Mazda CX-5 2013 News

Buying a used car is difficult enough in normal times.

Mazda gives us a glimpse of the second-generation CX-5 ahead of its official premiere at next month’s Los Angeles Auto Show.

After a couple of record breaking years, the car industry stalled in 2014. Sales of locally built cars continued to slide as we move closer to the shuttering of the local industry.On the flip side, the SUV continues its relentless progress, accounting for one in three new vehicles sold.Well-heeled buyers treated themselves to a record number of luxury cars. Official figures from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries show 1,113,224 new cars were reported as sold in 2014 - down 2 per cent on the previous year's record.Here's our list of last year's winners and losers.Starting at $19,990 plus on-road costs - the same price as in 1994 - the Corolla was Australia's top-seller for the second year in a row, followed closely by the Mazda3.The Toyota HiLux workhorse was next, one of three utes in the Top 10. Hyundai's i30 small car was fourth and the new Holden Commodore finished fifth despite a sales slide in the last six months.Some importers sharpened their pencils or added more features to heap pressure on the locals . The results were dramatic for some - sales of Honda's Jazz, Subaru's Impreza and Mitusbishi's ASX grew by roughly a third, with the Jeep Grand Cherokee up 28.2 per cent and the Nissan X-Trail up 17.4 per cent.Longstanding import nations Japan, Thailand and South Korea went off the boil yet sales from Europe and the United States grew strongly.SUV sales hit a new high, for the first time accounting for more than 30 per cent of the new-car market.Since 2007, annual SUV sales have grown by more than 150,000 vehicles. "The increase in SUV purchases is a reflection of the versatility these vehicles provide and the increasing range available in the market," says Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries boss Tony Weber.The Mazda CX-5 became only the second SUV in history to make the top 10. Ford's Territory cracked it once, in 2005.As mainstream brands went backwards, most luxury marques posted significant increases. Of the big three, Audi performed the strongest, up 20 per cent, while Mercedes-Benz rallied by 15.8 per cent and BMW was up 10.7 per cent. At the top end, Porsche was up by almost 50 per cent and Rolls Royce nearly 150 per cent."The prices of luxury cars have come down," Weber says, "and they have a wider array of vehicles in different segments, so they're starting to drift down into areas where they weren't historically."Australia is now in its 23rd year of economic growth...it makes a difference to people's standard of living and that's reflected in the car fleet."They're not sexy - and they've been largely left behind by a wave of seven-seat SUVs.A comeback of sorts was due almost entirely to one model, the Honda Odyssey. It's been slammed by some reviewers for its frumpy looks and less than inspiring road manners, but sales of the bigger, more practical model are up by more than 150 per cent.Toyota's Tarago enjoyed a small resurgence and the new Citroen Picasso boosted numbers.Production of locally made vehicles hit a 61-year low with just 100,468 Holdens, Fords and Toyotas sold. In 1953, the tally was 99,133 vehicles, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The bureau also provides the peak figure for the Australian car manufacturing industry, 473,045 vehicles in 1976.In 1960, more than 90 per cent of cars sold in Australia were made locally. In 2014, more than 90 per cent of cars were imported.Eight of the top 10 brands had sales slides, Hyundai and Subaru bucking the trend.The changing of the guard at the top of the charts continued, with Hyundai and Mazda closing the gap on No.2 Holden.Meanwhile, Ford posted its worst sales performance in almost 50 years and its 10th consecutive year of decline.Toyota was the market leader for a record 12th year in a row. It wasn't all good news - the Japanese giant's sales