The hugely popular Mazda CX-5 continues to roll on as Australia’s most popular medium SUV.
Selling 1981 units last month, the Mazda CX-5 outsold the Kia Sportage, Jeep Cherokee and Mitsubishi Outlander combined. More impressively, the Mazda has clocked up a total of 9977 sales so far in 2015 – up 20.6 per cent on its already category-winning 2014 volume for the same period.
Something about the CX-5 must be resonating with Australian buyers, so we thought we would get in on the action (again) by grabbing one as our latest Melbourne long-term test car.
Our Deep Crystal Blue Mica CX-5 is the range topping Akera AWD model and features a 129kW/420Nm 2.2-litre four-cylinder twin-turbo-diesel engine.
The Akera comes fully loaded with all the goodies including LED headlights and daytime running lights, a sunroof, Mazda’s seven-inch MZD connect system with satellite navigation as well as 19-inch alloy wheels.
Further, we have accessorised our little Mazda for winter and will be leveraging Melbourne’s close proximity to the ski fields to enjoy some alpine adventures. We’ve had a genuine Mazda tow bar fitted ($924.78), along with roof racks ($411.35), ski racks ($346.14), heavy duty rubber floor mats ($132) and we have a set of Thule snow chains ($314.10) at the ready.
With this in mind, and to stay true to form, our CX-5 has already been nicknamed ‘the Snowmobile’. Highly imaginative we know.
Recently updated, the Mazda CX-5 is a smart looking machine, particularly with its new multi-segment LED running lights.
Inside, white leather seats look good but may show marks and dirt over time. The mix of cabin materials can initially seem nice too until you get close. The ‘stitched’ leather-look surround on the MZD screen is a perfect example, as it is actually a single formed piece of soft plastic.
Don’t get me wrong, it is a nice place to spend time and the inclusion of all of Mazda’s current safety technology, including lane-departure warning and Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), also increases the CX-5’s appeal. Note I didn’t use the word ‘value’…
Did you like the numbers at the start of this report? Well here’s another one: $52,424.27
Yes. Our Mazda CX-5 Akera retails for over $52,000 – that’s with accessories and before on-road costs. (The CX-5 Akera AWD diesel automatic has a list price of $50,610 before options, the petrol $47,410.)
If you are quietly thinking that seems a lot, for a Mazda, then you would be right.
The CX-5 range starts from just $27,190 for a front-wheel-drive petrol manual Maxx. That leaves a $23,420 gap to our Akera – or enough to buy a $22,390 Mazda3 Maxx manual.
For further context, that puts a Lexus NX200t Luxury ($52,500) within just $1890 of our CX-5 (stay tuned for this comparison…).
But enough about that, lets talk snow.
With the Mazda’s extra kit, we’ll be heading above the snow line to the Victorian ski fields and national parks, to run through some great winter driving techniques and safety practices.
Our trusty dB meter will be used to measure the impact that the ski racks and additional equipment makes to the Mazda’s ambient noise levels. And, if the season is a good one, Paul and I will probably skive off work for a day to hit some of Mt Buller’s back-country trails… but don’t tell anyone.
Most importantly though, if you are thinking of adding to Mazda’s 2015 CX-5 sales numbers and would like to know more detail about any element, don’t hesitate to post a comment or contact us and we’ll do our best to answer your questions.
In the meantime, see you on the slopes.
Mazda CX-5 Akera AWD Diesel
Date acquired: May 2015
Odometer reading: 6542km
Travel since previous update: N/A
Consumption since previous update: N/A
Click the Photos tab for more 2015 Mazda CX-5 images by Tom Fraser.
More gadget review in www.mamaktalk.com
