This is our best look yet at the new-generation Mazda CX-5, with our spy photographers snapping numerous shots of the still-camouflaged mid-sized SUV.
Mazda’s new CX-5 was spied in Germany where it’s undergoing testing ahead of a likely unveiling between July and September this year, becoming just the third generation of the Japanese brand’s best-seller.
While it’ll retain Mazda’s core ‘Kodo’ design language, the new CX-5 will look more like its larger siblings such as the CX-60.
This includes a more pronounced front grille surround, slimmer headlights, thinner tail lights, and a flatter side profile.
Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now.
According to industry sources, the CX-5 could grow by as much as 110mm in length over the current model – something which would put it even closer to the larger and more premium CX-60.
The current CX-5 in Australian showrooms measures up to 4575mm long, while the CX-60 is 4740mm long.
Given the CX-5 has its four-cylinder engine mounted transversely across the front axle – compared to the CX-60’s longitudinal layout – it’s possible this rumoured increase in length could result in the smaller SUV gaining just as much interior space as its larger sibling.
Speaking of engines, the new CX-5 will debut Mazda’s new Skyactiv-Z engine, a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol unit which will offer greater performance and fuel economy than past Mazda engines, while also meeting strict Euro 7 emissions regulations in Europe and both LEV4 and Tier 4 regulations in North America.
The carmaker claims the Skyactiv-Z engine achieves lower emissions without any drops in output, as opposed to conventional engines which it says would result in a 30 per cent output drop.
Initially launching in petrol-only guise, the Skyactiv-Z engine will be mated to a hybrid system in 2027, giving Mazda a new rival for the Toyota RAV4, as well as the new Subaru Forester. Mazda’s existing CX-50, which uses a Toyota hybrid system, is only offered in a handful of markets.
Mazda says it wants to be a “frontrunner in the internal combustion engine even in the age of electrification”, citing the lack of “uniform progress” in the adoption of electric vehicles.
Despite the CX-5 being nine years old in its current generation, it’s still Mazda’s best-selling model in Australia.
Last year the Mazda CX-5 was the eighth best-selling new vehicle in Australia, placing third in the high-volume mid-sized SUV segment which it once dominated, behind the Toyota RAV4 and Mitsubishi Outlander.
It has managed to maintain its strong sales volumes despite the absence of hybrid or plug-in hybrid powertrains; Mazda doesn’t even offer a mild-hybrid system on the CX-5 locally, though a 24V system is offered overseas.
Instead, it’s available with a choice of naturally aspirated 2.0-litre and 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engines, plus a turbocharged 2.5-litre petrol four.
A 2.2-litre twin-turbo four-cylinder diesel was previously offered in Australia and remains on sale in Japan.
MORE: Everything Mazda CX-5
