2020 Mazda CX-5 Maxx Sport: A Worthy Bestseller?
PRICE & SPECS7.5
ENGINE & DRIVE6.5
RIDE & HANDLING8
INTERIOR & PRACTICALITY8
RUNNING COSTS & WARRANTY7.5
PROS
  • Solid build quality and plush interior
  • Engaging handling with smooth ride
  • Well equipped
CONS
  • Aging engine and gearbox
  • Not the largest boot
  • Short service intervals
7.5DiscoverAuto Rating

With Australia very much in love with mid-sized SUVs, Mazda’s CX-5 has always been a stellar performer on the sales charts since arriving in 2012. Sales figures always place the Mazda CX-5 on the SUV podium, together with rivals such as the Toyota RAV4, Kia Sportage and Hyundai Tucson. Let’s find out what drives this Mazda’s success. We test the 2020 Mazda CX-5 Maxx Sport to find out.

Mazda has always gone down the path of continuing to offer incremental improvements for its products, instead of waiting to launch all-new or face-lifted models. For 2020, the CX-5 gains incremental improvements to refinement and comfort, as well as new off-roading features for the AWD models should you wish to go off the beaten track.

Mazda hopes that this updated CX-5 will be strong enough to outsell the Toyota RAV4, which has removed the CX-5 from its pole position as Australia’s favourite medium SUV.

Price/Specs:

Tested here in front-wheel-drive Maxx Sport trim ($36,290 MSRP) and finished in ‘Sonic Silver Metallic’, the 2020 Mazda CX-5 features a gorgeous, albeit conservative exterior with slim headlights and a muscular bonnet with the pronounced Mazda style “nose”.

Maxx Sport variants of the CX-5 are offered with two petrol engine choices – a 115kW/200Nm 2.0-litre tested here or a 140kW/252Nm 2.5-litre with AWD.

Pricing for the Maxx Sport starts at $36,290 before on-road costs for the our FWD 2.0-litre petrol, while the AWD 2.5-litre petrol is $39,290. Meanwhile, the 140kW/450Nm 2.2-litre turbo-diesel costs $42,290.

Standard equipment levels remain pretty generous, in keeping with all current Mazdas. Having said this, some more luxury features only feature on higher-grade models. An example of such a feature would be keyless entry. To get into the CX-5 Maxx Sport, you need to search for the tiny unlock/lock rocker button, oddly placed on the side of the key fob. Keyless entry only comes on the $43,740 Touring grade and higher.

What you do get however is a a six-speaker stereo, digital radio, push-button start, electric-folding mirrors, automatic LED headlights with auto high-beam, rain-sensing wipers and an electric parking brake with auto hold functionality.

On the safety front, you get a rear-view camera with rear parking sensors, autonomous emergency braking in both forward and reverse, lane-departure warning with lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, and adaptive cruise control along with six airbags. All CX-5s come with a 5 star ANCAP safety rating.

On the inside you’ll enjoy the Maxx Sport’s 8.0-inch touchscreen running Mazda’s MZD Connect with satellite navigation, together with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, dual-zone climate control with rear air vents, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror and a central rear armrest with two cleverly hidden USB ports for device charging.

The seats are made out of a quality feeling cloth fabric, whilst the steering wheel and gear selector are both leather-wrapped.

Engine/Drive:

Equipped with Mazda’s well known two-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine producing 115kW/200Nm, the 2020 Mazda CX-5 won’t be setting your heart racing anytime soon. Whilst it won’t be able to keep up with its turbocharged rivals, buyers will still find it adequate for most trips, both in town and on the freeway. Just don’t ask it to win any drag races, or go up hills without needing a downshift from the gearbox.

Having said this, the engine remains smooth and is expertly paired to a traditional torque converter 6-speed automatic transmission. Not having a turbo, or a dual-clutch gearbox, means that driving the CX-5 is always a smooth affair, with no lag or weird jerkiness often experienced with more technologically advanced rivals. Sometimes, less is more. This will be a reliable drivetrain, without any fireworks that will go about its business in an honest way.

If a little more speed is your priority, opt for the optional 2.5-litre naturally aspirated unit producing 140kW/252Nm for just a few thousand bucks more.

Mazda claims fuel consumption of 6.9.L/100km on the combined cycle, real world driving saw us average closer to 8.5L/100km around inner Melbourne and on freeways.

Ride/Handling:

From the very first drive in the CX-5, buyers will see that Mazda has struck an excellent balance between comfort and handling on the CX-5. Our Maxx Sport came with humble 17-inch alloys and chunky tyres, allowing it to flow effortlessly along even the most challenging rough roads. The CX-5 soaked up big bumps both in town and in the country, with those chubby tyres taking the edge of Melbourne’s worst suburban roads.

