ROAD TEST
The Mazda CX-5 is designed to overtake rival German rides
Is the Mazda CX-5 the new segment leader? Mark Smyth takes to the road to find out
It is not so long ago that Mazda was an also-ran, existing as a mere sidekick to parent company Ford. It had its superb MX-5 and many other good models but it was living in the shadow of the Blue Oval to a big extent. Then the Japanese marque went on its own and has seemingly never looked back. The company focused on making great cars again, so much so that it grabbed the attention of Toyota, which began using the company’s Skyactiv engines in its Yaris models built in South America. Last week Toyota announced further collaboration with Mazda. Today the brand has a strong line-up, marred only perhaps by the rather outdated BT-50 bakkie. It has great design, even greater engineering and a focus on delivering great drivers’ cars as well as models that have a high level of equipment. A case in point is the latest CX-5 sport utility vehicle (SUV). We had the top-spec Akera model with all-wheel drive. At R557,500, the pricing is rather steep but as our time with the model progressed, it ...
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