What are these new cars all about then?
The 3rd-generation Mazda CX-5 SUV and brand-new 6e sedan are two very different Mazda New Zealand models that happen to be hitting showrooms at around the same time. We also happen to be driving them for the first time... at the same time.
But that's not why they're together here. These models are pieces of a puzzle that start to bring together Mazda's "multi-solution approach" to powertrains.
The elephant in the room with the new CX-5 is its petrol-only 2.5-litre SkyActiv-G engine. There is indeed a full hybrid CX-5 Skyactiv-Z in development, but that's still a year away. Which seems to put Mazda's new family SUV on the outer when most rivals have gone big on electrification.
"A hybrid is coming in due course," says Mazda NZ managing direcor David Hodge. "The easy answer would be that globally Mazda could take Toyota hybrid technology [as it does in the US-market CX-50], but that would move us away from 'Mazda-ness'. So we'll take the time and we'll get the hybrid right."
Mazda is a company famously obstinate about doing things in its own way, in its own time. Nobody at Mazda NZ is suggesting it wouldn't have liked to include the CX-5 SkyActiv-Z from launch; but the company also argues it has multiple powertrain options elsewhere already, which is where the pure-electric 6e comes in.
The 6e is a Mazda development of a platform from China's Changan Automobile (it's sold there as the EZ-6). It's a low-slung liftback, but there's an SUV sister model on the way before the end of the year called the CX-6e, and it slots right into the CX-5's segment.
So in terms of 5-seat SUVs, by end of this year Mazda NZ will have ICE (CX-5), BEV (CX-6e) and MHEV (CX-60). It also offers PHEV in the larger 7-seat CX-80. And by the end of next year it will hopefully have a CX-5 hybrid in the mix.
But Mazda NZ is also confident there's still a pool of buyers who will be happy to step into the next-generation CX-5 sans-electrification. It's consistently been the brand's most popular model, accounting for around 40% of its total volume (even though the actual volume has been sliding for the past few years).
"At the end of the day, customers will make their choice as they see fit, and we want to have solutions available to cover those choices," says Mazda NZ product and communications manager Paul Sherley.
He says the new CX-5 is about "reimagining the familiar. It's taking all the best bits of CX-5 and enhancing them even further. It's an evolution, not a revolution."
The 6e is a whole different thing, not least because it's not wholly a Mazda (this carmaker can be obstinate, it can also be inconsistent). But the company is bullish about this as a gateway to the mainstream BEV market.
Needs-must, and it emphasises the Mazda-specific design of the 6e and CX-6e, plus extensive chassis tuning carried out by its German division. The Japanese maker also has engineers in China, at Changan. All presumably in the pursuit of... Mazda-ness.
The 6e does look stunning: the shape is svelte and there are some interesting lighting signatures, including "fluttering" illumination for the virtual Mazda badge on the grille, pulsating wings around the grille to indicate battery status and a very sharp-looking combo of four "cylinder" rear lamps with a lightbar.
There's enough of the old Mazda6 in here to justify the shared model number, but you'd never be in any doubt this a new-gen EV. At 4921m in length, it's also a suprisingly large car.
The new CX-5 looks... like a new CX-5. But it's bigger, with a 115mm stretch in the wheelbase that's liberated more cabin space and a bigger boot, up by 28 litres to 466l. The more spacious cabin means a cavernous 2019l with the rear seats folded down.
Mazda's design approach could perhaps be summed up by a colour. Deep Crystal Blue Mica was offered on the previous model; the new one has moved to Navy Blue Mica, which looks very similar but has the metallic flakes arranged in an alternative way to create a different, much brighter effect in the light. It's very much the same... but also completely new and different.
Both new models take a singular powertrain approach. The 6e packs a 78kWh LFP battery with 200kW maximum charge rate, powering a 190kW/290Nm rear electric motor. WLTP range is 560km.
The CX-5 powertrain bookends of an entry-level 2.0-litre FWD and turbocharged 2.5-litre have gone. All CX-5s now share the 2.5-litre engine with 6-speed transmission and AWD, "newly optimsed" for emissions with outputs slightly down from 140kW/252Nm to 132kW/242Nm. It runs happily on 91-octane, but treat your new CX-5 to 95 and you'll get 138kW/257Nm. Fuel consumption has now dipped below the 8-litre mark to 7.9l/100km.
How much are they?
The CX-5 lineup is very different to the previous model, but also pretty much the same. What used to be the GLX FWD is now the Touring AWD. At $46,490 it's $2200 more expensive, but aside from the larger engine and drive to the rear wheels, it also gains front-seat heating, dual-zone climate control and parking sensors.
What used to be the GSX is now the SP. At $49,990 it's $300 cheaper and gains heating for both front seats and the steering wheel, power tailgate, roof rails and a unique design of 19-inch alloy wheel.
What used to be the Limited is now the sportier-themed Homura. It's an attention-grabbing $3200 cheaper and picks up blacked-out exterior details, panoramic glass roof, 360-degree camera system and a Bose 12-speaker audio setup.
