Report 1 16/01/26
REPORT 1 (16th Jan 2026)
Meet our new extended-review car: a Mazda CX-5. Yes, we’re aware this second-generation model dates back to 2017 (via a 2022 update). And yes, we’re also aware there’s a brand-new third-generation CX-5 coming this year. But bear with us, because there’s method in our choice of Mazda.
We’ve been asking Mazda New Zealand if we could review the current CX-5 (again) for a while now. It’s not that the company was unwilling, it just couldn’t secure a suitable one because it’s a model that hasn’t been on the press fleet for a while now.
But we’ve continued our sometime-mission to revisit the most popular new vehicles in NZ, because they’re the ones people actually buy in substantial numbers. That’s certainly true of the CX-5: it’s Mazda NZ’s single most popular model and still accounts for 40% of its volume.
Long story a bit shorter, Mazda NZ decided the best way for us to tackle the CX-5 might be an extended review - just as it did with the CX-3 last year, in a similar scenario. Suits us: adds a valuable car to the review database and gives us a nice lead-up to the new one coming later in the year.
We did truly start from scratch with this one. With the CX-3 we were offered a brand-new car, but a very particular one: an SP20 in Polymetal Grey.
With the CX-5, everything was open for discussion, but we all decided we’d embrace the spirit of this project and go for the biggest-selling version of Mazda’s biggest-selling model: the $50,290 GSX AWD. Our car is standard apart from a chunky rubber boot-mat ($229) and quite a fancy Westfalia towbar with detachable tongue ($1800).
This GSX AWD is essentially mid-range. Mazda offers a brace of entry-level CX-5s with a 2.0-litre engine in GLX and GSX specifications, but when you step up to our GSX with AWD you also get the 140kW/252Nm 2.5-litre powerplant. There’s also a more luxurious Limited with the same powertrain, and the Mazda CX-5 with the most is the turbocharged Takami (a whopping $17,600 more than our GSX). The less-popular Activ and SP models were phased out a while ago.
We even got to choose the colour of our car. Well, kind of. Our enthusiasm for the beachy Zircon Sand Metallic is not shared by other Kiwis apparently, and there wasn’t one to be found in stock or on the way. After looking at everything else on the colour chart, we decided on the same Polymetal Grey our previous CX-3 came in, on the basis that it really suits the car and it photographs well.
This is a pretty-well specified family car for a smidge over $50k, with full “leatherette” upholstery, a much newer version of the Mazda Connect infotainment system than the CX-3 (but not as new as the CX-60/80/90 family), a handy 40/20/40-split seatback and a dual-height boot floor, so you can choose between maximum volume or a flat load-through.
The GSX does miss out on a power tailgate, though, which caught us out on the first couple of trips to the supermarket. It’s muscle-memory, when so many mainstream SUVs have that feature now.
What would we really have gained in the substantial step up to the $61,190 Limited? There’s definitely some stuff we’d like to have: that power tailgate, heating and power adjustment (plus more adjustment, actually) for the front seats, a grunty Bose audio system, fancier 7-inch display for the central instrument panel, and cruising and traffic support (CTS) for the adaptive cruise - basically a bit of extra help with steering and lane-keep when you’re driving in heavy traffic.
But we’ll happily pass on some of the other Limited-kit. It has gloss-black exterior trim, which we reckon looks a bit cheesy next to our GSX’s matte black. And while the Limited gets full leather upholstery (no “ette”), we’re still pretty happy with the classy look and feel of our car’s chairs.
The Limited does get a worthwhile wheel upgrade. The GSX’s 17-inch alloys are a nice design, but look a bit undernourished; the Limited’s 19-inchers fill out the arches very nicely.
But as we embark on a few months of driving with the emphasis on city commuting and parking, we not only expect a benefit in ride quality from our modest footwear, concrete kerbs cannot frighten us.
What is the Mazda CX-5?
The company's ever-popular mid-sized SUV. It's been around for nine years now, but remains the brand's most important Kiwi model in terms of sales volume, accounting for 40% of registrations.
Why are we running it?
Because it's still popular and we want to know how it feels in a market that's largely embraced electrified powertrain technology (this model has none). It's also context, as we prepare to drive the brand-new CX-5 later this year.