Ssangyong Tivoli vs Mazda CX-5

What's the difference?

I was asked the critical question while I had the Tivoli ELX on test – “Do you think people will buy this car?” After some time in thought, my answer was – “Not many… yet.”

Those who can look past the brand perceptions are getting an SUV which is damn near as good as anything on the market – and likely cheaper to run.

To that, you can say a lot of things: If only it cost slightly less. If only its rear was better looking. If only it had a five-star safety rating.

But here it is – the fact that the Tivoli can even hold a candle to its slick, finely tuned competition says a lot. The Double Dragon is back, and if it can afford to stick around for a while, perhaps it will stand a chance of putting the big players on notice.

The Mazda CX-5 Evolve kicks some goals and with its comfortable on-road handling, robust safety equipment and practical interior, it’s still a solid choice for families looking for a mid-sized SUV. The only thing it’s missing is a hybrid powertrain, which would make this already well-rounded package even more compelling.

SsangYong is hardly a brand known for its consistent or good-looking design. In the past, the brand has floundered between the squared-off lines of the Musso and the unresolved bulbous curves of the last-gen Korando.

The brand’s re-launch has finally brought it up to speed, with every car across its range featuring a consistent design language. It’s improved out of sight, but still isn’t without its flaws.

Up front, there’s an angry-looking, squared-off horizontally slotted grille, with angles galore wrapping around the small SUV’s sides.

The angles continue up the A-pillar and across the roof for a squared-off, European-influenced roofline.

Then, around the back things get… strange. A pronounced curvy ridge makes its way over the rear wheels and into a rounded-out boot. It seems at odds with the angular rear glass and lower garnish.

There’s just way too much going on around the back; it’s overly styled. The chintzy chrome finish around the lower reflectors doesn’t help, nor do the big round SsangYong badge and bold ‘T I V O L I’ typeface.

The 16-inch alloys on the EX and ELX grade are a simple 10-spoke matte-silver. They’re nothing special, but at least they're easy to clean.

Inside, things are also mixed. There’s plenty of good and bad. The seats are clad in a robust cloth with plenty of sponge for comfort, and there are sensibly placed soft surfaces in the doors and on the centre console for your elbows.

The dash has an aesthetically pleasing symmetrical theme to it and is finished mostly in decent plastics. The 7.0-inch media screen is pretty good, too, but the rest of the centre stack is a bit nasty and old fashioned.

There’s the mix of gloss plastic and silver surfaces, a giant climate control dial and the so-so buttons that litter its surface. It reminds me of Korean car designs past, like the Holden (Daewoo) Captiva and generations-old Hyundais. Credit where credit is due, though - it all feels much better built.

I’m actually a big fan of the Tivoli’s steering wheel, it has a ridged, chunky shape and is finished in a pleasing artificial-leather material. The function stalks behind it are solid, with rotary dials on them to control lights and wipers. As the primary touch-points for the driver it’s neat that they have a unique, SsangYong personality to them.

The next-generation Mazda CX-5 is bigger than before, but it retains the sleek body lines and understated styling that have made it such a handsome SUV. The wider front end and repositioned grille give it a more purposeful look than the outgoing model, while the 17-inch alloy wheels keep things suitably restrained.

Inside, the cabin doesn’t feel too basic despite the cloth upholstery. There are plenty of soft-touch materials, a pleasant dashboard and some new technology, including the 12.9-inch multimedia display. You lose most of the physical buttons, though, so there’s a little less of that traditional Mazda tactility.

The fabric seats are cosy and the extra interior space is definitely noticeable. Overall, there is still an understated elegance to the CX-5’s cabin.

The Tivoli might be a small SUV but it has a cavernous cabin. It’s seriously impressive and rivals some of the best players in this segment, like the Honda HR-V.

The front seat offers huge amounts of headroom, leagues of legroom, great space for your arms on either side and a fully telescopically adjustable steering wheel.

Storage is comprised of a shallow trench under the climate-control stack, decently sized cupholders in the centre console and doors, as well as a deep console box and a glovebox, which seems to disappear forever into the dash.

There’s also a rather odd trench cut out of the dash above the console box. It’s ridged and has a rubbery surface but seems useless for storing things, which will simply topple out when you accelerate.

As previously mentioned, there are comfortable surfaces for resting your elbows on for front occupants.

Room for back-seat dwellers is also excellent, with awesome legroom for the segment and leagues of airspace even for taller folk. There are the same padded elbow-rests in the doors and deep cupholders, but no air-conditioning vents or USB ports.

There are also weird elastic ropes on the back of the front seats for storing things (with mixed success) and a pull-down armrest.

The boot is rated at 423-litres (VDA), which is deceptively large (size-wise not far off the HR-V’s 437-litre space). The problem here is the shape of the boot itself. It’s deep from the floor to the retractable screen, and SsangYong says it will hold three golf bags, but it’s the narrow width and length which limit  its potential.

