Mazda CX-5: the crossover that introduced Kodo and Skyactiv

The Mazda CX-5 is a compact crossover introduced in 2012 as the successor to both the Tribute and the CX-7. It was the first Mazda with the Kodo design language and the first developed with the full range of Skyactiv technology, and since 2014 it has been the brand’s best-selling model worldwide.

Mazda CX-5 at a glance

History of the Mazda CX-5

The CX-5 was previewed by the Mazda MINAGI concept at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, the first Mazda to combine Kodo styling with Skyactiv technology. Developed in a hurry between 2009 and 2011 under Hideaki Tanaka and styled under Masashi Nakayama, the production car was first shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2011; the Japanese version appeared at the Tokyo Motor Show that year. It used the same platform as the third-generation Mazda 3 and Mazda 6 and went on sale in February 2012 with a 2.0 Skyactiv-G petrol engine or a 2.2 Skyactiv-D diesel, matched to a six-speed automatic or manual.

Japanese production began in January 2012 at the Ujina plant near Mazda’s Hiroshima headquarters, with plans to raise output to 240,000 a year by adding Ujina Plant No.1 to Plant No.2. At launch the CX-5 won the 2012–2013 Car of the Year Japan award. The 2.0 petrol produced 165 PS and 210 N·m, while the two-stage turbocharged 2.2 diesel came with either 150 PS and 380 N·m or 175 PS and 420 N·m, and the front-wheel-drive entry diesel was rated at 4.5 l/100 km on the European NEDC cycle.

A facelifted CX-5 was unveiled at the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show as a 2016 model, with revised styling, less road noise, an improved infotainment system, a sport mode for the automatic and LED lights on higher trims. In the United States and Canada it was sold as a 2016.5 model, and the 2.5 Skyactiv-G engine became standard on all US trims except the base Sport with the manual gearbox and front-wheel drive, which kept the 2.0. The CX-5 has been Mazda’s best-selling model globally since 2014, with a record 444,262 sold in 2019 and about 3.5 million cumulative sales by March 2022. Since 2019 it has sat above the smaller CX-30 in the range.

Design and features

• Kodo design: the first Mazda to wear the company’s current styling language.
• Skyactiv: a lightweight, rigid platform with new engines and transmissions.
• 2.2 Skyactiv-D: a two-stage turbocharged diesel with up to 420 N·m.
• Global best-seller: Mazda’s most popular model worldwide since 2014.

Mazda CX-5 versions

• KE (2012–2016): first generation, 2.0 petrol and 2.2 diesel.
• 2016 facelift: revised styling and interior, 2.5 petrol standard in the US.
• KF cars: the second generation, with further Skyactiv updates.

The CX-5 replaced the Mazda CX-7 and the Mazda Tribute, and it shares its platform with the Mazda 3. More Mazdas are in the Mazda collection.

Sources

• Mazda CX-5, English Wikipedia: development, engines, sales, facelift
• Mazda CX-5, German Wikipedia: European engines and equipment
• マツダ・CX-5, Japanese Wikipedia: Japanese launch and production