were down for the third consecutive year, 203,498 deliveries, down from a peak of 238,983 in 2008.Once tipped as the next big thing, pint-sized city runabouts hit the skids. Sales of micro cars - including the Mitsubishi Mirage, Holden Barina Spark and Nissan Micra - dropped by 30 per cent. Meanwhile diesel passenger car sales fell by 17 per cent and sales of hybrid cars to private buyers fell by 30 per cent.Australians bought 100,000 fewer passenger cars than in 2007. Eight years ago passenger cars accounted for more than 60 per cent of the market; over the past two years they have slipped below 50 per cent.Mid-sized and large sedans continue to feel the brunt of the switch to SUVs - last year for the first time baby softroaders outstripped mid-sized sedans. Falcon sales were down by more than 40 per cent. Camry sales dropped by 11 per cent.The end of the mining boom and drought in some states have stalled Australia's work utes after years of strong growth. NSW was the only market to grow in 2014, with WA, Qld and Tasmania bearing the brunt of the slowdown. Notable exceptions are Ford's Ranger and the Isuzu D-Max. More sad news for locals: Falcon ute sales dipped by 40 per cent and Holden utes by 6 per cent.Top 10 brands in 2014Toyota 203,501 -- down 5.2 per centHolden 106,092 -- down 5.3 per centMazda 100,704 -- down 2.4 per centHyundai 100,011 -- up 3.1 per centFord 79,703 -- down 8.6 per centMitsubishi 68,637 -- down 4.0 per centNissan 66,025 -- down 14.0 per centVolkswagen 54,801 -- down 0.2 per centSubaru 40,502 -- up 0.8 per centHonda 32,998 -- down 15.9 per centTop 10 cars in 2014Toyota Corolla 43,735 -- up 0.5 per centMazda3 43,313 -- up 2.9 per centToyota HiLux 38,126 -- down 4.5 per centHyundai i30 31,505 -- up 3.0 per centHolden Commodore 30,203 -- up 8.8 per centFord Ranger 26,619 -- up 22.3 per centMitsubishi Triton 24,256 -- down 1.0 per centToyota Camry -- 22,044 down 11.3 per centMazda CX-5 21,571 -- up 7.2 per centVolkswagen Golf 19,545 -- up 10.6 per cent

While Holden and Ford sales have been in steady decline over the past decade Mazda has steadily climbed and in 2012 the Japanese car maker overtook Ford as the third highest seller behind Toyota and Holden.An indication of the dramatic swing is that in 2004 Holden sold around 178,000 vehicles compared with 55,000 Mazdas. As of November 2013 the gap had closed to just over 8000 with Holden down to 103,000 and Mazda up to 95,000.The number 3 is most significant because the Mazda3 makes up around 40 per cent of Mazda’s total Australian sales despite the imminent arrival of an all-new model. The company’s other star performer is the CX-5 which is now Australia’s top seller across all segments of the highly-competitive SUV market segment.Mazda’s 2013 performance is all the more impressive because it has been a relatively quiet year with no new model releases and only the addition of some new variants to the CX-5 and BT-50 range.Australia is one of Mazda’s most important markets and this was recognised when the Japanese head office chose Melbourne as the first of five major cities to reveal the upcoming, third generation, Mazda3 with Istanbul, St Petersburg, London and New York following as the earth moved around the sun.The next three years will be busier with five new models set to arrive here spearheaded by the all-new Mazda3 in January 2014. Also due for new generation models between 2014 and 2016 are the Mazda2, MX-5 and CX-9. Mazda won’t be specific on the fifth new model but given its success in the SUV field and the trend towards sub-compacts a CX-3 is the strong favourite. Based on the Mazda2 platform it would join recent releases such as Holden Trax, Nissan Juke, Peugeot 2008 and Ford EcoSport.Each of these upcoming models will continue the roll-out of Mazda’s ground-breaking SkyActiv technology that covers all aspect of vehicle design including engines, transmissions, brakes, body structure and chassis designed to significantly reduce fuel consumption and exhaust emissions by between 20 and 30 per cent. 

