Secretly, I have always wanted a medium-sized family SUV that's the same colour as the beach. And now I have it, at least for some road-test time: the Mazda CX-5 Activ in Zircon Sand Metallic.
You can have this fancy colour on any CX-5, actually. But the Activ has a few special features: it's the only naturally aspirated CX-5 to offer an additional off-road mode in the drive controller (it's also on the Takami turbo) and it's rather strikingly garnished with lime green trim details inside and out.
You might well know this already, because the updated CX-5 is not brand new; it was launched back in April 2022. But it's an interesting time to revisit the Mazda, and not just because it's the sandy season. A lot has changed in the last 10 months. Indeed, it was all starting to change exactly when this CX-5 was introduced.
April was when the Clean Car Discount was extended to all vehicles, not just EVs, with rebates and fines calculated on CO2 emissions. So while the CX-5 came in on a high, with its biggest-ever sales month in March 2022, by the end of April many Kiwi new-car buyers were saying "where's the hybrid?". Hybrid being a synonym for "rebate".
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Mazda does have electrified technology in New Zealand. There's mild hybridisation in the Takami versions of the 3 hatch and CX-30, plus the CX-30 SP20. It has a battery electric vehicle (BEV) in the form of the MX-30 and a hybrid/plug-in hybrid electric vehicle on the way, the new-generation CX-60 SUV. In the longer term, also possibly the new MX-30 R-EV rotary range-extender. But there's no high voltage in the CX-5, which no doubt makes it a harder sell these days; people are very focused on the h-word.
On the plus side, the naturally aspirated 2.5-litre CX-5 is still thrifty enough to be in the Clean Car neutral zone, meaning no fine. Its 191g/km 3P-WLTP emissions figure is just one gram shy of the cap where fines begin.
That aside, the CX-5 is still a brilliant SUV made even better in its latest incarnation. To follow on from the above, the powertrain is arguably the least impressive aspect of the car; Mazda's insistence on "rightsizing" and (more importantly) not following automotive fashion for the sake of it means the CX-5 sticks with a large(ish) capacity naturally aspirated petrol engine and and "just" six gears in the transmission. So the powertrain doesn't have much of a wow-factor, but the engine and gearbox still work as an impressively cohesive package.
The rest of the car is beautifully balanced. It's not the largest medium SUV around - the boot is just 438 litres, for example - but it's superbly comfortable and pretty practical with reclining rear seatbacks and a 40/20/40 split.
We've been listening to Mazda engineers go into excruciating detail for years about their studies of the human body, and the role that seating position and shape plays in the dynamic character of a car; it's easy to be cynical, but the proof is in the CX-5's just-so driving position and supportive front chairs.
The cabin approaches premium quality for its elegant (if conservative) styling and careful use of soft-touch materials in the places you/re most likely to... touch. The Activ's lurid lime green trim details are a matter of taste, but I rather like them - especially as they clash with that Zircon Sand exterior.
Inside, there's a nice blend of virtual (major instruments, elegant-looking infotainment screen) and physical (you still get proper buttons for air condition, for example). Again, it's all nicely balanced and intuitive - except for the operation of that infotainment OS, which has no touch functionality. Instead, you have to use the Mazda Connect controller; it scrolls and clicks and there are a range of shortcut buttons, but it all takes some getting used to. Especially if you're flicking between the car OS and phone projection.
The tactile interior is all the more impressive when you consider that the Activ is not an especially high-end CX-5. It fits in between the very mainstream GSX and Limited, although unlike the former it only comes in AWD.
The pseudo-luxury ambience might result in some surprise that it doesn't have a few key features like every-which-way power adjustment for the seats, power tailgate, the high-end Bose audio system or genuine leather (the Activ has a synthetic "Maztex" material with "Grand Luxe Synthetic Suede", which is actually really nice). If those goodies are a priority you can always step up to the Limited, which adds $7300 to the price and loses the fancy Off Road mode. But yes, you can still have it in the sandy colour.
In some respects, the CX-5 has some catching up to do. In others, it's still right at the top of its game. If you need a medium SUV with the ride height and practicality that entails, but you still really like driving, I can't think of many in this segment that provide a better combination of talents. The steering is great, the driving position and seats just about perfect and the ride/handling balance beautifully judged. In this hue, the CX-5 Activ also looks really good with sand on the tyres.
MAZDA CX-5 ACTIV
ENGINE: 2.5-litre petrol four cylinder
POWER: 140kW/252Nm
GEARBOX: 6-speed automatic, AWD
CONSUMPTION: 7.4l/100km (NEDC), CO2 191g/km (3P-WLTP)
PRICE: $51,990
