Mazda has revised the line-up of its CX-5 family-sized SUV for 2019 and introduced a lavish GT Sport Nav+ range-topper which costs as much as £37,195.
The new halo car for the globally-popular CX-5 range mirrors the recently-launched Mazda6 GT Sport Nav+. On the outside, the key differentiator is 19-inch bright-finish alloys, but there’s much more to mark it out inside.
Rich Nappa leather seats turn up the decadence levels, as does satin chrome and real wood trim for the dashboard. The rooflining is black and LED illumination is bright white, and Mazda’s fitted a bespoke steering wheel with chrome centre and premium stitching.
The Mazda CX-5 GT Sport Nav+ gets a special TFT instrument display too, the only model in the SUV range to do so. Other extras include ventilated and heated front seats, heated rear seats and a sunroof.
Mazda has pushed the range upwards with the GT Sport Nav+ because, according to Mazda Motor UK MD Jeremy Thomson, “over 80 percent of CX-5s sold in the UK are Sport Nav+ trim, [which] shows that our customers value… our high-grade models.
“With the introduction of the GT Sport Nav+, we now have a new model that offers even more exclusivity and interior comfort.” It’s fitting, he adds, because a growing number of CX-5 customers are actually being lured from premium-badged rivals.
2019 Mazda CX-5
All 2019 Mazda CX-5 also now get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard, and the climate control panel has been revised to make it easier to use.
Mazda’s done work below the surface to make them better to drive, too. The front anti-roll bar is thicker and the rear bar is thinner: with other minor tweaks to suspension components, handling is crisper but the ride more plush.
The torque vectoring system, called GVG Plus, now has what’s called direct yaw control, which Mazda says helps high-speed stability.
Every Mazda CX-5 comes well stocked straight out the box. Even the basic cars get LED headlights, dual-zone climate control, sat nav and folding door mirrors. Prices for the entry-level 165hp SE-L Nav+ petrol start from £25,595 and deliveries of the 2019 range begin in February.
2019 Mazda CX-5 prices
SE-L Nav+
- 2.0 165 2WD: £25,595 (auto: £27,195)
- 2.2D 150 2WD: £27,295 (auto: £29,195)
Sport Nav+
- 2.0 165 2WD: £28,695 (auto: £30,295)
- 2.2D 150 2WD: £29,895 (auto: £31,795)
- 2.2D 184 AWD: £32,895 (auto: £34,795)
GT Sport Nav+
- 2.0 165 2WD: £31,095 (auto: £32,695)
- 2.2D 184 AWD: £35,295 (auto: £37,195)