This is the most expensive Mazda you can order
It doesn’t happen often that we get to TopGear test diesels, for the simple reason that more and more manufacturers are taking them out of production or hiding them in a corner of the showroom until they die on their own. If not Mazda: the Japanese say they are confident that the increasingly cleaner diesel engine will continue to play an important role in the coming years. We hope they have discussed this with European legislators as well. Anyway, to reinforce their conviction, they come up with an updated version of the CX-5.
This 184 hp Mazda CX-5 SkyActiv-D starts in the Netherlands at 45,190 euros and then has a manual gearbox and front-wheel drive. The six-speed automatic transmission adds almost 6,000 euros to the price due to significantly higher emissions. 4WD: another 6,000 euros, but then you also have to take a more expensive equipment level. This is how it goes up nicely (in Belgium this is not so bad, by the way).
The most expensive Mazda in the Netherlands
We drive in the Signature version of the Mazda CX-5 SkyActiv-D and with a price of 63,140 euros that is the most expensive car that Mazda offers in the Netherlands. Who buys such a thing? Perhaps a wealthy multi-driver who swears by the brand? An older couple with something to spend and regularly towing a caravan around? We have no idea, but Mazda says there is enough interest.
We didn’t have to be convinced of the qualities of the CX-5 anymore, let alone when a number of clever refinements have been implemented on it. It is commendable that Mazda, even in the crossover corner, where driving characteristics are subordinate to many other things, has taken the trouble to fine-tune steering, chassis and responsiveness again and again. For example, the resistance and response of the accelerator pedal were improved here, as well as the alertness of the automatic transmission.
The Mazda CX-5 SkyActiv-D is sharp-ish
It remains a thick turbo diesel, so you always keep some delay, but still – it is sharp. The engine brings it decisively into the hallway, although it is a bit noisy under heavy load. On the other hand, it doesn’t have to work hard in most conditions: at 100 km/h it runs its 1,800 rpm neatly in the background.
The CX-5 has one driving mode: ‘we are Mazda, so trust us, this is how it should be’. Refreshing. Leave it to the Hiroshima fanatics to give even the high-seated drivers of their crossovers a sense of connection and unity without being over the top or obtrusive. The CX-5 drives naturally and naturally and requires minimal effort or getting used to when you first get in. And, simple but nice: it remembers if you do not want corrective lane assistant. Most other cars require you to turn them off every time you start them again.
New perks in the Mazda CX-5 SkyActiv-D
There is a MyMazda app available and on board you will now find 360-degree cameras and Apple CarPlay, but the atmosphere is otherwise a bit 2018 – the renewed infotainment screen (wide, not large) can still be operated with a controller, there are ordinary buttons and you will search in vain for a loading platform or semi-autonomous steering aid. That does not make the CX-5 a less good car. On the contrary, some (we) would say: there is minimal distraction and therefore more attention for driving and driving
traffic, and that benefits everyone.
Unfortunately, you can count this Mazda CX-5 SkyActiv-D as a dying breed. But if the diesel crossover really goes under in a while, it won’t have been him.
