By Karl Peskett.
When Lamborghini decided to leave its 5.2-litre V10 free of turbocharging, motoring enthusiasts the world over rejoiced. Clearly, it would make more power with forced induction, but having that unimpeded sound gives the Huracan a sound that is truly like no other. For a supercar, the sound gives it personality – it’s a big consideration.
For an SUV, though, it’s not as big a deal. In fact, no-one really cares how an SUV sounds. As long as it’s not droning or annoying, you could put any generic four-cylinder soundtrack to one of today’s crossovers and it wouldn’t matter.
That gives any manufacturer an opportunity. An opportunity to use turbocharging to their advantage. And that’s exactly what Mazda has done with its hot-cakes seller, the CX-5.
If there was one area in which the CX-5 needed improvement, it was the engine. It was definitely refined enough, but it was seriously lacking in torque. Adding a turbo, then, is the perfect solution.
The standard CX-5 has a 2.5-litre four-cylinder producing 140kW and 252Nm, whereas the turbocharged CX-5 gets a huge boost in torque, making 170kW and 420Nm. However, it’s when you see where those figures are produced that gives you an idea as to how much more driveable it is.
Peak power and torque are made at 6000rpm and 4000rpm respectively, creating a very peaky engine which needs to be revved to get it motivated. By contrast, the turbocharged engine’s peak power and torque are produced at 5000rpm and 2000rpm, making for a far more relaxed feel thanks to plenty of punch down low.
You can ride the wave of torque and make brisk progress with a simple flex of the right foot, which is stark contrast to the standard CX-5 which needs a big prod to do the same thing. The engine also pays dividends in acceleration, with the turbo version taking just 7.7 seconds to get to 100kmh from rest, compared with 9.7s for the non-turbo CX-5.
Of course, you pay for that extra power at the bowser. Compare the non-turbo CX-5 with the forced induction version and the ADR fuel use figure is 7.4L/100km versus 8.4L/100km. We found the sticker figure to be a little ambitious, too, with our week of testing returning 9.7L/100km across a range of driving conditions. That means each week you’ll be forking out around $80 in fuel, and thankfully the CX-5 range will happily take 91RON.
So, apart from the engine, how is it? To look at, identical to the standard model. And inside it’s the same story. But that doesn’t mean it’s lacklustre. In fact, the CX-5 is the benchmark for interior quality in this segment, with beautiful plastics, excellent presentation, a brilliant stereo and a high-end feel throughout.
It’s not the largest midsize interior around (the boot is only 442 litres, for example), but it’s certainly adequate enough for most families. The seats are well padded and the leather is superb, too.
The infotainment is very easy to use, too, but it’s terribly laggy on startup (and at other random times) and with no pinch-to-zoom functions for the sat-nav, it feels a generation or two old. Presentation-wise, however, the interior is hard to fault.
The drive is quite good, though the steering is a little numb, but that doesn’t affect the sure-footed handling. The CX-5 is adept at handling soggy conditions with an all-wheel-drive system that is reasonably quick to send power to the rear wheels when the fronts slip. The suspension is quite firm in Akera form (as tested) and is certainly firmer than its Korean competitors, but it does corner quite well. But we would have liked something a little softer, given its semi-premium aspirations.
At $2500 more than the naturally aspirated CX-5, the turbocharged version is starting to get up there in price. We’re talking $50K at this level, which certainly isn’t cheap, considering you can get the base model for just on $30K, or even an AWD model for $35K. But the Akera comes with absolutely everything – it’s fully loaded.
But for the $2500, we reckon the CX-5 is far better to drive in turbo form, which means it’s definitely worthwhile. If it’s the best quality mid-size SUV you’re after and you want something with a bit of punch, then the CX-5 Turbo is well worth a look.
