2018 Mazda CX-8: Full details

The Mazda CX-8 diesel SUV has been revealed in its home market of Japan, as Australian stakeholders continue to weigh up bringing the new seven-seat model Down Under.

Positioned one-rung below the petrol-only CX-9 in Mazda’s global line-up, the CX-8 will initially be sold solely in Japan from December, where it is the marque’s first three-row SUV offering.

However, Australia could soon join the order list, as officials consider the diesel proposition to bolster the already-strong CX-9 and CX-5.

The CX-8’s hot-ticket item for diesel-savvy Australia is a 2.2-litre twin-turbo oil burner already available the CX-5 and Mazda6 sedan. In this latest application, Mazda revealed this week that power has been ratcheted to 140kW while torque is lifted to 450Nm (up from 129kW/420Nm).

The power fillip will be well suited to the CX-8’s sheer size; it sits physically between the CX-9 and CX-5 in the Mazda hierarchy, even though it offers a matching seven-seat layout of the former (or the option of a six-seat layout)  and an identical 2930mm wheelbase.

Initial figures suggest the CX-8 will boast a fuel claim of about 6.3L/100km combined, though figures will depend varying on front-drive or all-wheel drive layouts. All CX-8s come equipped with a six-speed automatic.

According to Mazda, the CX-8 is 175mm shorter than the CX-9 at 4900mm, as well as 17mm lower (1730mm) and 129mm narrower (1840mm), making it the same width as the CX-5 and therefore more of a long-wheelbase, seven-seat CX-5 than a shrunken CX-9.

Shown here for the first time, the CX-8’s dashboard bears strong resemblance to other models within the Mazda family: led by a top-mounted centre screen and differing materials across the centre binnacle, plus Nappa leather and woodgrain highlights to lend a refined and sophisticated vibe.

Further back, the CX-8 boasts 239 litres of boot space with the rear seats in place, or 572 litres when stowed – 238 litres less than the larger CX-9.

The third-row seats are purportedly designed so that an adult 170cm tall can fit comfortably.

Mazda lists a birds-eye view camera and G-Vectoring Control as some of the CX-8’s equipment highlights.

With right-hand drive already a factor for the Japanese-specification CX-8, the adaptation to Australian ADRs would be a fairly straight-forward exercise – at least in theory. In May, Mazda Australia boss Vinesh Bhindi cited local regulations as a key hurdle in landing the CX-8 in Australia. However, that rhetoric now appears to have softened.

“The CX-8 is a car that is offered in the Japanese market only, however, if it was made available globally it would be something we’d definitely consider,” Mazda Australia spokesman Tony Mee told motoring.com recently, contrary to some reports the CX-8 has been ruled out.

Does the CX-8 pique your interest? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.