CIRCULATING IN WANGARATTA, BENALLA, MYRTLEFORD, BRIGHT, MT BEAUTY, BEECHWORTH, YACKANDANDAH, RUTHERGLEN, CHILTERN AND DISTRICTS
NORTH EAST
November 28, 2014
available online - wangarattachronicle.com.au
PRINTED FORTNIGHTLY — VOLUME 462
MAZDA CX-5 AKERA: IT LOOKS SHARP AND DYNAMIC.
Mazda CX-5 Akera a sharp SUV
M
azda’s CX-5 is a runaway sales success. They’re everywhere, bought by young ‘uns and not-so young ‘uns in vast numbers. But chart success is not always a hallmark of quality as a brief glance at what passes for a music chart will attest. The CX-5, though is different. Along with its cheery sales numbers comes handsome looks, some clever tech and a reputation for ride and handling. The top-spec Akera though is a test – priced where the Germans start (Audi Q3, BMW X1, Mercedes GLA), it has to fight badge snobbery as well as a crowded field from Japan and Korea. The CX-5 range starts at a very modest $27,880 for a two-wheel drive manual petrol 2.0-litre and goes all the way to nearly $50,000 for the diesel Akera. This petrol Akera is the last stop before that high water mark, weighing in at $46,570.
BY PETER ANDERSON The Akera’s long list of standard features include leather interior, keyless entry, nine-speaker Bose-branded stereo with Bluetooth and USB, reversing camera and parking sensors all round, cruise control and a cluster of sensors inside the windscreen for auto-wipers, headlights and lane departure warning. The headlights are of the adaptive bi-xenon variety (and very good, too), the seats up front are electrically adjustable, heated and have two memory slots. The Mazda CX5 is a lot of car and the Akera’s big 19-inch wheels add to that big look. Sadly, its rather lovely styling causes a couple of little problems. The first is that over the shoulder, you can’t see a thing through those tiny windows. On the Akera, blind spot monitoring is a
very welcome addition. Secondly, the rear doors are not an easy proposition for smaller kids. They don’t open very wide and it’s a bit of a climb up. Once they’re in, though, there’s plenty of space and they sit up nice and high and they can easily see out. It’s not bad in here, but a car that costs the same as an Audi Q3 or a BMW X1 could do with a bit more luxury than what’s on offer. Having said that, it’s all perfectly functional. That screen isn’t really big or smart enough for you to use, it’s actually quite fiddly. Once you’ve deciphered it, though, it’s not bad and sounds quite good. Needs work, though. The Akera is powered by the larger SkyActiv 2.5-litre four-cylinder. There’s no turbo, but it pushes out 138kW and 250Nm of torque through all four wheels
and with a very good six-speed automatic. Mazda claims a combined fuel figure, aided by stop-start, of 7.2 litres per 100km but this seems a distant possibility with our 12.2 L/100km figure that didn’t include an undue amount of hard acceleration. The CX-5 is without doubt one of the better SUVs and holds up pretty well against a lot of lower-slung sedans. The power and torque figures don’t suggest it, but together they do an impressive job of pushing the 1650kg Akera down the road at a very decent pace. The transmission is very responsive to the right foot and there’s some real fun to be had behind the wheel. Passengers will be very happy with the good ride and lack of body roll that one or two competitors suffer from (CR-V and Forester).
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