I found it awkward to move some odd-shaped objects, like a heater and some boxes, and the high entry-point to the bootlid makes things a little difficult when moving heavier items.

Our ELX has significantly more room thanks to a space-saver spare under the boot floor. The Ultimate, which sits above has a full-size spare, further limiting boot space.

There are the same odd elastic ropes in the edges of the boot wall for smaller loose objects or cables.

The front seats are a particularly comfortable place to spend time, with wide seat bases and plenty of elbow room. Getting in and out is easy thanks to the wide door apertures and 205mm of ground clearance and there’s enough space to settle in for a longer journey.

There’s also plenty of useful storage up front, including a large glove box, dual-opening centre console, cupholders and bottle holders, plus a dedicated phone tray with wireless charging. You get a 12-volt socket and two USB-C ports for keeping everything else topped up.

The 12.9-inch multimedia screen replaces Mazda’s familiar rotary selector with touchscreen operation, which I find easier to use. The updated operating system takes a little while to get your head around and there’s no native sat nav, but otherwise it feels functional and fresh for the new-generation model. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, with CarPlay maintaining a solid connection throughout my week.

The extra size of this next-generation model is more noticeable in the back, where improved leg- and headroom is good news for taller adults on longer trips. The rear doors open to almost 90 degrees, making it easier to access the ISOFIX child-seat mounts and three top-tether anchor points.

There’s not a huge amount of extra family-focused kit back in the rear row, but you do get directional air vents, storage bins in each door and a centre armrest with cupholders. My nine-year-old was comfortable, although he did point out the lack of a charging port during a road trip.

And, as a parent, I had one other gripe: keeping the fabric seats clean from my kid’s shoes in rainy weather. Let’s just say some seat covers might be a worthwhile investment.

The boot offers up to 466L with all seats in use. That’s not the largest capacity in the class, but it was more than enough for my little family of three this week. I like the level loading floor, although the boot itself is quite tall, which can make lifting heavier items in and out a little awkward.

I’m also pleased to see a spare tyre, even if it is only a space-saver. And while a powered tailgate would be handy, at this price point I don’t think you’ll really miss it... until you’re standing there with your hands full!

There are five variants available for the third-generation Mazda CX-5, and we’re in the second-from-base Evolve grade for this review. It has a competitive $42,990, before on-road costs price, which puts it neatly among its key rivals. The Hyundai Tucson Hybrid starts at $42,850, while the Kia Sportage SX+ petrol begins at $45,580 and the Toyota RAV4 GX 2WD Hybrid at $45,990, all before on-road costs.

On price alone, the CX-5 looks well placed. But there’s one notable difference - all three rivals offer hybrid powertrains in their respective ranges, while the CX-5 currently does not. And as hybrid power becomes increasingly common in this segment, that omission could prove harder for Mazda to overlook.

The Evolve grade enjoys some solid features though, including:

• Heated front seats
• 12.9-inch multimedia touchscreen
• 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster
• Wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto
• Bluetooth
• AM/FM/digital radio
• Leather steering wheel
• Dual-zone climate control
• Two 12-volt sockets
• Wired/wireless phone charging
• Cloth seats
• Keyless entry
• Keyless start
• Rain-sensing wipers
• Electric/auto-folding side mirrors
• LED headlights
• LED DRLs
• Reversing camera

Our Tivoli is powered by a 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel engine producing 84kW and 300Nm of torque.

That seems a little low on the power front compared to petrol competitors, but the strong torque figure available from an almost instantaneous 1500rpm gives this engine a solid amount of get up and go.

If you aren’t opposed to diesel, I would strongly suggest this engine over its underpowered 1.6-litre petrol equivalent, as it has almost twice the available torque.

It might seem risky for SsangYong to be offering diesel in a segment where the fuel type is unpopular, but it makes sense from a global supply point of view, as diesel is largely the fuel of choice in the Tivoli’s home country of South Korea.

The ELX is front-wheel drive and can only be had with a six-speed torque converter auto transmission manufactured by Aisin.

The CX-5 is all-wheel drive and powered by a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine producing 132kW of power and 242Nm of torque. It has a braked towing capacity of up to 1800kg, giving you the option of some light towing on the weekends, while the six-speed automatic transmission shifts smoothly through its gears.

But there’s no escaping the fact that most of its key rivals now offer hybrid powertrains, and you can feel the absence of one here. The CX-5’s petrol engine is perfectly capable, but it doesn’t have the same efficiency advantage that many buyers in this segment are increasingly looking for.

Over my week of mainly urban driving I scored a fuel-consumption figure of 7.8L/100km against a claimed urban figure of 7.4L/100km which is not too bad, but also not stellar.

