Australian New Car Buyer – June 2019

AUSTRALIAN NEW CAR & SUV BUYER’S GUIDE | 99

M

azda’s CX-8 SUV slots

between the mid-size CX-5

fi ve-seater and family-sized

CX-9 seven-seater. There

are three model grades: base

Sport front-wheel drive from

$43,410, Sport all-wheel drive

from $47,410 and the fl agship

Asaki that pole vaults $15,000

to $62,590.

Standard fare includes

autonomous emergency braking

(AEB), blind zone warning, rear-

cross traffi c alert (and rear

AEB), a very effective speed-

sign recognition system and

built-in navigation.

Mazda’s infotainment — with

a large dial and buttons that

fall neatly within reach of your

hand in the centre console —

is one of the better systems

we’ve used, but does take a bit

of practice. Apple CarPlay and

Android Auto are standard.

Rear cargo space is generous

in the right confi guration, though

there is only a space-saver spare

tyre under the boot fl oor. Both

Korean rivals have bigger boots

and full-size spare tyres.

The second-row seat tilts

and slides forward at the fl ick

of a lever to gain access to

the third row; it can also be

adjusted to give third-row

occupants extra knee room

once everyone’s on board.

All fi ve seats in the back two

rows have top tether points for

child seats, but only the outer two

positions in the second-row seat

have Isofi x mounts.

The cargo area has two

luggage hooks and a 12V socket

to power a small fridge on a

weekend getaway.

The rear has no air vents in

the third row but there are air-

conditioning controls and vents for

front- and second-row occupants.

The second-row seat has

two USB charging ports in the

centre armrest; up front there

are two USB ports in the centre

console and a 12V power point

hidden down near the front

passenger footwell.

Visibility all round is pretty

good; the top-grade Asaki gains a

360-degree camera, although the

display is small and the image at

night is grainy.

Mazda is one of the few brands

that doesn’t have convex mirrors

on both sides of the car; the

driver’s side has a 1:1 mirror

which restricts visibility and you

come to rely on the blind spot

monitor and head checks.

The 2.2-litre turbo diesel

matched to a six-speed auto

is the same unit in the CX-5.

It’s zippy enough (it does 0 to

100km/h in a pretty respectable

nine seconds), relatively refi ned

for a diesel and fairly economical.

After about 500km of mostly

freeway and some suburban

driving, we averaged between

7 and 7.2L/100km. It would use

more with mostly suburban use.

Lane-keeping assistance

tech on the fl agship was too

aggressive, grabbing the wheel

so often that the car zig-zagged

within its lane like a pinball, so

I turned it off most of the time.

Low-profi le Toyo Proxes tyres are

quite noisy, too. Tyre pressure

monitoring is standard.

Handling isn’t as sharp as

most other Mazdas; CX8 lacks

the crispness and responsiveness

of the CX-5 and CX-9, in part

due to the diesel donk’s heavier

weight over the nose.

In general, though, it’s a

comfortable, secure cruiser with

no serious vices.

CX8 is a worthwhile

proposition if you’re specifi cally

after a diesel seven-seat SUV.

To make sure it’s not too small

for your needs, though, have a

good look at the Hyundai Santa

Fe and Kia Sorento, and take

both for a test drive before you

sign on the dotted line.

By Joshua Dowling

THINGS WE LIKE

 Made-in-Japan quality and reliability

 Excellent interior fi t and fi nish

Long list of standard safety features

 Well equipped at the price

 Frugal, refi ned turbodiesel

THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT LIKE

Tyres can be noisy on coarse

surfaces

Grainy rear camera display at night

Driver’s-side mirror is not wide-

view

Three people in the middle row is

pretty squeezy

Space saver spare

SPEX (Sport AWD)

Made in Japan

2.2-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel/

six-speed automatic/all-wheel

drive

140kW of power at 4500rpm/450Nm

of torque at 2000rpm

0-100km/h in 9.6 seconds (claimed)

5.5L/100km highway; 6.9L/100km

city; CO2 emissions are 158gkm;

fuel tank is 74 litres

Max towing weight 2000kg

Warranty: Five years/unlimited km

Standard: Six airbags, stability

control, AEB, rear cross-traffi c

alert, blind spot monitoring,

lane keep assist, speed sign

recognition, adaptive cruise,

navigation, Bluetooth, digital radio,

17-inch alloy wheels, keyless entry

and starting, LED headlights, rear

air conditioning

Redbook future values: 3yr: 56%;

5yr: 43%

MAZDA CX-8 FROM $43,410

Safety

Performance

Handling

Quality, reliability

Comfort and refi nement

Value for money

Overall

STARS

S

compare with ...

Hyundai Santa Fe, Kia Sportage,

Peugeot 5008, Skoda Kodiaq, VW

Tiguan Allspace