Mazda Southern Africa has announced a handful of light interior and exterior updates for its popular CX-5 range, but the new turbocharged 2,5-litre petrol engine confirmed for the Japanese market back in October 2018 unfortunately isn’t on the cards.
So, what has changed? Well, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are now standard on all derivatives (interestingly, Mazda SA furthermore says an accessory kit can be retrofitted to any Mazda2, Mazda3, CX-3 or CX-5 model with a factory-fitted MZD Connect System), while the cabin gains new patterning on the air-conditioner panel and redesigned commander and volume controls. In addition, fresh chrome accents have been added to the side mirrors and window trim.
The 17-inch alloy wheels offered on the Active derivatives gain a new colour, while Dynamic models benefit from a new 19-inch wheel design.
The make-up of the local eight-strong CX-5 range is unchanged, with engine options again including a naturally aspirated 2,0-litre petrol unit (121 kW/210 N.m), a free-breathing 2,5-litre four-cylinder petrol mill (142 kW/257 N.m) and a 2,2-litre turbodiesel (140 kW/450 N.m). Front- and all-wheel-drive variants are offered.
In Japan, the forced-induction 2,5-litre engine delivers 169 kW at 4 250 r/min and 420 N.m at 2 000 r/min.
