Launched: Mazda CX-5 Facelift – 5 Variants, 4 Powertrains, From RM144,469.20 Onwards

Bermaz Motor officially announced the availability of the refreshed Mazda CX-5 crossover SUV today. Five variants with four powertrain choices are available.

After multiple leaks and a teaser, Mazda brand distributors Bermaz Motor Sdn Bhd officially announced the availability of the refreshed Mazda CX-5 crossover SUV line up today. As before, five guises are available with four powertrain choices, and all are still locally assembled (CKD) too.

As noted prior, slight design tweaks can be seen in the exterior, most notable being its front fascia – both the all-LED headlights and grille design are new, as is the front bumper. New at the rear too are the LED taillights’ design, whilst new 17- and 19-inch wheel designs cap the exterior changes off.

Visual changes are mild, but it sees all variants sporting new all-LED headlight and taillight designs, new front grille, new front bumper, as well as new 17- and 19-inch wheel designs.

Mazda also notes that the refreshed CX-5’s chassis has been enhanced too. It’s now constructed to be more rigid, and it also gets  re-tuned springs and dampers, altogether promising enhanced agility and drive comforts. Enhanced too is noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) suppression.

On board, all variants share more or less the same cabin aesthetics, albeit with differing levels of kit and luxuries. Shared across all is a new 8-inch capacitive touchscreen infotainment display that now offers wireless Apple CarPlay support, a new wireless charging pad, dual-zone automatic climate control with rear vents, and up to four USB charging ports.

Mazda claims the chassis has been enhanced too, with this face-lifted CX-5 promising better handling dynamics and improved NVH suppression.

The range kick off with the base 2.0 Mid variant that packs a 2.0-litre 4-cyl petrol mill and 6-speed automatic box, the former driving the front wheels via the latter with 162 HP and 213 NM. This is the sole variant that doesn’t get the signature illumination scheme in its LED headlights.

Naturally, this base-spec offering sees a rather basic kit list too as evident with its adoption of fabric seat upholstery, manual front seat adjustments, plus the absence of paddle-shifters or a powered tailgate. This variant also makes do without any active driver assistance (ADAS) features.

Depending on variant, the CX-5 sees an updated 4.6- or 7-inch digital multi-info TFT screen primed in its instrument bin. New on board too is an 8-inch infotainment display with wireless Apple CarPlay support and a newly added wireless charging pad. 

Opt for the 2.0 High variant slotted above and it sees leather seat covers, power-adjustable front seats with driver memory function, 360-degree parking camera instead of a wide-angle one, powered tailgate, an added rear spoiler, paddle-shifters, not forgetting Mazda’s signature illumination scheme for its headlights.

Crucially, a full ADAS package is primed from the 2.0 High onwards. This laces the CX-5 with the Mazda Radar Cruise Control (MRCC) with Cruising & Traffic Support (CTS), lane-departure warning and -keep assist (LDWS & LAS), Blind Spot Monitoring (BSM), Driver Attention Alert (DAA), Smart City Brake Support (SCBS), Rear Cross-Traffic Alert (RCTA), and Adaptive Front-Lighting System (AFS) with High Beam Control (HBC), amongst many. 

A full ADAS package comes as standard equipment from the 2.0 High variant onwards.

Next comes the mid-spec 2.5 High variant, and it gets a peppier 2.5-litre 4-cyl petrol heart driving its front wheels with 192 HP and 258 NM. In terms of kit, this variant builds further upon the 2.0 High through the addition of front seat ventilation, a larger 7-inch full-colour multi-info TFT display panel ( 4.6-inch unit primed instead in the lower guises) and larger 19-inch wheels instead of 17-inch units.

Next comes the 2.2D High, and the sole oil-burner in this range gets a 2.2-litre turbo-diesel 4-cyl heart outputting 188 HP and a meaty 450 NM. This package also promises the best fuel economy of the lot with a claimed average of 5.5 litres/100 KM. Apart from which, this oil-burner shares more or less the same features count as the 2.5 High slotted below it, only lacking a Drive Mode selector switch.

As for powertrains, the CX-5 continues to harness either a 2.0-litre, 2.5-litre, and 2.5-litre turbocharged 4-cyl petrol or a 2.2-litre 4-cyl turbo-diesel choices. All are mated with a 6-speed automatic, but only the range-topping 2.5T gets AWD.

Lastly comes the range-topping 2.5T High AWD variant. As its name aptly indicates, this is the sole variant to feature Mazda’s peppy 2.5-litre 4-cyl turbocharged petrol heart and an all-wheel-drive (AWD) setup. Altogether, this package delivers 228 HP and 420NM, and it also gets a larger 58-litre fuel tank fitted as opposed to the 56-litre tank primed in all variants below it.

On board, thing range-topper sees the same level of features and amenities primed as the 2.2D High and 2.5 High. However, it does build upon which through the addition of a novel new heads-up display (HUD) module, plus an enhanced traction control with Offroad Traction Assist. As for price, Bermaz Motor have set the following for each guise:

In typical Bermaz Motor fashion, all prices include a 5 -year or 100,000 KM warranty coverage, plus a 5-year or 100,000 KM free maintenance package.

What do you folks reckon then? Keen on this refreshed and lightly upgraded iteration of perhaps Mazda’s best-selling SUV? Would you prefer it over key rivals like the new Honda CR-V or Hyundai Tucson? Or would rather wait a little to see how a certain upcoming Chinese rival will be priced at?

As usual, share your take on things in the comments below, as well as our social media pages…