The official claimed/combined usage figure is at a bold-sounding 5.5L/100km.

The Tivoli has a 47-litre fuel tank.

The CX-5 has a 58-litre fuel tank and claimed combined cycle (urban/extra-urban) fuel consumption of 7.4L/100km, giving it a theoretical driving range of up to 783km. That’s a solid range for a family-sized SUV and means you won’t be constantly thinking about your next fuel stop.

My real-world fuel use settled at 7.8L/100km after a week of longer highway stints and urban trawls, so it’s not too far off Mazda’s official number.

Still, this is where I’d like to see a hybrid powertrain join the CX-5 range. The fuel economy is reasonable, but with so many rivals now offering hybrid options, Mazda is starting to leave some efficiency gains on the table.

We never recommend that you drive blindfolded, but if you could and you drove the Tivoli, I honestly believe you’d have trouble telling it apart from any other small SUV on sale today. 

The diesel engine feels strong from the get-go and pushes the 1390kg SUV along with a reasonable urgency. It’s no performance drivetrain, but it's as good as, if not better than, most of the petrol competitors.

The six-speed torque converter auto is mostly great around town but is old-school in that you can definitely feel each ratio. It also had the unfortunate habit of occasionally grabbing the wrong gear.

I once caught it out altogether under heavy acceleration and it spent a whole second fishing for the ratio it wanted. It’s still better than a continuously variable transmission (CVT) for driver engagement, though.

Steering is on the light side but is direct and offers decent feedback. The ELX offers three steering modes - 'Comfort', 'Normal', and 'Sport', which artificially alter the weight behind the steering. 'Normal' is by far the best.

The suspension was also notably impressive. Fellow Korean brands, Hyundai and Kia, have harked on for a long time about local tuning efforts, but I found the Tivoli’s suspension tune almost as good. It’s a slightly more spongey, comfort-focused tune, but I was impressed at how composed it felt in the corners.

The ELX has a cheap torsion-bar rear suspension setup, which could only really be noticed over rough road conditions.

Behind the wheel, the Tivoli was also surprisingly quiet at lower speeds. This makes for a nice, quiet drive around town, despite the diesel engine, but at speeds above 80km/h and engine rpms above 3000 the noise became significantly worse.

I’d say the Tivoli drives just as well as most Hyundais and Kias from just a few years ago. There’s room for improvement in the little details, but for the brand’s first effort since its international re-boot, it does a darned good job.

The CX-5 feels composed around town, with power delivered smoothly for everyday driving. But when you need to punch it off the mark, there’s some noticeable lag, and you have to work the engine harder to find the power when tackling a steeper hill at higher speeds. It’s capable enough, but it can feel like you’re asking a little more of it than you should.

The suspension has a firm edge to it, but I like how responsive the steering feels. The CX-5 is genuinely enjoyable through corners, with a dynamic feel and very little body roll.

The cabin is also impressively quiet, with minimal road or wind noise creeping in at higher speeds. Visibility is good through the front and sides, although the A-pillar can get in the way at times.

The reversing camera provides a clear view, while front and rear parking sensors make manoeuvring easier. Overall, it’s not a difficult SUV to park, despite its larger dimensions.

The Mazda CX-5 has a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating from testing conducted in 2025, with strong results across all four assessment categories.

It scored 90 per cent for adult occupant protection, 91 per cent for child occupant protection, 93 per cent for vulnerable road user protection and 87 per cent for its safety assist systems.

Other equipment include:

• 10 airbags
• Blind-spot monitoring
• ISOFIX child seat mounts
• Three top-tether anchor points
• Driver attention alert
• Driver monitoring
• Front collision warning
• Front cross-traffic alert
• Lane departure alert
• Lane keeping aid
• Rear cross-traffic alert
• Reversing camera
• Traffic sign recognition
• Autonomous emergency braking (AEB) - operational from 0-180km/h.

The SsangYong Tivoli now leads the small SUV segment with a seven-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, which is miles ahead of the acceptable industry standard of five years/unlimited kilometres offered by most competitors.

Service pricing comes in at a completely fixed and impressive-for-a-diesel $322 per yearly 15,000km service for the life of the warranty.

Extra service items are tidily laid out in a chart breaking down parts cost, labour, and total price, with the most notably expensive item being transmission fluid ($577), which, at worst, is recommended to be changed at 100,000km.

From this we can tell SsangYong intends to target Kia’s audience and use this part of the business to categorically beat its competition.

The CX-5 is covered by Mazda’s five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, which also includes five years of roadside assistance. It’s a solid offering, although longer warranty terms are becoming increasingly common in this segment.

Servicing is reasonably priced at around $440 per service over seven years, and the intervals are well spaced at every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first. That should make ongoing ownership relatively straightforward for families.