Is the 2021 Mazda CX-5 GT SP as Good as Claimed? Review

The first CX-5 looked a little dreary, there, I’ve said it.

It splashed across our screen in 2012, blazing on to become nice little earner. Mazda knew they were on to something, as more a more car makers abandoned the passenger car market. CX-5 was worth a second spin of the wheel, and in 2017, the current generation was born.

When it did, I breathed a deep sigh of relief. The 2^nd generation threw off the frock of frump. In fact, it was so sexy, I could just imagine a chiselled hunk chucking his wets in the back, or is that just wishful thinking?

It is now Mazda’s Best seller, so they extended the range with CX-5 GT SP as a shiny new model for 2021. Inclusions are many, from stunning new Bose sound, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, and a serene drive experience. See THE FULL LIST HERE

Above: Last week – 2021 Mazda CX-5 GT SP AWD Review

Above: Last week – 2021 Mazda 6 GT SP Wagon REVIEWS

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ABOVE: 2021 2021 Mazda CX 5 GT SP AWD Review

Outside:

The look is simple, succinct, yet comfy and cosy. It says, “come inside and put your feet up.”

In the right light, CX-5 looks like someone washed a CX-9 and it shrunk in the dry cycle. The back 19” wheels are dead sexy, and for a change, don’t make the ride feel like a BBQ being chucked down a cobbled lane.

The understated front end disguises a bunch of fab techy-type stuff like twisty-bendy LED headlights that see around corners, with automated high beam.

“So what”, I hear you utter.

Imagine driving down a narrow hill pass at midnight. There is no moon, and no other traffic. It is dark and eerie, with the CX-5 cutting through the blackness with the light of a thousand suns. You’ve been taking easy to take full advantage of the time to yourself, then you come to the first bend. Normally you wouldn’t be able to see what’s coming until the back and the front of the car are in the same plane, right? These lights stay glued to the road as you are going around it, instead of lighting the shrubbery beyond. It might not sound like much, but it is a sensation. And, the auto-high beam function takes even more of the stress away from night driving.

The pleasing bum is plump and rounded, with sexy lights and an electric hatch. I reckon Mazda was designed by either a gay man who shops, or a straight woman with kids. The hatch has a lock button, hoorah!

Once you’ve tossed your stuff into the car, the lock button saves you having schlepp around to the driver’s door to lock it all down.

It’s no secret that gays like a badge, but it has to look good too. That’s where I think CX-5 has been a success.

The chic theme continues inside.

The cabin is a triumph of simplicity and function.

Download BROCHURE HERE: cx-5-digital-brochure

Mazda keeps nasty hard plastic to an absolute minimum. The dash and doors have soft fake-cow covering them. There is an HUD on the windscreen, and every single control can be reached without turning a hair. It’s almost as if someone tested it all before it went on sale instead of just sticking a finger in the air. The 10.25” infotainment is glorious, pumping the sound through 249watts worth of 10-thumping-Bose-speakers. It is properly posh.

I love comfortable seating too. Lounge-like accommodations are essential for a road trip, whether long or short. Front seats are powered, with heating. They’re draped in more fake cow which looks great, but a trifle heavy on the VOC smell. I’m a little confused by the GT SP. SP is a step up from GT, yet GT has a choice of black or white genuine cow, not the SP’s simulated suede. It’s not that I don’t like the covering, but I’d expect it to have leather, if the model below it has leather.

Is it some kind of reverse snobbery?

Back seats are comfortable too. You don’t feel like you’re listening to a sermon, and there is space for your feet under the front seats. The cargo hold has enough room for a space saver spare too. You know how I hate puncture kits. To finish it all off, there is a trio of levers to lower the 2^nd row seats from the back hatch. Everything has been thought of.

The drive:

This is Mazda’s coups de grâce.

It is graceful, smooth, and elegant. The 6-speed automatic could use another few cogs, but the 2.5L turbo is smoother than a Bublé Ballad. 170kw and 420Nm is plenty to push the little SUV long at an Olympic rate. There is a non-turbo model, but that engine is insufficient, and that is all I have to say on the matter. Just as an aside, only the entry level CX-5 models have a front-wheel-drive option, with all the rest having AWD.

Suspension is soft and sophisticated, with macpherson struts at the front, and Multi-Links around back. Don’t go chucking it into corners at Mach 10 though, it isn’t that kind of car. Instead, it is serene, wafting, regal, drive experience. Steering is very light, and the cabin is spookily quiet. The only time there is anything to disturb inner contemplations, is when you hit that god-awful coarse chip highway cheap-arse governments insist on using. It might be great for the balance sheets, but it is utterly rubbish for road users. I suppose the roads minister would rather fund his fact-finding trip to Europe than an uber-smooth road that will last a generation.

Like the audio and other controls, the safety gear and driver assistance are easy to fettle. Once you do, CX-5 does the rest.

TOP TIP: My advice is set the driver Rest Warning to 4 hours, trust me.

Mazda is safety-obsessed, Lane warnings and blind spot monitor give that secure feeling modern drivers expect. The lane keep assist only stops you from wandering out of your lane though, so do mind where you’re going. I have a love-hate relationship with brands that models that have lane centering, because it almost never works.

Like everything else about CX-5, the drive is gentle, well thought out, and does exactly what it says on the box.

Price: $47,490

Engine: 2.5L 4Cyl Turbo Petrol

Power: 170kw/420Nm

Econ: 8.2L/100k

Trans: 6-Speed Auto

CO2: 191g/k

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