Used Mazda CX-5 2017-present review

The Mazda CX-5 is the Sainsburys Taste the Difference food of the family SUV world. You see, it tries to be as classy as your Audis and BMWs – in other words, your Waitrose and M&S – and, in many ways, it achieves its goal.

One way is interior quality. The CX-5 is full of soft-touch materials and the driving position is excellent, as is visibility. The infotainment system is also slick and relatively easy to use, with logical controls and all on-screen action done via a rotary controller.

Trims & equipment: Equipment levels are lavish, too. Early cars are available in two trims: SE-L Nav and Sport Nav. The former gets cruise control, climate control, front and rear parking sensors and automatic light and wipers, while the latter adds fully electric leather seats (heated in the front), keyless entry, a powered tailgate and a head-up display.

The CX-5 is rich in space, even if it's not the roomiest car in its class. Passenger space, both in the front and rear, is good and there's enough boot space to fit eight carry-on suitcases – it'll certainly swallow two large pushchairs.

Looking for an older car? Read our 2012-2017 Mazda CX-5 used buying guide

Engines: You have a few engines to choose from: two 2.2-litre diesel engines, with 148bhp and 173bhp (upped to 181bhp in 2019). There's also a 163bhp 2.0-litre petrol and, introduced in 2021, a 194bhp 2.5-litre petrol.

None of these engines use turbochargers to aid performance and, unfortunately, this is an area where the CX-5 can't quite stick it to the premium brands. All of these engines – noticeably less so with the diesels – feel quite sluggish unless you give them lots of revs and, what's more, they're quite noisy when you oblige. The 2.5-litre brings performance nearer to class standards, but even that isn't especially quick: its official 0-60mph time is 8.9sec.

Ride & handling: So, it won't set your trousers on fire in a straight line, but how is the CX-5 in the bends? Well, while the steering isn't as consistently weighted (and therefore confidence-inspiring) as we'd like, it's easy to get into a rhythm with the CX-5. This is because body roll is minimal (for its size and weight) and body control is good: the CX-5 feels sharp and composed. Versions equipped with four-wheel drive are particularly keen and capable.

The downside of its honed handling is a firm ride. It isn't uncomfortable per se, but you almost always feel the car fidgeting beneath you – unless you're driving across a silky smooth surface, of course, of which (in the UK) is as rare as finding a pot of gold.

All CX-5s are like this, but those on smaller 17in wheels are more supple than those on 19in wheels – found on higher trim levels. There are a lot of trim levels to sift through on the used market, though, because the CX-5 has undergone a fair few changes since its 2017 release.

As we've mentioned, early cars come in SE-L Nav and Sport Nav forms. Then, in 2019, the line-up became SE-L Nav+, Sport Nav+ and range-topping GT Sport Nav+. At the same time, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring was introduced, plus the standard level of safety equipment was improved to include adaptive cruise control, blindspot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning and lane-keeping assistance.

This was further refined in 2020 to SE-L, Sport, GT Sport and range-topping Kuro Edition.

Facelift: In 2022, the CX-5 received a facelift. It got a tweaked look and added a few extra trim levels to ensure that there’s one to suit most needs – including a new rugged-looking version called Newground. As of writing, Takumi trim tops the range: it has brown Nappa leather with heated and ventilated front seats – heated rear seats, too. It also has seat ventilation for driver and front passenger.

If you're interested in buying a used Mazda CX-5 or any of the other cars mentioned here, head over to our Used Cars For Sale pages to find lots of cars listed at great prices.

You get a lot of car for your money with a used CX-5. Just £10,000 is your starting point and, for that, expect a 2017-2018 SE-L Nav or Sport Nav with the 148bhp diesel engine. It'll also have around 100,000 miles on its clock, mind you.

This is why we recommend a budget of at least £12,000 – this way, you can pick up an example with less than 80,000 miles on its clock. If you'd like a 2019 car (you probably will, seeing as it gets more safety kit than in previous years, as well as smartphone mirroring), then have around £14,000.

