Mazda CX-5 review

We were big fans of the way the old Mazda CX-5 drove, from its steering response to its agile cornering ability to its well-mannered body control. This one… has none of that going for it. Oh dear.

Mazda’s tweaked the steering to make it lighter, and while there’s still plenty of weight to it, on a twisty road it doesn't have the same natural feel or confidence of old. You get Normal and Sport modes, but you’d need that stuff Bradley Cooper was on in Limitless to tell the difference. On the plus side the CX-5 is easygoing around town, so there’s that.

It’s a similar story with the suspension setup, which now gets softer springs and retuned dampers. It’s undoubtedly now more forgiving than before, but it’s come at the cost of handling – the car simply doesn’t want to engage, and you have to adapt your driving style (AKA drive like your grandmother’s grandmother) to make up for its limitations. This is the least fun Mazda since the MX-30, though some manufacturers would bite your arm off to go six years between duds. Anyway…

Much as we miss the old car's handling ability, these changes suggest Mazda knows its audience – it's been guilty in the past of giving dynamic ability more attention than a family car really deserves. Who cares about cornering panache if the kids are chundering in the back? But on this evidence, it’s swung too far in the other direction.

Hmm. What about the engines?

Engine, singular. Yep, you’ve now just got the one to choose from, the 2.5-litre e-Skyactiv G. It outputs just 139bhp and 176lb ft, and while Mazda tells us that torque has improved below 4,500rpm compared to the old powerplant, it still feels very sluggish.

As is Mazda's preference, it goes without a turbocharger, with mild electrical assistance in the form of a starter-generator. As a result anything more than half throttle makes it sound asthmatic, and while it’s just about bearable in town and at cruising speed, accelerating up a slip road or out of a roundabout causes it to wheeze away, deafening everyone in the cabin. Yeah, not fun.

It’s not helped by the six-speed gearbox either, which is very slow to up/downshift. Far from quick either, with the zero to 62mph sprint taking more than 10 seconds. And it’ll be even slower than that, because it forces you to read on eggshells.

Is it efficient, though?

Erm… well, the engine can shut down two of its four cylinders under low load conditions, such as when you’re cruising or going downhill, which helps. Mazda claims around 40mpg in front drive models, and around 38mpg in AWD versions. Which doesn’t sound all that impressive.

We’ve seen 38mpg and 35mpg respectively in mixed conditions – that’s below average for the class, although most key rivals to the CX-5 have full hybrids up and running already. Maybe Mazda will claw back some ground when its version joins the line-up.

We’ll end on a positive. Mazda has included buttons to quickly switch off the speed limit and lane keep assist, and the driver monitor systems won't instigate a mental breakdown. Phew.