Mazda’s debut SUV is healthy competition

Created Date: 18/08/2011

Recently we’ve seen an influx of the larger vehicles taking part in a sort of space race to be the most efficient, green and eco friendly cars around. Manufacturers have been falling over themselves in their attempts to drop emission figures and raise economy figures while still maintaining equally powerful engine performance to boot. As the ever growing eye of the environmentalists watches over their gas guzzling heretics in shame, it is becoming ever more necessary to make an effort to protect our planet. While they seem unlikely candidates, Mazda have just officially entered the SUV market with a bang, with their CX5 boasting some suitably bold claims of being the most advanced and economical Mazda model to date. Their claimed figures don’t just stand up well for the company, but also the entire SUV sector as a whole.

On the outside it certainly looks like an SUV, sitting high off the ground and sporting meaty looking tires. It’s no radical departure on the aesthetics front and instead opts for a more familiar theme that is reminiscent of the current Mazda saloons. It carries the signature smiling grille and also has the angled lights for extra menace, as well as having a couple of angled intakes on either side of the front bumper. The CX5 is of course the smaller brother of the CX7 and as such has a much sleeker profile when viewed from a side; it’s nowhere near as long. This is helped by the profile of the side windows, which slope downwards towards the front in order to carry on the sleek feeling. It’s very much reminiscent in styling to that of the Range Rover Evoque.

Moving onto the inside we find a familiar site that has blessed every Mazda before it and barely changed. The interior is an all grey mix of leathers and plastic with a few pieces of chrome trim here and there. Mazda say the interior is an updated version of the previous CX5 but it’s very hard to spot any considerable differences. A centre console sits in the middle with a reasonably sized screen for navigation through the various media and performance utilities.

Now we get to the thing you’ve probably been waiting to hear about most is the engine... and let me tell you it doesn’t disappoint. Not to be outdone on the technology front, Eco-mentalist can rejoice as the CX-5 harbours a fair few treats up its sleeves for the eco-nuts. Their 2.2litre diesel engine is something of a stunner, which produces a ‘grunty’ 172bhp and happily revs all the way up to its redline at 5200rpm without even a whimper. It’s also suitably menacing in the low ends and has up to 50Nm more torque available from as low as 1,200rpm versus the old. Its economy figures are pretty astounding as well, as Mazda have managed to help reduce fuel consumption to an astonishing 40mpg and reduce its carbon footprint to less than 120g/km.

There is a genuinely large amount of excitement around this engine which is usually more akin to the petrol versions. On the said petrol front, there is also an unannounced petrol version which should most definitely not be ignored as it includes Mazda’s new ‘Skyactiv’ technology – a firm favourite in the evolution of environmental combustion engines that blends high fuel compression ratios with energy efficient lightweight transmissions for amazing fuel economy ratings.

The Mazda CX5 is due to go on sale in spring 2012 and will be produced on a new modular chassis and suspension setup that will cement a whole new range of Mazda, including the forthcoming replacement for the Mazda 6 saloon. With a lot of claimed next generation technology in its newly developed engines, this could well be a fantastic contender for the crown of the most eco-friendly SUV.

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