DRIVEN: Mazda CX-5

By Ahmad Zulizwan 11 months ago

Have you ever wondered if Mazda likes to be different for the sake of being different? I certainly have. Sure, the rotary engine is iconic, its high revving nature alone still keeps people hooked. But for what? The company is as quirky as Porsche 15 years ago sans the success of today, undoubtedly thanks to selling hundreds of thousands of SUVs and gigantic 4-door Carreras. Mazda is still a somewhat niche manufacturer who wants to play with the big boys (more critically, who needs to) but have yet to find a time to be different only when the time comes.

The Skyactiv technology by Mazda is, in their own words, an ‘umbrella’ term to carry the eco-friendly target they’ve set out to achieve under the Sustainable Zoom-Zoom vision. It’s more than just a fuel efficient engine (Mazda aims a 30 per cent improvement of fuel economy by 2015 for their cars); the projected end results required lighter but strong materials and redesign of the gearbox. Other manufacturers have also went down the same route but one of the main ingredient to meet this target is forced induction – Mazda has not. Instead, not only is the engine normally aspirated, it relies on the highest compression value (of 14:1) in any standard production vehicle. Output for the Skyactiv-G 2.0 litre petrol engine is 153bhp and 200Nm at 6000rpm and 4000rpm respectively.

It is the all-new new CX-5 that will spearhead Skyactiv into the local market, a compact SUV launched at the Frankfurt show last year. It looks elegant and modern but also a bit predictable with its stance and styling. There are two variants to choose namely the 2 wheel drive unit and the all- wheel driven, both getting their power through a 6-speed auto. The cabin is roomy and just as accommodating as the Hyundai Tucson or Honda CR-V although without a doubt the CBU Mazda comes with a more modern dashboard (albeit the extensive use of black feels dull). Also, it also comes impressively specced.

In fact, both the variants boast almost similar items including push start, auto levelling bi-xenon with AFS (Adaptive Front lighting System), sunroof, 9-speaker Bose audio system, leather seats and dual zone air conditioning. It even continues to the same 19 inch wheel sizes, 6 airbags and the same safety devices such as Dynamic Stability Control, traction control and tyre pressure monitor. For the time being some of these items comes standard but will eventually be part of the optional Special Accessories package that costs RM6,000.

First up, the 4WD variant. I was barely out of Glenmarie when I had this sinking feeling; there were already a few things that bugged me. The throttle response had barely anything behind it, perhaps made worse by a pedal that is not precise. In hindsight, these are also new cars with barely any kilometres in it so maybe it still is tight. That’s no excuse for the steering assistance however which could be up a notch or two. It is heavy, unnaturally so especially since it rides on 19 inch tyres and can take 5 passengers each with a large cargo room to fill. The highway part of the journey later on reveals tracking issues – I feel like I need to put in more steering input than necessary; and there were times when it feels like it goes from 2-wheel to 4-wheel drive rather harshly, understeering suddenly to require more lock. The CX-5 is actually rear driven while the other two wheels go into action ‘when necessary’.

Things felt a lot better in the 2WD CX-5. The steering is a bit lighter and more importantly the front end requires less attention. There is no fuzziness to how it behaves and understandably the engine breathes better, letting the power go more readily. I do like this more, a lot more. Ride comfort seems no different between the two; they both do rather well and NVH is particularly low once the engine settles. Secondary damping could be a bit choppy for some so perhaps a smaller tyre size would be a smarter choice if you can live with the resulting change of looks.

In general, the CX-5 needs more scrutiny. The overwhelming good qualities are its looks, gearbox, cabin space and most definitely bang for buck considering the amount of gear that comes as standard (for now). The negative is my trepidation with the 4WD variant and also the heavy steering. As for the green brigade, we got to Penang with a tank of petrol. That’s pretty good, everything considered. But if Mazda can live with not being so different, a turbocharger would be much easier. It also takes the fuel quality question generally out of the picture. You see, it can use RON95 but with such high in-cylinder compression values, RON97 just makes more sense.