The new Mazda3 MPS could have diesel power in a radical rethink of the Japanese brand’s hot hatch. The shock revelation was made in Japan overnight by the global boss of Mazda, Masamichi Kogai.When asked about plans for the next Mazda3 MPS Kogai-san told Australian media on the eve of the Tokyo motor show: "The diesel engine has a very strong potential in the future … it’s a possibility."It is unclear whether the diesel version of the MPS would be the only engine available or an alternative to turbo petrol power, as is the case with the Volkswagen Golf which offers a hot hatch with a choice of fuels.But the 2.2-litre turbo diesel fitted to the CX-5 softroader fits neatly under the bonnet of the new Mazda3.Either way, a hot hatch version of the new Mazda3 is still at least two years away.Mazda is focusing its engineering resources into key models -- the new Mazda2 city hatch, the new CX-9 seven-seater SUV and the new MX-5 sports-car -- that will deliver sales volume and profit over the next two years.A baby SUV dubbed "CX-3" has reportedly been put on the back-burner while Mazda focuses its resources on these other models, and is said to now be at least three years away, meaning Mazda will be late with an entrant in one of the fastest growing market segments globally.The Mazda3 MPS is viewed by Mazda as a "nice to have, rather than a must have", say company insiders.Although Mazda is hugely successful in Australia, it has struggled to make a profit globally in recent years and is in a transition phase.It is one of the reasons Mazda fast-tracked the developed of the Mazda3 ahead of the Mazda2, because it generates more profit than its smaller sibling.Meanwhile a rotary engine is still being considered for a hydrogen-powered Mazda or to be used as a range extender on an upcoming electric vehicle.If the rotary engine is developed for these eco applications, it would open the door to being used in a sports car such as the modern version of the RX-7 or a successor to the RX-8.But Kogai-san said there were still no firm plans for a resurrection of the RX-7 despite a strong desire to revive the iconic sports-car.The Mazda rotary engine will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2017, the RX-7 will celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2018, and Mazda as a company will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2020.Mazda built 811,634 two-seater RX-7 sports cars from 1978 to 2002, according to automotive history websites.The four-seater RX-8, which had rear-hinged "suicide" doors on either side, notched up 192,194 sales between 2003 and April 2012, but was not deemed successful enough to continue with a new model.Mazda says it has made more than 2 million rotary engines since the first rotary-powered Mazda Cosmo went on sale in 1963.The rotary engine was phased out in 2012 because its fuel consumption was relatively inefficient, and the engine itself was expensive to produce and had limited customer appeal.

Just as rear-wheel drive die-hard BMW prepares its first front-wheel drive models, Mazda could be plotting a return to the layout for future passenger vehicles.Mazda has never let go of rear-wheel drive for its sporty MX-5 and its light commercial BT-50 range, and Edmunds reports that there is a push from within the Japanese brand to revert to rear-drive for more mainstream models as a means of differentiation. Mazda, along with most other brands, abandoned rear-drive for its mainstream models in the early 1980s due to inherent cost, packaging, weight, and efficiency compromises. The last Mazda passenger car to send power to the rear wheels only was the top-line HE-generation 929 model, which bowed out in 1997.Nowadays, the mainstream Mazda2, Mazda3, and Mazda6 models are all front-drive, with the CX-5 and CX-9 SUVs also using a front-biased transverse engine layout.Rear-drive remains the accepted choice on a purely dynamic basis, with the likes of Porsche, Ferrari, and Lotus maintaining the layout as a design fundamental.A Mazda rear-wheel drive shift could enhance the brand’s appeal to enthusiast drivers, but the inherent challenges would need to be overcome to maintain mainstream appeal.Premium brands BMW and Mercedes-Benz have managed to remain successful with rear-drive mainstream models, and look to continue limiting front-drive options to the smaller, more cost-conscious ends of their respective ranges.Significantly, BMW and Mercedes’ big-selling rear drivers sit well up the price scale from any Mazda offering – helping to justify their expensive development. The Mazda push is reportedly coming from within its engineering department, but top management is said to be cold on the idea due to the cost of rejigging platforms to suit. Justification could come thanks to Alfa Romeo’s own desire for more rear-wheel drive models, considering the two brands’ existing relationship for the upcoming Alfa Spider/next MX-5 duo. It’s a long shot at this stage, with no official confirmation of such a strategy, but the rumoured replacement for the defunct RX-7 and RX-8 sports coupes would be a logical first step.This reporter is on Twitter: @Mal_Flynn 

