Though only four years old, the Mazda CX-5 is already a strong seller for the Japanese automaker. In an era in which crossovers are as popular as sedans and easily the most competitive sales class in the automative business, the CX-5 rapidly gained traction as a legitimate player.
According to Mazda, the company already sold more than 1.4 million CX-5 in about 120 countries. It was the first Mazda vehicle to establish the company’s popular KODO design language and the first to use its SKYACTIV engines — combining lightweight materials and high compression to produce hybrid-worthy mileage out of gasoline and diesel engines.
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A new Mazda CX-5 made its debt at the 2016 L.A. Auto Show. The resulting KODO lines seemingly extend the nose and round the haunches to fit more securely with the award-winning Mazda 3 and 6. Along the way, the new CX-5 follows the strong industry trend that’s lowering small crossovers until they’re essentially big hatchbacks. It’s tricky to determine where the hatchbacks end and where the crossovers begin these days.
To stay in keeping with Mazda’s SKYACTIV program, the new CX-5 offers G-Vectoring Control, the first of the automaker’s SKYACTIV Vehicle Dynamics technologies. Driver aids include i-ACTIVSENSE advanced safety features, an Active Driving Display and the Mazda Connect car connectivity system.
On the power train side, the big announcement from Mazda was the introduction of SKYACTIV-D 2.2 clean diesel engine in the United States. America needs to get behind diesel as the country and the culture are behind the curve on the modern crop of engines. There’s no reason to be afraid of diesel anymore. Otherwise, the new gasoline engines in the new Cx-5 line will include the SKYACTIV-G 2.0 and SKYACTIV-G 2.5 direct-injection setups.
