already exist in some markets.The Mazda 2e and 3e filings suggest light and small electric cars could be on the way, while the CX-5e name points to another mid-size SUV model.While brands sometimes register trademarks to protect model names that fit in their style but don’t apply to an existing car, the choices by Mazda to register these limited but specific names seems more deliberate.The Mazda 6e and CX-6e have already been around for a short while, starting life as the EZ-6 and EZ-60 respectively in China, built by joint venture Changan-Mazda.The 6e and CX-6e model names are applied to the cars for international markets and brand recognition, with the 2026 Mazda 6e already locked in Europe and available with details for each market.The CX-6e is not yet confirmed under that name, but it’s possible that it will be the EZ-60’s international name if not deemed too similar phonetically to ‘CX-60’.As for the 2e, 3e and CX-5e, all have been trademarked in the EU by Mazda so it’s possible there are more announcements to come from Mazda regarding future EVs, even if not entirely relevant to Australia.It would make sense that if 2e and 3e come to fruition, they’d be Mazda2 and Mazda3-sized. There’s also a chance the CX-5e name has been registered in anticipation of the next-gen CX-5, if electrification ends up being on the cards.CarsGuide has contacted Mazda Australia for comment on the trademark filings.