New for 2020: To ring in the new model year, Mazda is giving the CX-5 crossover extra torque and less ride. They’re also making the brand’s i-Activsense safety suite standard across the board. It builds on a vehicle that hasn’t sat unchanged for long since being introduced in 2017. Since it came out, Mazda has added a turbocharged engine, a diesel option, redone the infotainment system, and added a top-trim luxury Signature variant. A zoom-zooming stone gathers no moss, we suppose.
Mazda has long been the brand of choice for people who want some more fun in their mainstream vehicles, but now they’re moving up to provide more luxury to go with that sportiness especially in the SUV space with the CX-5.
This year, the extra zoot for the 2.5-liter turbo-four comes in the form of 10 lb-ft extra torque. That’s if you use 93 octane fuel, though. The good fuel also boosts power to 250 hp, though that’s the same as last year. Use 87 and it’ll run just fine, but you’ll get the same 310 lb-ft as last year along with just 227 hp. Still strong figures for the class, though.
Making the 2.5T trim of the Mazda CX-5 more premium is a new system Mazda calls the Engine Harmonics Enhancer. It gives the engine a more refined but more powerful sound. An off-road traction assist feature uses the brakes to act like a limited-slip differential instead of just cutting power when a wheel spins.
Mazda’s i-Activsense active safety suite is now standard across the board, coming with radar cruise control, smart city braking with pedestrian detection and collision warnings, and lane departure warnings. All useful safety kit that’s becoming common across the industry.