Staff Reporter
Namibia’s Novel Mazda launched the brand new Mazda CX-5 during a glitzy event at the Travel and Tourism Expo at the Windhoek Showground.
The CX-5, which retails locally for about N$571,000, has been redesigned by adding refinement to the suspension, gifting the crossover utility vehicle with more technology and installing a classier, more practical interior.
The CX-5 is available as a 116 kW 2.0-litre four. Six-speed manual, and front-wheel drive are standard; a 137 kW 2.5-litre four is optional, with six-speed auto and all-wheel drive.
The smart cabin, easy-to-use infotainment, and optional safety tech – adaptive cruise, automated emergency braking, and more – underscore the CX-5’s great all-rounder standing. With more or less the same pentagon-shaped grille, swept-back headlights, and athletic proportions as before, the 2017 CX-5 might not seem all that different to the casual observer.
However, a closer look will reveal that Mazda tightened up the headlights into slimmer, narrower shapes, shifted the grille slightly forward and gave the rear fenders a more pronounced “shoulder-like” appearance.
Mazda also stiffened the CX-5’s structure by 15 percent and added a rash of new sound-attenuating measures such as extra seals for the doors and additional absorption material to quiet the cabin at speed and reduce impact noise over bumps.
The under-body panelling was also expanded to cover more of the chassis and now is made of a sound-insulating felt-like material.
Elements of the cargo-area trim similarly underwent a switch from hard plastic to carpeted pieces to reduce noise reverberation throughout the interior, and the windshield is thicker.
According to Mazda, the new CX-5’s suspension matches the previous model’s athleticism. Where many other crossovers lean and flop, the Mazda carves a cleaner path with well-controlled body movements and genuinely sprightly handling.
Keen to smooth out a ride that was previously on the firm side, Mazda says it now allows softer initial bump and body-roll compliance from the front dampers by reducing the units’ friction.
It also fit hydraulic bushings to the front lower suspension arms and both these tweaks introduce a newfound suppleness to the CX-5’s ride quality, with the wheels cycling quickly over or into lumps and cracks in the road without tossing the body around.