The CX-5 Takami is still the CX-5 Takami, but it comes with a lot less grunt under the bonnet following the demise of the turbo engine. It's also $5900 less expensive at $61,990 and gains a large 15.6-inch infotainment screen (other models have a 12.9in unit, while the old car had a paltry 10.25in display), the Driver Personalisation function from the CX-60, and Sport Tan leather upholstery. Plus "premium" design details, says Mazda.
The 6e comes only in Takami specification, for $58,990. On the outside there's the fancy lighting, electric active spoiler, panoramic roof, tan upholstery (a mixture of suede and nappa leather accents), 14.6-inch infotainment display, Sony Clear Phase audio system, 64-colour ambient lighting (the CX-5 Homura and Takami have 7 shades to choose from) and a touch screen for rear passengers that controls climate settings, the electric sunshade and the front-passenger seat position. Don't tell the kids about that last thing.
What are they like to drive?
Even as the previous generation CX-5 bowed out, it was our medium-SUV benchmark for driver-centric handling and ride. Based on our introductory drive of the volume-selling CX-5 SP the new model still is, but in a slightly different way.
The steering, a highlight of the old car, has been made lighter in the new model. The engine is certainly no ball of fire, but the transmission has been recalibrated for improved response. And actually, gears are still a bit of a treat in this age of hybrid/e-CVT.
The suspension has been made softer, but rebound damping has been increased. All incremental changes designed as much to adjust the dynamics for the change in wheelbase as anything, and while the CX-5 now feels more grown-up and less overtly sporty, it's as communicative and composed as ever. We approve.
The 6e is an interesting one, because it's a Chinese-market platform that's been extensively Mazda-ised. For maximum Mazda-ness.
It's pretty good, actually. The power is delivered gradually from a standing start and only really ramped up when you're on the move. Rear-drive gives it a nice feel, the quality Michelin tyres are grippy and it turns into tight corners with surprising determination. It's a solid effort and obviously tuned with tricky roads in mnd.
What the 6e lacks is the steering and handling nuance of the CX-5 - even though we're talking pseudo-sporting-sedan versus very mainstream SUV. In the context of new-gen EVs of Chinese origin, the 6e is very impressive; in the context of being a Mazda, it's competent.
The CX-5 also leads the way in cabin design. There's been a dramatic change from the button-heavy environment of the old car to an almost-total reliance on the touch screen in the new one. Who'd have thought? But the OS is beautifully executed and intuitive; there are a number of controls on the steering wheel, which are both clicky buttons and haptic-touch. In other words, you can either press or swipe; it's a risky ergonomic execution (ask Volkswagen), but Mazda has done it really well.
The fit and finish is also a cut above the family SUV norm. The choice of materials and cabin ambience is deeply impressive once you start to soak it all in.
The 6e's cabin is not short on impact. Tan suede covers not just the seats but also the dashboard and door trims. If you've never stroked automotive cabin architecture... you might start now.
The steering wheel controls are not as sophisticated as the CX-5 and while the infotainment OS is also quite intuitive and logical (different cars, so completely different between the two, remember), it doesn't have the flair and graphic clarity of the CX-5. But again, among new-gen EVs, it's really good.
Nobody's cross-shopping the CX-5 and 6e, of course. But the comparison is interesting because of what each model represents for Mazda... and the impending arrival of the 6e-related CX-6e SUV, which really will be a CX-5 alternative.
The 6e does take Mazda NZ to a new era of connectivity. It's live with an embedded sim and there's a dedicated app for remote functions.
What’s the pick of the range?
The GSX was the volume-selling CX-5 in the previous generation and it's expected the new GSX, sorry SP, will be the same. Mazda NZ describes it as the sweet spot of the range and now that it's had a wheel-upsize and gained some finishing touches like a power tailgate, it still looks like the one.
It could come down to styling taste. The SP has matte-black exterior plastic trim (wheel arch trims, for example), whereas the Homura and Takami move to gloss-black.
No deep consideration needed for your 6e purchase: there's just the one Takami model.
What other cars should I consider?
Medium SUVs are the most popular single type of new vehicle in NZ, so the CX-5 has a multitude of rivals. Too many to mention, in fact. But the Toyota RAV4 is the one everybody aims for, especially with a new generation just launched (hybrid or PHEV, $50,990-$66,990).
The Mitsubishi Outlander ($43,990-$81,990) and Nissan X-Trail ($44,990-$58,990) are both sold as ICE or hybrid. The hybrid-only Kia Sportage ($49,990-$64,990) is also popular.
In terms of the 6e... well, pure-electric sporty sedan-hatchback type things are quite niche. But there's the smaller Tesla Model 3 ($63,900-$86,900) and Kia EV4 ($63,990-$75,990), or the scrappy-but-stylish Dongfeng 007 (currently on special for $52,990-$57,990).