Bigger engine for Mazda CX-5

Mazda hopes the addition of a bigger petrol engine and new top-shelf specification grade will maintain the CX-5’s position as one of Australia’s top-selling SUVs.

Despite being on sale for a little over 10 months of last year, following the staggered release of variants 12 months ago, the CX-5 was Australia’s third best selling SUV in 2012.

With 15,861 sales, it finished the year just 200 shy of Nissan’s X-TRAIL – the nation’s most popular mid-size SUV with 16,066 sales – and Australia’s top-selling SUV bar none, Toyota’s large Prado off-roader (17,045).

Rather than shooting for overall SUV sales leadership – at least publicly - Mazda says the larger new 2.5-litre engine and flagship Akera variant will at least maintain the CX-5’s position in Australia’s booming SUV market, which in recent months has been joined by new Toyota RAV4, Subaru Forester, Mitsubishi Outlander and Honda CR-V models, and will soon see the arrival of Ford’s next Kuga.

“We think the additions will maintain our running rate in a highly competitive segment,” said Mazda Australia National Marketing Manager, Alastair Doak.

While pricing for the entry-level front-wheel drive 2.0-litre petrol models remains unchanged at $27,880 (Maxx manual), $29,880 (Maxx automatic) and $33,620 (Maxx Sport auto), the 2.5-litre SKYACTIV-G four-cylinder petrol engine replaces the SKYACTIV-G 2.0 litre engine in all-wheel drive Maxx, Maxx Sport and GT models.

Accompanying the bigger and more powerful new engine – first seen here in this year’s new Mazda6 – is a price increase of just $500, bringing the price of the Maxx 2.5 AWD auto to $32,880, the Maxx Sport 2.5 AWD auto to $36,620 and the Grand Touring 2.5 AWD auto to $43,780. The Maxx Sport 2.2-litre diesel AWD auto remains unchanged at $39,470, as does the Grand Touring 2.2 diesel AWD auto at $46,630.

As in the Mazda6, the CX-5’s new 2.5-litre petrol four is matched exclusively with a six-speed automatic transmission and delivers a competitive 138kW of power and 250Nm of torque, but in the heavier mid-size SUV returns fuel consumption of 7.4L/100km.

Mazda has also added a new range-topping Akera variant, fitted as standard with a number of advanced driver aids that were previously part of a $3000 options pack, including Blind Spot Monitoring (BSM), High Beam Control (HBC) and Lane Departure Warning system (LDW).

Meantime, front-wheel drive CX-5s are also claimed to offer improved acceleration following minor updates to the SKYACTIV-G 2.0-litre petrol engine.

Bluetooth connectivity hasalso been upgraded across all CX-5 models, with a new mail function enabling SMS, MMS and email to be displayed on the large 5.8-inch touch-screen monitor and messages to be read out by an automated voice via Bluetooth-connected smartphones, while the address book now holds up to 1000 contacts.

Rounding out the CX-5 changes just a year after launch are new exterior paint colours Soul Red, Jet Black and Meteor Grey, replacing Velocity Red, Black Mica and Metropolitan Grey.

2013 Mazda CX-5 pricing (plus on-road costs):
CX-5 Maxx 2.0 litre petrol FWD - 6MT $27,880
CX-5 Maxx 2.0 litre petrol FWD - 6AT $29,880
CX-5 Maxx 2.5 litre petrol AWD - 6AT $32,880
CX-5 Maxx Sport 2.0 litre petrol FWD - 6AT $33,620
CX-5 Maxx Sport 2.5 litre petrol AWD - 6AT $36,620
CX-5 Maxx Sport 2.2 litre diesel AWD - 6AT $39,470
CX-5 Grand Touring 2.5 litre petrol AWD - 6AT $43,780
CX-5 Grand Touring 2.2 litre diesel AWD - 6AT $46,630
CX-5 Grand Touring 2.5 litre petrol AWD - 6AT $43,780
CX-5 Grand Touring 2.2 litre diesel AWD - 6AT $46,630
CX-5 Akera 2.5 litre petrol AWD - 6AT $45,770
CX-5 Akera 2.2 litre diesel AWD - 6AT $48,620