Mazda SUV Range

The overheating is far from a mystery: Any time the coolant level in the radiator and cooling system drops below a critical point, there’s simply not enough coolant remaining to effectively cool the engine. So it gets hotter and hotter until it overheats.

The bigger question is why the coolant is leaving the radiator via the coolant recovery tank. In many cases, this is because of pressure from the combustion process finding its way into the cooling system. In turn, that’s very often caused by a failed head gasket which is allowing the combustion pressure into the coolant passages inside the cylinder head and crankcase.

The head gasket not only keeps combustion pressure (the result of the air and fuel being burnt in each cylinder) inside the engine, but also separate from the cooling system. But a failed gasket will often allow the pressure and the coolant to mix, at which point the pressure overcomes the pressure inside the cooling system and the coolant has to go somewhere. Generally, that somewhere will be the recovery tank as this is where the coolant goes in the normal course of its expanding as the engine heats up.

There’s a quick, simple chemical test that a mechanic can carry out to confirm whether the head gasket has failed, and this would probably be your first step. And don’t be tempted to continue driving the car and simply topping up the coolant. This type of leak can get a lot worse very quickly, and overheating can destroy an engine while you watch.

There’s been no recall for this model regarding oil consumption. And although there have been a handful of recalls for the CX-5, your car is not within the build-date parameters to be one of the affected ones.

It’s important to remember that often, a problem with a car sold in another market, won’t affect the same make and model in another part of the world. This can be because of vastly different operating conditions, different driving and usage habits and even the two apparently identical vehicles being built in different factories with different suppliers producing the parts.

Don’t forget, either, that all engines consume some oil. A turbocharged engine with its higher combustion chamber pressures will often sip a little more, but some oil consumption is part of the normal process of engine operation. That’s particularly true of modern cars which often use low-tension piston rings to reduce internal friction and, therefore, fuel consumption, at the cost of a little more oil consumption.

It all depends on how you define long and bulky. But no seven-seater is going to be exactly small, is it? That’s because, to accommodate the third row of seats necessary to seat seven a vehicle physically has to be a certain length and there’s just no getting around that.

But I take your point; a lot of the seven-seat SUVs out there do seem pretty big. Again, however, that’s not a bad thing if you plan to fill all three rows of seats and still have some room left for luggage. The smaller seven-seaters aren’t all that good at this as the third row gobbles up the luggage space, making these cars best for those who only need seven seats on an occasional basis. If that’s your situation there are lots of mid-sized seven seaters around, but they’re pretty much all SUVs.

And while it goes against your preference for a smaller vehicle, the very best seven-seaters aren’t SUVs. They’re usually people-mover vans such as the Ford Tourneo, Kia Carnival and VW ID. Buzz. In fact, some of these even seat eight. They’re also a lot better for accessing the rearmost row of seats and they’ll still have lots of luggage space even with all seats occupied. And, yes, they look big, but that’s physics for you.

In the meantime, you could look at slightly less bulky options including the Hyundai Santa Fe, Kia Sorento, Mazda CX-80 and Toyota Kluger. There’s also been speculation recently that Subaru’s seven-seat Tribeca might make a return to the Australian market.