The unofficial annual face-off between Australian and Russian motoring journos has just taken place in Australia for the first time. And the change of location emphasised the differences between the two teams' training. The Russians sharpen their skills in the ice and snow and the Aussies hone theirs on tarmac and gravel. Russia took the trophy last year on their frozen home turf -- possibly because of our limited experience ice racing. THE CAR Mazda's mighty little roadster is a logical weapon of choice, largely because it offers the purest form of driving. In its favour are relatively light weight, rear wheel drive, conventional six speed manual transmission, sporty dynamics, adequate power that rewards driving skill as opposed to a heavy right foot. Mazda sponsors the event in that they supply the cars. This year a row of roofless roadsters presented themselves at the venue complete with roll bars, competition brake pads and racing seats with five point harnesses. Apart from that, they were bog standard MX-5s. Now you might think 118kW is a trifling amount of power to play with but we found out pretty quickly that it's all you need to get going really fast. Too fast in some cases. THE CONTEST This year, Australia won after a four discipline contest based outside Canberra that included motorkhana, skid pan, hill climb and rally. HILL CLIMB First discipline was the hill climb, a 700 metre circuit with a narrow ribbon of old tarmac threading its way across the side of a hill and into a valley below. No problem for the Mazda here and some of the times were respectable, not anywhere near as fast as "real" hill climb drivers but.... well, respectable. From the driver's seat the experience was thrilling and totally absorbing because if you make a mistake, you're off into the dongah. Tick one. MOTORKHANA Next was the motorkhana between randomly spaced flags out of one imaginary "garage", returning to another imaginary "garage" adjacent in a far under 20 seconds as possible. It was a contest in 100ths of a second so any stumble was heavily punished by the stopwatch stress levels on the redline but still an interesting challenge. SKIDPAN It was all about a delicate touch rather than bold throttle application and lurid tail-out drifting. Those who kept it all in check and didn't lose the front or rear ends achieved the best times. Challenging in the extreme. RALLY Then the main event -- the rally section in the Canberra forest on a 7km section of the national capital's rally course. Remember these were standard MX-5s on low profile road tyres with the roof off. Not a problem for the tough little roadster thanks to its rigid chassis, big brakes and sharp dynamic responses. Some of the times achieved were truly incredible for essentially a road car. That the MX-5s came through unscathed mechanically is testament to their toughness and near perfect balance of power and handling. There was absolutely no time when any more than the 118kW/188Nm output from the 2.0-litre engine was needed. The car was a handy weapon in all four disciplines thanks to its pedigree. UNEQUIVOCAL We now know unequivocally why the MX-5 is such a popular choice for enthusiasts who want a real driving experience. MAZDA MX-5 CHALLENGE FINAL RESULTS Overall Gravel Rally Motorkhana Hill Climb Skid Pan Teams  

As the world’s best-selling sports-car, the Mazda MX-5 is a favourite among weekend warriors who like to test their mettle on a race track. So what happens when you drive one on a Friday in a contrived competition among 26 motoring hacks from around the world? Well, 22 from Australia and four from Russia. Countrymen from these two old foes got together on home turf -- the nation’s capital, no less -- after the Australians were beaten two years in a row on northern hemisphere ice. First in Sweden then in Russia. To level the playing field the Russians came to Canberra last week to test their skills on dirt, and to get a taste of what it’s like to wrangle a car when the steering wheel is on the ‘wrong’ side of the cockpit. In the full spirit of the role reversal, the Russians also got to sample what it’s like to drive fast while jet-lagged. The day’s events were due to start just as their bodies would be telling them to go to sleep. In their dreams the Russians may have had visions of the vast Australian desert, or majestic beaches.  