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Driven: Mazda CX-5 Cylinder Deactivation. Image by Mazda UK.

Driven: Mazda CX-5 Cylinder Deactivation
A new Skyactiv-G engine with the ability to run on two pots for the lovable CX-5 – how good is it?

   



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Mazda CX-5 Skyactiv-G Cylinder Deactivation

3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5

Good points: all the usual CX-5 attributes, with a typically smooth and well-engineered powertrain...

Not so good: ...that doesn't quite feel punchy enough for a larger SUV like this

Key Facts

Model tested: Mazda CX-5 2.0 Skyactiv-G 165 2WD Sport
Price: CX-5 range from £27,230; 2.0 165 2WD Sport from £30,130, car as tested £30,690
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder Skyactiv-G petrol with cylinder deactivation
Transmission: six-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Body style: five-door SUV
CO2 emissions: 160g/km (VED Band 151-170: £540 in year one, then £150 annually thereafter)
Combined economy: 39.8mpg
Top speed: 125mph
0-62mph: 10.3 seconds
Power: 165hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 213Nm at 4,000rpm
Boot space: 506-1,620 litres

Our view:

This is a Mazda CX-5. It's one of our favourite SUVs of this size and class, and it's also a car which flies a little way under the radar, which perhaps denies it the unrelenting market success some of its rivals enjoy but which also makes it a cooler, more interesting choice than just defaulting to a Volkswagen Tiguan as everyone seems to do these days.

Visually, don't bother looking for changes on the 2020MY cars, because you won't spot any. Mazda updates its models almost every year, and it enacted various changes and technological chassis tweaks to the CX-5 in 2019 that it has carried over into 2020. Same story inside, where there is a change to the central command screen which sees the mapping extend the full width of the Mazda's monitor on the new models, while the manufacturer claims to have improved the sound insulation around the cabin. So let's sum up what a second-generation Mazda CX-5, 2020MY or not, represents: gorgeous good looks on the outside, a stunning cabin within, brilliant ergonomics and packaging throughout the interior, exemplary cruising manners, strong drivetrains and a sharp chassis. You can see why we rate this SUV so highly, then, and a 2020MY version is no different.

Thus, you're probably going to ask us why this car only gets 3.5 stars out of a possible five. Well, it's the new engine, you see. Mazda is a company which, in the main, eschews the usual solutions to decreasing CO2 outputs, such as fitting light-pressure turbochargers to its petrol engines. So what has happened here is that is has taken the 2.0-litre Skyactiv-G engine, with 165hp and 213Nm, and fitted cylinder deactivation tech to it. This allows the combustion motor to run on two pistons instead of four, as and when driving conditions permit, and it cuts fuel consumption and reduces CO2 by up to 8g/km. All remarkably noble.

In practice, you absolutely cannot tell when the CX-5 is doing its cylinder-switching schtick. This is as it should be, of course, as the transition from four pots to two and then back again has to be seamless, but some rivals put little '2cyl' or 'Eco' lights in the instrument cluster that illuminate when you're running on half an engine. It's a tiny, tiny detail and not at all deal-breaking to evaluating how well engineered the Skyactiv-G 165hp unit is, but it's such a smart touch in the competitors as it reinforces a smug sense of self-righteousness in you that you're doing a (very small) part in reducing CO2. Unless we missed this sort of graphic in the CX-5, then we have to report that it hasn't got a cylinder-deactivation notifier of any type at all.

And as you can't tell when the Mazda is reducing its carbon emissions, all you're left with is a normally aspirated 2.0-litre petrol lump in what is quite a big SUV. The Japanese company is to be commended for keeping the CX-5's kerb weight down to a reasonably trim 1,605kg in this spec, but this is still a relatively torque-light, non-turbo engine in a substantial shell and so the driving experience isn't as relaxing as it is in forced-induction competitors, with their lazy midrange torque delivery. Mazda does give you an utterly magnificent six-speed H-gate manual to stir about to elicit as much speed as you can from the 2.0-litre Skyactiv-G, but you'll be busier behind the wheel in this SUV to keep up with day-to-day traffic flow than you would be in other machines - and while such a trait might be considered desirable in an out-and-out driver's car, in a comfortable, high-riding conveyance designed primarily to effortlessly soak up the daily grind, it's not quite as welcome. Economy was also OK, nothing more; about spot on for the claimed 39.8mpg WLTP figure Mazda quotes for this CX-5, with a weekly return of 37.3mpg across 230 miles set against a best of 41mpg on rural A-roads, but - again - turbocharged rivals with 180-, 190-, 200hp-plus can do better with their unleaded on a cruise.

It's a lovely engine, the Skyactiv-G cylinder deactivation, and it would be terrific in the smaller CX-3, no doubt about it. Also, as it's not an SPCCI unit in the mould of the fancy Skyactiv-X, you don't get any of the discomfiting mid-range lumpiness nor reluctance to rev from this 'plain' spark-plug petrol engine that you do in Mazda's clever-yet-flawed mixed-combustion powerplant, so that's also a plus. But with newer crossovers already existing in Mazda's portfolio and the company now also putting out a fully electric machine, mild cylinder-deactivation tech on a family SUV like this doesn't feel like an ecological step far enough on the manufacturer's part. Give us a turbocharged mild-hybrid 2.0-litre with 220hp in the 2021MY CX-5, Mazda, and then we'll talk about five-star ratings...

Alternatives:

Ford Kuga PHEV: three alternatives here that all employ various planet-saving devices. The Ford goes full plug-in and does it well, managing its electric reserves fabulously. Not as nice to look at as the CX-5, nor is its interior as welcoming as the Mazda's, but its drivetrain is a step above this Skyactiv-G 165.

SEAT Ateca 150 TSI Evo: pulls the same 'runs-as-a-two' trick as the CX-5, only the Spanish SUV does it on a turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder motor with 150hp and 250Nm. And it's a much easier machine to live with on a day-to-day basis as a result, although its interior isn't quite as nice as the Mazda's.

Toyota RAV4 Hybrid: the manufacturer which has been doing eco-focused SUVs longer than anyone else has understandably refined its latest RAV4 petrol-electric product into a deeply competent all-rounder. You don't need the expensive PHEV version; a 217hp FWD RAV4 Hybrid has a great TNGA chassis, striking looks and a decent cabin.


Matt Robinson - 27 Oct 2020



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2020 Mazda CX-5 Skyactiv-X Cylinder Deactivation UK test. Image by Mazda UK.2020 Mazda CX-5 Skyactiv-X Cylinder Deactivation UK test. Image by Mazda UK.2020 Mazda CX-5 Skyactiv-X Cylinder Deactivation UK test. Image by Mazda UK.2020 Mazda CX-5 Skyactiv-X Cylinder Deactivation UK test. Image by Mazda UK.2020 Mazda CX-5 Skyactiv-X Cylinder Deactivation UK test. Image by Mazda UK.

2020 Mazda CX-5 Skyactiv-X Cylinder Deactivation UK test. Image by Mazda UK.2020 Mazda CX-5 Skyactiv-X Cylinder Deactivation UK test. Image by Mazda UK.2020 Mazda CX-5 Skyactiv-X Cylinder Deactivation UK test. Image by Mazda UK.2020 Mazda CX-5 Skyactiv-X Cylinder Deactivation UK test. Image by Mazda UK.2020 Mazda CX-5 Skyactiv-X Cylinder Deactivation UK test. Image by Mazda UK.








 

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