Mazda adds turbo-petrol power to CX-5

MAZDA Australia has finally confirmed that it will add the turbocharged petrol engine from the CX-9 and Mazda6 to its CX-5 medium SUV line-up as part of a model year update that rolls into showrooms in December.

This marks the second update in 2018 for Australia’s best-selling SUV and, as well as the new powertrain, the CX-5 gains more standard safety spec from the base variant up, improvements to ride quality and premium interior touches in higher model grades.

Mazda is offering the 2.5-litre turbo-petrol engine in the two highest grades and it represents a $2500 premium over the naturally aspirated 2.5-litre petrol unit, meaning a $46,970 plus on-road costs pricetag for the GT and $49,170 for the Akera.

Mazda has tweaked pricing for the carry over CX-5 variants, with the range kicking off with the manual Maxx 2.0 petrol from $29,770 excluding on-road costs, which represents a $1080 increase over the outgoing version.

Elsewhere, the Touring 2.5 petrol AWD is up by $880 and there are other fluctuations, but Mazda says the additional kit more than makes up for it.

The 2.5-litre turbocharge petrol unit delivers 170kW at 5000rpm and 420Nm at 2000rpm, which matches the output of the same unit in the CX-9 and Mazda6.

Mazda Australia marketing director Alastair Doak said the company’s local arm has been asking Mazda HQ to put the turbo-petrol engine in the CX-5 for some time and added that it will appeal to new and returning buyers.

“That gives CX-5 another string to its bow,” he told GoAuto this week. “It delivers a performance capability that we probably haven’t had in that car to this point.

“The turbo adds that appeal to existing customers from a repurchasing point of view, but we also think it will bring new customers to the car as well because of that performance feel that some people have been looking for that we haven’t been able to satisfy up until this point.”

Mr Doak said the CX-5 was on track for record sales in 2018, despite stock issues relating to the Japanese typhoons earlier this year that had a major impact on the area around Mazda’s Hiroshima base.

He said Mazda was not concerned about retaining the crown of Australia’s top-selling SUV next year in the face of renewed competition from Toyota’s all-new RAV4.

“The top spot isn’t a focus for us and never actually has been. For us it is just about selling the volume, satisfying as many customers as possible, so wherever that falls out on the sales charts.

“It’s a nice headline but really that’s all that means. For us it is about getting our budgets and getting our numbers and making sure that our customers – both dealers and end customers – are happy with the product. So that is what we are doing – keeping it fresh and renewing it again.”

Mazda has upped the safety gear from the base Maxx up, with lane departure warning, lane-keep assist, a driver attention alert, adaptive cruise control, ‘Smart Brake Support’, high-beam control and auto wipers and headlights now standard.

Changes under the skin include updates to the G-Vectoring Control system that varies the amount of torque to the driving wheels for smoother cornering. G-Vectoring Control Plus applies to the outer wheels as the steering wheel goes back to centre, which Mazda says helps in emergency avoidance manoeuvres.

Mazda engineers have tweaked the suspension setup a number of ways, with larger front stabilisers, smaller rear stabilisers and revised front and rear dampers all helping to improve the ride quality, overall stability and vibration.

Other minor changes include new white LED license plate lights, new metallic grey 17-inch aluminium wheels on Maxx Sport and Touring and, as reported, the addition of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard across the range.

Aside from the addition of the new turbo, the engine line-up carries over.

The base Maxx is offered in front-wheel drive with a 2.0-litre petrol engine delivering 115kW at 6000rpm and 200Nm at 4000rpm, paired with either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission.

The Maxx is also available with the 2.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine offering 140kW at 6000rpm and 252Nm at 4000rpm with all-wheel drive and the six-speed auto.

Maxx Sport is offered with FWD and the 2.0-litre unit, AWD and the 2.5-litre atmo and AWD with the 2.2-litre turbo diesel outputting 140kW at 4500rpm and 450Nm at 2000rpm, all with auto as standard.

The Touring is AWD only with the atmo petrol and diesel paired with the auto.

Mazda has elected to offer the GT and Akera with both the atmo 2.5 and the new turbo-petrol 2.5, as well as the diesel. Each variant in these model grades is AWD and automatic.

Mr Doak said Mazda elected to offer the naturally aspirated and turbocharged 2.5-litre petrol engines, as well as the diesel, in the GT and Akera to ensure buyers had a choice.

“We updated the (naturally aspirated) engine at the start of this year with cylinder deactivation etcetera, so it is still a very strong offering there. For some people that performance is more than enough. It just comes down to choice. We try to have the broadest range possible.”

Fuel economy is 6.9 litres per 100km in the 2.0L petrol, 7.4L/100km for the 2.5L atmo petrol, 5.7L/100km for the diesel and 8.2L/100km for the turbo-petrol unit.

The turbo-petrol engine drinks 8.4L in the CX-9 and 7.6L in the Mazda6.

Mazda said it was only homologated for 91RON but if it had have been homologated with 98RON premium fuel, power would increase to 180kW in the CX-5.

Standard gear in the Maxx includes 17-inch steel wheels, LED headlights, black cloth trim, 7.0-inch colour MZD touchscreen, six-speaker audio, push button start, leather-wrapped gear shifter and steering wheel, 40/20/40 split-fold rear seats, rear parking sensors, reversing camera and a blind spot monitor.

The Maxx Sport adds 17-inch alloys, dual-zone climate control air-conditioning, front foglights, auto-dimming rearview mirror, satellite navigation and USB chargers in the back seat.

Touring grades gain keyless entry, front parking sensors, heated and auto-folding exterior mirrors, a head-up display, premium upholstery and traffic sign recognition.

The GT adds 19-inch alloys, sunroof, power tailgate, adaptive front lights, black or white leather seats, a Bose 10-speaker stereo and power memory front seats.

Mazda has upped the gear in the flagship Akera as part of the update, adding Nappa leather trim, a frameless rearview mirror, a new front-seat ventilation function, rear heated seats, real wood panelling, LED ambient lighting and unique 19-inch alloy wheels.

The Akera also comes with a surround-view monitor, a 7.0-inch TFT LCD information display, a black headliner and adaptive LED headlights.

2018 Mazda CX-5 pricing*

*Excludes on-road costs