[Auto] Mazda CX-5 2022 long-term

[The GodFather]

 

 

A remote release for the rear seats isn’t anything new, but Mazda’s tri-handle set-up impresses regardless. Pull the longer lever for the outer seat, the smaller one for the middle seat. They don’t go quite flat, but the boot is still a healthy size. The 40/20/40 split was also useful on a four-up airport run with skis, as they easily slid down the middle. 

Mileage: 4619

 

We speak to its designer about the philosophy behind the look - 22 June

If we had done something really fashionable and cool, it would have dated already,” said Jo Stenuit,

Mazda Europe’s design boss, about the CX-5, the first car to combine the firm’s Kodo ‘soul of motion’ design language and Skyactiv technology.

That might come across as a slightly odd thought process for someone who is dedicated to making something look as good as possible, but it’s an interesting jumping-off point for a discussion around the design philosophy at Mazda.

Our CX-5 isn’t without its faults. For all the chatter about ‘right-sizing’ engines with Skyactiv technology, the 2.5-litre naturally aspirated four- pot and six-speed automatic gearbox do not happy bedfellows make. But it’s hard to criticise the looks of the thing – or any Mazda, for that matter.

 

Where other brands have made their cars look like they lost a fight with the steel press, with a plethora of sharp creases and angry snouts, Mazdas are serene by comparison: tight details where they’re needed (like the headlights) and flowing panels elsewhere to give that sense of motion that’s so vital to Kodo.

I spoke to Stenuit at the launch of the CX-60, as I was intrigued to see the reasoning behind the simple lines that mark Mazdas out. It’s too easy to get lost in all the verboseness of designer-speak (the verbal equivalent of a turtleneck jumper and trendy glasses), but Mazda’s man was pretty refreshing about all this stuff.

“It’s not easy [to keep it simple],” said Stenuit. “Designers tend to like to make cool drawings with lots of bits, and shiny bits, and we try to stop them. The few parts you have then have to be perfect. Like on the Mazda 3, where you have a lot of flowing connections between the C-pillar and the door, it has to be right. Because other brands would just put a break line in. We didn’t, and that makes it extra difficult.”

What’s interesting is not only the challenge this gives to the designers but also to the engineers. Expansive flat panels can lead to vibrations, whereas creases make the metal stiffer. It speaks of the efforts of both teams that our CX-5 still feels as rigid and rattle-free as it did when it arrived, 4000 miles ago.

 

Stenuit feels the proportions of the CX-5 are the best reflection of Kodo’s sense of motion. “Although the CX-5 doesn’t have the most current surfacing, it’s still very pure, especially with the proportion you get with the long nose,” he said. “You also have a long line that starts at the front, runs all the way to the back and then drops, which gives you an impression of length.”

It’s clear that Kodo has had a massive effect on the overall brand, all thanks to Mazda’s global design boss Ikuo Maeda and his vision when he landed the top job 13 years ago.

That has rubbed off on Stenuit: “For me, the big difference in the past 10 years is the confidence. We became really confident without being arrogant, and we can dream big.”

The CX-5 and CX-30 are the stars of the moment, taking more than half of Mazda’s UK sales, but for Stenuit, it’s onto the next challenge: how to make Kodo work with electric cars.

“We’re working on the scalable EV platform, and we’re looking at how we can evolve Kodo because of electric propulsion,” he said. “We don’t have the answer yet internally. It’s both very exciting and very scary at the same time, but it’s nice, because we can look into crazy stuff again.

 

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/long-term-reviews/mazda-cx-5-2022-long-term-review