Mazda CX-5 G25 Touring AWD 2024 Review

In this final (maybe) review of the second-gen Mazda CX-5, we opted for the mid-spec, top-selling G25 Touring AWD version, which retails for $44,950, before the on-road costs. It is surrounded in the marketplace by rivals such as the (hybrid) Toyota RAV4 GX eFour ($45,260), Mitsubishi’s seven-seat Outlander Aspire AWD ($45,260), Kia’s Sportage SX+ AWD ($44,050), Hyundai’s Tucson Elite hybrid AWD ($52,600), Nissan’s X-Trail STL AWD ($47,290) and Subaru’s Forester 2.5i Sport ($45,640).

With its model availability stretching from the $36,590 pre-ORCs G20 Maxx to the $55,000 Akera, the CX-5’s price spread is similar to its (non-EV) competitors – except for Mitsubishi’s flagship Outlander which, at the flagship PHEV GSR end, is tagged with a stratospheric $73,790 pre ORCs.

In fitting out the Touring-spec CX-5, Mazda has prioritised the things customers rate as must-haves. The company has scoured the range of equipment possibilities without going overboard.

This means that any thoughts of power-adjusted – and heated and cooled – front seats, a power tailgate or a sunroof are dismissed.

The compensations come in the CX-5 Touring G25’s leather-look seat trim, an auto-dimming internal rearview mirror and, in place of the 17-inch wheels used further down the CX-5 range, 19-inch alloys with 225/55R19 tyres. The CX-5 G25 Touring’s head-up display is already common across the entire range, while the inbuilt GPS is standard from Maxx Sport onwards.

Mazda’s new-car warranty terms cover the CX-5 for five years and unlimited kilometres, with servicing scheduled at 12-month, 15,000km intervals. There is a generous roadside assistance plan that covers the CX-5 for the same five-year period as the warranty.

“Estimated” servicing costs are flagged for up to seven years or 105,000km, respectively quoted at $352 for the first service, $530 for the second, $415 for the third, $530 for the fourth, $352 for the fifth, $593 for the sixth and $352 for the seventh.

The second-generation Mazda CX-5 was previously rated by ANCAP, from the time of its launch in 2017 with a full five stars but that has now expired. Although all the features that earned its original score remain in place, there’s no longer a rating.

The safety tech includes a comprehensive list of familiar active and passive features including high and low-speed autonomous emergency braking (low speed only in reverse), pedestrian and vulnerable road user avoidance, lane-departure warning with lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, forward obstruction warning, rear cross-traffic alert, a single reversing camera, traffic sign recognition and tyre-pressure monitoring.

The child restraint system includes two ISOFIX anchor points and two top-tether mounts, but the airbag count of seven lacks the front centre bag that is becoming more common as added protection for front-seat occupants at risk of striking each other in a collision.

Regular updates along the way have ensured that the CX-5 keeps pace with tech developments. There’s a tablet-style 10.25-inch colour screen in the centre of the dash, plus wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, inductive (wireless) smartphone charging and two iPod-compatible MP3, WMA and AAC USB-audio input ports.

And although not all industry commentators agree, Mazda continues (at least in the CX-5) to avoid touch-screen technology with the help of voice control and a tactile, rotating knob in the centre console that selects most functions without the driver being distracted by the need to activate evasive touch-points on the centre screen.

Four USB ports are provided: two for USB-C at the front and two more for USB-A in the rear.

The G25 2.5-litre Skyactiv engine is competitive in a segment that includes hybrids, turbo-petrols and even turbo-diesels.

Performing solidly for a normally-aspirated 2.5-litre engine and familiar elsewhere in the Mazda range, the G25 powerplant develops a decent output of 140kW at 6000rpm, with its long-stroke configuration credited with the strong torque figure of 252Nm at 4000rpm.

For the sake of reducing both fuel consumption and exhaust emissions, the G25 engine employs cylinder deactivation technology to minimise fuel use while on the move by closing off two of the four cylinders as the driver backs off the accelerator. There is also an idle-stop function for waiting at traffic lights or driving at slow speeds in heavy traffic.

