A new, more powerful variant of the Mazda CX-5 has gone on sale in Australia, priced from $32,880 for the 2.5-litre petrol Maxx automatic.
The CX-5’s new 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine makes its move into the popular SUV after debuting in the all-new Mazda 6 medium car.
It replaces the 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol in all-wheel-drive versions, adding $500 to the price of the corresponding trim levels.
The Maxx Sport and Grand Touring 2.5s are priced from $36,620 And $43,780 respectively. A new range-topping model labelled Akera includes lane departure and blind spot warning systems, and high-beam control and costs from $45,770 for the 2.5L petrol or from $48,620 for the 2.2L diesel.
The alternative AWD engine remains a 2.2-litre turbo diesel with 129kW and 420Nm.
The smaller-capacity, 2.0-litre petrol engine is retained in entry-level front-drive models.
Mazda’s new 2.5-litre produces 138kW and 250Nm, giving the 2.5-litre a notable advantage over the 113kW/198Nm 2.0-litre that has been criticised for being underpowered.
The 2.0-litre, however, has also been upgraded with the aim of improving acceleration via a remapped engine software that now sees the engine rev to 6800rpm rather than 6500rpm.
Mazda CX-5 models powered by the 2.5-litre engine uses 7.4 litres of fuel per 100km according to the official consumption cycle, compared with 6.9L/100km for the 2.0-litre.
The diesel is the most fuel efficient at 5.7L/100km.
Technology upgrades across the revised Mazda CX-5 include Bluetooth that allows SMS, MMS and email to be displayed on the SUV’s 5.8-inch dash touchscreen, and voice command phone book.
The Mazda CX-5 colour range also gets a subtle shake up with revised shades of red (Soul Red), black (Jet Black) and grey (Meteor Grey).
2013 Mazda CX-5 range
Mazda CX-5 2.0 Maxx FWD (man) $27,880*
Mazda CX-5 2.0 Maxx FWD (auto) $29,880*
Mazda CX-5 2.0 Maxx Sport FWD $33,620*
Mazda CX-5 2.5 Maxx AWD $32,880*
Mazda CX-5 2.5 Maxx Sport AWD $36,620*
Mazda CX-5 2.5 Grand Touring AWD $43,780*
Mazda CX-5 2.5 Akera AWD $45,770*
Mazda CX-5 2.2D Maxx Sport AWD $39,470*
Mazda CX-5 2.2D Grand Touring AWD $46,630*
Mazda CX-5 2.2D Akera AWD $48,620*
*Before on-road costs