The 2020 Mazda CX-5 is whisper quiet too at higher speeds, partly thanks to the incremental updates Mazda keeps doing to the car. Cruising at 110km/h is never a problem, with wind and road noise kept hushed in the background.

Whilst no SUV buyer will ever buy an SUV for its sports car handling, we’re pleased to report that the CX-5’s handling is very predictable, even slightly engaging and at low and high speeds. Show the CX-5 a corner and it will react eagerly, almost shrinking around you as you tackle corner after corner. Add to this light and smooth steering and the CX-5 will be a faithful companion both in town through suburbia and on the open road.

Interior/Practicality:

As you settle into the CX5’s high commanding seats, you’ll see that the car’s interior is a genuinely nice place to spend time. Mazda have consistently set their goal of crafting interiors worthy of a premium manufacturer and the CX-5 lives up to that expectation, offering a well designed, nicely screwed together environment full of plush feeling materials.

Overall build quality is excellent with no creaks or rattles, whilst soft-touch plastics line most surfaces that will be touched. The design cannot however be considered the most breathtaking for 2020, and one area that is starting to show its age is the infotainment system.

The low resolution tablet-style unit perched centrally on the dashboard now looks and feels a rather old. Mazda’s MZD Connect software isn’t laggy by any means, but feels a generation behind the class leaders. It’s slow to start up, and feels stuck in 2015 as you see it struggling to load low resolution maps and switch menus. Luckily Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are both standard. One caveat however, this display only operates as a touchscreen when the car is stopped. You’ll rely on the slick rotary dial operated by the driver’s left hand, which is easy to use once you get used to it.

On the plus side, interior room is generous for both the driver and front passenger, whilst the second row is accommodating enough for anyone but very tall sized adults, offering plenty of toe room and a headroom.

Opening the the manually-operated boot reveals 442 litres of cargo space, which is on the smaller side for this sort of car. You do, however, get a full size spare tyre under the high boot floor – this means that you won’t be bending over too much to place items into the boot. Folding the sears down gives you 1,342 litres of space. Not amazing, but certainly not tiny. It is worth noting however that rivals such as the Skoda Karoq do feature almost 600 litres of boot space with the rear seats erected.

One feature which caught our eye was the CX-5’s clever cargo cover which goes up together with the tailgate as it lifts. It’s an elegant, yet simple solution to what would normally be a fiddly cargo blind.

Running Costs/Warranty:

Like all other Mazdas in Australia, the 2020 Mazda CX-5 comes with the brand’s five-year/unlimited km warranty. This also includes one year of roadside assistance, which is topped up by 12 months at every Mazda dealership service up to eight years in total.

Servicing intervals are a short once yearly/every 10,000km, whichever comes first. If you do a lot of long distance driving during one year, expect to be coming in for services more frequently than in the CX-5’s rivals which only need to be serviced every 15,000km.

Servicing the 2020 Kia Sportage is not cheap, however. Over five years, the cost of servicing the CX-5 2.0-litre is $2,092 or an average of $419 per service. A Kia Sportage costs $1,926, an average of $386 per service over the same time period, though it has longer 15,000km intervals for servicing. Toyota only provide capped price servicing for the RAV4 for a total of 3 years, with each yearly service capped at a low $180, a significant reduction on buyer’s servicing costs and perhaps the reason behind the RAV4’s consistent position as Australia’s best selling SUV.

Conclusion:

The CX-5 Maxx Sport should certainly be on your SUV shopping list as it combines an honest feel with a touch of the premium feel Mazda is gunning for with its current lineup. The updates introduced for 2020 have increased that premium feel on the inside, with the CX-5 featuring a hushed, well built interior and an excellent ride.

Whilst the infotainment might be a tad dated when compared to other rivals, and the boot a little smaller than in some SUVs, the CX-5 remains a well built, premium feeling all rounder that will appeal to almost any SUV buyer.

Buyers after a peppier engine should consider the 140kW/252Nm 2.5 litre with AWD, as well as a 2.5-litre turbo-petrol outputting 170kW/420Nm also with AWD. Opting for either of these two more muscular power plants further underscores the CX-5’s premium aura but does drive prices up. In the meantime, our 2.0-litre Maxx Sport will prove more than adequate for almost anyone.

About The Author

Eagle eyed in the courtroom and when evaluating cars, Michal shares the DiscoverAuto team's passion for helping empower you to pick which car is right for you. Whether you want to know the most intricate details about a car's engine, or simply which car has the largest boot in its class, Michal has you covered.

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