Mazda adds more kit, ability and safety to CX-5

MAZDA has treated its ever-popular CX-5 medium SUV to a belated update for 2020, one that adds more standard kit, extra off-road ability, more active safety gear, improved refinement and few subtle price increases to match.

Now kicking off from $30,980 plus on-road costs for the Maxx FWD manual, asking prices have gone up by $100 for the entry level Maxx variants and $200 for the rest of the range (Maxx Sport, Touring, GT and Akera) in exchange for a fairly hefty spec upgrade, especially the AWDs.

In a bid to put the U (utility) back in SUV (sports utility vehicle), Mazda has fitted every AWD variant with the same Off-Road Traction Assist function as the bigger MY20 CX-9, ensuring greater traction by electronically locking the rear differential and pairing the all-wheel-drive system with the traction control system more effectively.

Adding an extra level of control and driver involvement are the new paddle shifters fitted to all variants from the Maxx Sport up while the Maxx variants score a bigger infotainment screen (8.0-inches).

No mechanical changes have been made anywhere in the range, meaning the same 2.0-litre, 2.5-litre and turbo-charged 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engines remain, along with the familiar 2.2-litre turbo-diesel unit.

A manual transmission (six-speed) is still only available in the base Maxx FWD while all other variants utilise a six-speed automatic.

All variants’ safety credentials have been updated to now include advanced autonomous emergency braking, Smart City Brake Support (SCBS) and night-time pedestrian protection as standard.

Noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) levels have also been improved across the range with new headliner material said to boast a 10 per cent improvement in low-frequency sound absorption while petrol variants score a new “steering vibration countermeasure”.

Things are taken a step further with bigger mufflers and a stiffer spare wheel holder fitted to the top-spec GT and Akera variants powered by the turbocharged 2.5-litre petrol engine.

For non-turbo 2.5-litre variants, a new cylinder deactivation display has been added to the MZD Connect system to show drivers when cylinders one and four have been switched off.

A new colour has also been added to the palette – Polymetal Grey Metallic – along with new badging and an updated key fob for the entire range.

Mazda sold 25,539 CX-5s nationally last year, enough to see it take the crown as the best-selling medium SUV, 1279 units clear of the Toyota RAV4 in second place.

The tables have turned so far this year ending February however, with the RAV4 occupying a healthy 22 per cent of the segment compared to the CX-5’s 14.9 per cent.

2020 Mazda CX-5 pricing*

*Excludes on-road costs