Family car review: Mazda CX-5

If you are in the market for a family car, you are probably looking for something spacious, comfortable and, most importantly, economical. The Mazda CX-5 is a car that easily fits into this bracket, however it has other attributes that a lot of family cars are lacking – clever technologies and a powerful engine. These technologies come under the umbrella of SKYACTIV and while many mums might not be too interested in these features (or maybe you are), there are plenty of dads who will want this in their car – so the Mazda CX-5 truly is family car – not just a mummy car.

 

Mazda and its team of engineers have reinvented what rivals like Audi, Volkswagen and Ford and have found a new way of building cars that combine dynamic ability, powerful engines, class leading fuel economy and emissions.

 

Mazda is targeting young family buyers, a group that it sees as demanding a degree of driving dynamics not normally seen in this segment. Thanks to the light weight endowed by the new SKYACTIV technologies, suspension tuned specifically to European roads and a diesel engine that is petrol like in its love of revs that is exactly what the CX-5 deliver. The ride is a little firmer than some of the other cars in this class but not so bad that it becomes excessively uncomfortable. You won’t be driving up rocky mountains but neither will you be actively scanning the road in an attempt to avoid potholes.

 

The 150hp 2.2-litre diesel engine is effortlessly smooth, even when pushed and thanks to a twin-turbo set-up it pulls strongly in any gear. Peak torque of 380Nm is available from 1,800rpm, meaning overtaking is a doddle.

 

The power available and the way the CX-5 handles forces you to look twice at the fuel economy. A 2.2-litre diesel 150hp powered crossover should not be capable of returning 4.6L/100kms (61.4mpg) while emitting 119g/km yet thanks to the SKYACTIV technologies and Mazda’s iLoop (a regenerative stop/start system) that is exactly what the CX-5 does.

 

In an attempt to compete with its rivals, Mazda has loaded the CX-5 with equipment. Entry level models come equipped with air conditioning, Bluetooth, Tom Tom sat nav with touch screen interface and 17-inch alloys with higher spec cars adding heated leather seats, bigger alloys, dual zone climate control and a city braking system that will automatically halt the car should it detect and impending collision at speeds less than 40km/h – a great safety feature when driving with kids (as we all know how distracting they can be while trying to figure out city lanes).

 

The inside of this new Mazda is very spacious, so there is plenty of space whether you have car seats of teenagers. With a 503-litre boot (expandable to 1,620-litres), there is plenty of space for all their stuff in the back. The driving position is perfect and the seat is very comfortable – which is exactly what you want if you’re on a long family trip or stuck in traffic for hours on the motorway.

 

The 150hp and 2.2 litre diesel version of this car is likely to be a popular seller due to its low emissions and low tax. However you or your hubby require something with a bit more umph, there is also a 175hp version of the same engine with four-wheel drive. Should you prefer your cars petrol powered there is a 165hp 2.0-litre option that at 139g/km and Tax Band B is in itself remarkable. Mazda can even fit an automatic transmission should you wish. 

 

 

With thanks to Car Adviser Magazine