What they were greeted with was a group of friendly bearded fellows from the MG Car Club (which helped run the event), who cheerily told the assembled throng the first race of the day was in a car park around some flags positioned barely wide enough to fit a Mazda MX-5 through. It was like running a marathon around a barbecue. After that and a couple of other exercises (racing against the clock on a skidpan, and a few laps of a perilously narrow course on the side of a hill) it was time for the main event: a 6km section of a national championship rally stage in the middle of dense forest. It’s at this point the day took a serious turn (pun intended). Having sampled the course at slow speed, and noted with some interest the narrow dirt road’s close proximity to trees and cliff faces, I began to wonder if this was a good idea after all. How worried? When we got back to the regrouping point I made sure I told a couple of close colleagues how to divide my worldly possessions should the worst happen. I am not making this up. The fear was reasonably well founded. We were driving cars that had no special preparations other than a racing seat, a harness, and a rollbar that seemed to be there for show. For starters, most drivers’ heads were taller than the protection it might offer in a rollover, and it would be little to no help in a side impact against a gum tree. Or a cliff face. The cars also had no underbody protection, and no rally tyres. Mazda figured it would be cheaper to bring a truckload of spares rather than reboot every car with heavy-duty rubber. The company also calculated it would be cheaper to replace the bent bits afterwards, rather than add armour to the underside of every vehicle. And so, one by one, the cars came back with buckled rims and grazed bumpers. Some cars returned with two wheels in the shape of a capital D. Some were lucky enough to come back only with a layer of dust over them. But more importantly all cars (and drivers) came back mostly in one piece -- against the odds, and many of our private expectations. Or should that be fear? Apart from a lot of dirt behind my teeth, I came away from the experience with a new respect for the off-road ability, durability, balance and poise of the Mazda MX-5, and the gravel-grabbing ability of Bridgestone road tyres. I never want to come back to life as a tyre. There was also a renewed respect for our comrades representing global superpower Russia, who adapted brilliantly well in trying conditions. The Australians may have yielded an overdue victory but one of the Russian young guns was equal second-fastest over the perilous course, out of 26 motor noters -- 22 of which were from Australia. In other words, Australians may have outnumbered them but the Russians outpaced most of the locals. Round four anyone, somewhere near the equator perhaps? That way we’re only half as jet-lagged as each other -- and both drowning in humidity. On second thoughts… This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling  

So much for the push towards greener cars. In automotive terms Australia is about to become the 51st state of the USA.Australians are moving closer to North Americans in their taste in vehicles. For the first time ever there is now almost an exact 50:50 split between the sales of passenger cars – and utes and SUVs. The same ratio seen for decades in pick-up and SUV-loving USA. Twenty years ago passenger cars accounted for more than 70 per cent of all new vehicles sold in Australia.Official figures released today confirm January 2013 was the strongest start to a year in Australian automotive history, eclipsing 85,000 deliveries for the first time – and the previous January record set in 2008 before the Global Financial Crisis.The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries reports 41,957 passenger cars were delivered in January compared to 41,595 utes, vans and SUVs – a slim gap of 362 sales, or the equivalent of just three days of deliveries for the top-selling car, the Mazda3.“The trend towards SUVs and away from classic passenger cars is all to do with their style and versatility and mass-acceptability,” says David Chalke, a cultural change analyst with AustraliaScan. “Everybody’s doing it, there’s now a fear of being left out.”Chalke says SUVs are no longer the heathens of the road thanks to their new levels of fuel-efficiency. “The new ones use comparatively so little fuel most people don’t think they’re driving a 4WD,” he said. “In fact in many cases they’re not. They are often two-wheel-drive with the appearance of a 4WD.”FCAI chief executive Tony Weber says the mining boom is also driving ute and SUV sales. “Part of is the mining boom, part of it is private buyers seeking new levels of flexibility and cars that better suit their needs.”Australia’s three local car makers – Toyota, Holden and Ford – failed to cash-in. January is typically a slow month for sales of locally-made cars but they dropped by 28 per cent to an all-new low.Just 2722 Australian made cars were delivered in January – which means the combined sales of the Holden Commodore, Ford Falcon, Ford Territory, Toyota Camry and Toyota Aurion ranked third -- an