Facelifted 2022 cars go for around £20,000 and 2023 models upwards of £23,000. This is the sort of price you can expect to pay for a 2.5-litre petrol CX-5 from 2021, too. Pay over £23,000 on a 2024 model.

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MPG

Fuel economy and CO2 emissions aren’t as dramatically different across the CX-5 range as you might expect. The 2.0-litre petrol claims an official (NEDC) average consumption figure of 44.1mpg, equating to a CO2 figure of 149g/km, or 39.2mpg under the later and more realistic WLTP tests, while the lower-powered 2.2-litre diesel gets 56.5mpg (or 47.9mpg WLTP) and 132g/km and the higher-powered unit 52.3mpg (43.5mpg WLTP) and 142g/km.

Fuel economy for 2.5-litre is poor and will be an understandable deal-breaker for many buyers. Officially, it'll average 37.2mpg: in our hands, we achieved this figure on a long motorway journey, but a mix of town and motorway driving conjured numbers in the high 20s.

Road tax

Cars registered after April 2017 will all pay the same flat-rate annual road tax of £190 per year.

Insurance and servicing

Insurance groups range from 14 to 26, so the CX-5 should be reasonably inexpensive to insure compared to other, often premium-badged SUVs.

Many Mazda dealerships offer fixed-price maintenance. This will give you a price menu of how much common maintenance operations (such as changing the brake discs or pads) are that you can then use to compare prices with those of independent garages in your area.

Mazda also offers extended servicing plans to cater for different ownership and usage requirements, and the CX-5 should be about average for the class in terms of servicing costs. Insurance costs should also be reasonable.

Reliability

The CX-5 exhibits a solid reliability track record, as evidenced by our annual What Car? Reliability Survey, which includes feedback from owners.

Most drivers enjoy a problem-free experience, though some diesel model owners have faced challenges with the diesel particulate filter and exhaust systems, leading to visits to dealerships.

Owner opinions on Mazda dealership services are divided. While many commend the quick and professional handling of maintenance and repairs, others are less satisfied, citing issues with responsiveness and high costs for complex problems.

Discover more about used Mazda CX-5 reliability on our dedicated reliability page.

It's between the 2.0-litre petrol and the lower powered 2.2-litre diesel. This is because the 2.5-litre petrol and higher powered diesels ask an unjustifiable price increase in our eyes, not to mention the former drinks petrol like there's no tomorrow (for a modern car).

The diesel is a compelling choice, because it has a good amount of shove low down in the rev range (unlike the petrols) and the best fuel economy of any CX-5s. However, the 2.0-litre petrol isn't bad on fuel and, when driven smoothly, it's a decent engine. As we mentioned on the first page, the problems (noise and lack of grunt) arise more so when you're in a rush.

Couple this with the fact that petrol CX-5s vastly outnumber diesel ones on the used market and the 2.0-litre is the one we'd go for.

Due to the CX-5 being well equipped across the board, we’d keep things simple with the trim and seek out an older and cheaper SE-L Nav, unless you happen to come across a reasonably priced top-spec model on a used car forecourt. If you can afford to, it's worth considering going for the updated (2019) SE-L Nav+, because it will have more active safety systems and full smartphone mirroring capability.

Our favourite Mazda CX-5: 2.0 SE-L Nav

The BMW X1 is a bit shorter than the CX-5, but it’s a classy, premium-badged SUV that Mazda has firmly in its sights. The X1 is also spacious and practical and has a high-quality interior with class-leading infotainment. It’s good to drive, too, having fine handling.

The Volkswagen Tiguan is also a little smaller than the CX-5, yet it’s almost as spacious inside. It’s also practical and good to drive and comes with plenty of kit as standard. Countered against that, its diesel engines can be a little gruff.

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If you're interested in buying a used Mazda CX-5 or any of the other cars mentioned here, head over to our Used Cars For Sale pages to find lots of cars listed at great prices.