The transmission is an automatic six-speeder with steering-wheel paddle shifters and two selectable drive modes.

The cylinder-deactivation and idle-stop systems don’t minimise emissions or fuel use to anything like the same extent as a series/parallel hybrid does, but the G25-engined CX-5 functions with reasonable cleanliness and fuel economy nonetheless.

With a combined-cycle average consumption of 7.4L/100km (which we virtually equalled on test) and a CO2 output of 172g/km, the Mazda shows up well against rivals such as the normally-aspirated 2.5-litre Mitsubishi Outlander (8.1L/100km and 185g/km), and even comes close to the 1.6-litre turbo Kia Sportage (7.2L/100km and 164 g/km).

From the first generation CX-5 in 2012, the mid-size Mazda SUV has always enjoyed nicely resolved on-road characteristics, including the quality of the ride. These have been steadily refined to the point that the second-gen version remains an object lesson in how to achieve balanced ride comfort, dynamic stability and sure-footedness in a mid-size SUV.

The original CX-5 was a bit of a champ on dirt roads, and pretty tidy on sealed surfaces too. It featured accurate and predictable, moderately weighted, quickish steering and plenty of road grip. The second-gen shares similar levels of confidence and competence.

The G25 engine isn’t a bad fit in the CX-5 either. In fact, calculations show that it’s very close to the power/weight figures for the 2.0-litre G20-engined Mazda3 hatch.

Apart from some exceptions when the climbing rate and road speed don’t quite match up and the electronics detect a need for a downshift, the six-speed auto gearbox isn’t constantly called upon to optimise torque. And if the driver thinks it needs to be, there’s always the paddle shifters.

The CX-5 G25 Touring has obvious limitations when the speed drops and the surface gets rockier and more pitted, but up to that point it copes well with the help of on-demand AWD, nearly 200mm of ground clearance, on/off off-road modes and an electronic rear diff lock.

Mazda interiors are among the most refined and well presented you’ll find at the volume end of the car market. The fact that there’s nothing showy about the interior of the second-gen CX-5 aids finding and operating familiar functions.

Leather-look trim on the seats and most of the many soft-touch surfaces, a stylish and functional dash presentation and most of the comfortable practicality expected in a popular mid-size SUV are a given.

There’s a deep-ish front-centre oddments bin with a padded-armrest lid, door pockets delivering a reasonable volume, a split-fold rear seat with a fold-down centre armrest and pockets behind the front seat backrests which flank central, adjustable air vents.

Although the CX-5 has grown somewhat over the years, it’s not the biggest in its class, inside or out. But the cabin – provided you’re not planning on accommodating three basketball players in the back seat – is nonetheless adequately expansive.

Boot space is quoted at 438 litres with all seats up and 1340 litres when they’re all folded. Different manufacturers resort to different measurement standards on occasion, but in an apples-v-apples comparison, the CX-5’s dimensions are at a disadvantage against the bulk of its five-seat rivals.

Still, there was no problem accommodating a 26-inch mountain bike, both wheels attached and accompanied by a few travel bags, in the CX-5’s seats-folded load space.

Although the second-gen Mazda CX-5 may be moving aside for replacement in 2025, the mid-size SUV leaves us with a reputation as an influential, respected player in Australia’s most-competitive new-car market segment.

The Mazda’s conservative but appealing KODO styling theme is something of a relief among today’s often overdone, volume-market mid-size SUVs.

Right now wouldn’t be a bad time to be thinking about capitalising on the inevitable price-saving deals that will eventuate prior to the third-generation Mazda CX-5’s 2025 launch.

There’s another factor that comes into play as well: The new, and further upmarket Mazda CX-60 is already on sale, and is seen by some as an alternative to CX-5, from now and into the future.

2024 Mazda CX-5 G25 Touring AWD at a glance:
Price: $44,950 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol
Output: 140kW/252Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel: 7.4L/100km
CO2: 172g/km
Safety rating: Not tested

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