unprecedented status. Mazda3 was the top-selling car (3345 sales), followed by the Toyota Corolla (2960), the Toyota Hilux (2747), and the Nissan Navara (2474).The Ford Focus (2364) had its best month ever -- and helped drive Ford to a 33 per cent sales increase – but it outsold the Falcon by three-to-one. The Falcon (778 deliveries) is now selling at the same rate as the Mitsubishi 380 in the year before the factory closed. Ford’s Broadmeadows throughput is topped up by the production of Territory (up 44 per cent) and ute (down 22 per cent), but sales of both models are well down from their peaks.Holden says it has scaled back production of the Commodore (1650 deliveries) ahead of a new model due in showrooms in June. Toyota sold just 557 Camrys and 227 Aurion V6 sedans (down 57 and 77 per cent respectively). The FCAI’s Weber dismissed the weak sales of locally mades cars as “just one bad month, let’ see where it goes”. “We’re going to continue to see more and more market segmentation,” Weber said. “We won’t see just one car reach the massive volumes of years past.”In other highlights:Toyota was down 5 per cent but is set to lead the market for the 11th year in a row;Mazda outsold Holden to be second in the market for the fourth time ever (previous monthly second-placings: April, September and Dec 2012);Nissan is closing-in on Ford, less than 500 sales behind, threatening to push the Blue Oval brand to sixth;Honda had a blinder month, up 141 per cent from a low base – but still well down on its best year;Audi outsold BMW for the fourth January (previous wins were in ’09, ’11, ’12) and the sixth time ever (after previous wins in Feb ’11, Oct ’11) but Mercedes was top luxury brand;Sales of passenger cars fell by 1 per cent in a market that grew 11 per cent driven by surges in utes (up 43 per cent) and SUVs (up 20 per cent);The delivery of 1878 heavy trucks (up 10 per cent) takes January tally to 85,430.Top selling cars in January 2013Mazda3 3345Toyota Corolla 2960Toyota HiLux 2747Nissan Navara 2474Ford Focus 2364Hyundai i30 2006Holden Captiva 2155Mazda2 1665Holden Commodore 1650Holden Cruze 1630Mazda CX5 1625Top selling brands in January 2013Toyota 13,375 down 4.9pcMazda 8912 up 5.1pcHolden 8811 down 2.8pcFord 7721 up 32.3pcNissan 7248 up 35 pcHyundai 6816 up 4.7pcMitsubishi 4449 down 2.6pcVolkswagen 3824 up 13.6pcHonda 3816 up 141pcSubaru 3104 down 3.2pcThis reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling 

It's easy to get into, the cabin is spacious, well-equipped and comfortable - the driver is well accommodated for as well, with most things falling easily to hand. A runaway best seller thank to its convenient size and the Mazda badge. "It's a good car, but not great. And the CR-V is a better package for its price,'' Paul Gover said at the COTY judging. The steering wheel has key controls and there's good connectivity - the touchscreen satnav infotainment screen is easy to see but it's quirky map-rotation habits were disappointing. The rear passengers will notice the lack of rear vents in summer. A rear seat 12-volt outlet wouldn't go astray either, but apart from those two issues the rear seat occupants have good leg, foot and headroom. The ride is tending towards firm but doesn't cause complaints, the payoff coming in good body control and composed road manners in the bends - the Mazda3 on stilts analogy is apt. Steady pace can be maintained by the petrol engine but it's no fireball - the genuine manual change mode of the six-speed auto makes better use of the reasonable flexibility on offer by the little four-pot. Alternatively, you can wring its neck, but that's going to take the fuel economy north of the nine litres per 100km that was returned during our stint. The little Mazda has what it takes to re-define one side of the compact SUV segment, the on-road runners. In front-wheel drive guise it's not set-up for dirt work, but the CX-5 FWD is smooth, quiet and comfortable, but it's not perfect. No rear vents is an oversight, the satnav quirk was annoying and the diesel AWD promises to be the drivetrain of choice (and worth the $5500) if you want a decent amount of grunt under your right foot. Mazda CX-5 Maxx FWD petrol auto Price: from $29,880 Engine: 2.0 litre16-valve direct-injection DOHC four cylinder with i-Stop Transmission: six-speed automatic, front wheel drive Power: 114kW @ 6000rpm Torque: 200Nm @ 4000rpm Fuel use/emissions: 6.4 l/100km, tank 56 litres 91RON; 201g/km Brakes/safety systems: Driver and front passenger airbags, front seat side/thorax, curtain airbags, stability control (Emergency Brake Assist (EBA), Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), Traction Control), rear camera, tyre pressure warning Dimensions: Length 4540mm, width 1840mm, height 1710mm, wheelbase 2700mm, cargo volume 403 litres, weight 1475kg Wheels/tyres: 17in steel wheels Win $5,000 in our People's Choice competition.