MAZDA has unveiled its new CX-50 medium SUV in North America. As a result of the newcomer can be produced on the Hiroshima-based firm’s new meeting plant in Alabama, the mannequin shouldn’t be earmarked for Australian introduction.
Nonetheless, the CX-50 is notably the primary of 5 new CX fashions that Mazda will reveal within the coming yr – certainly one of which is already confirmed for Down Beneath and one other three are being thought of for this market.
Billed as a “utterly new mannequin developed for North America”, the CX-50 ought to slot simply above or under its fashionable however ageing CX-5 sibling in Mazda’s line-up, if it mimics the place of the CX-30 relative to the CX-3, for instance.
The brand new mannequin’s purposeful off-road-oriented packaging is arguably probably the most eye-opening facet of the CX-50, nevertheless.
Mazda says it has “prolonged this automobile’s functionality to allow drivers to enterprise additional into the outside and numerous terrains”.
As such, all CX-50s are geared up with i-Activ all-wheel drive (AWD) and Mazda Clever Drive Choose (Mi-Drive). The latter allows drivers to pick out from numerous drive modes to tailor the brand new Mazda’s powertrain settings to swimsuit a wide range of circumstances, similar to “off-road terrain or offering dependable towing capabilities”.
Though Mazda has geared up its all-wheel-drive crossovers and SUVs with a modicum of added floor clearance and features that utilise the automobiles’ digital stability management software program to carry out harder off-road duties, the Japanese model has tended to not play up its fashions’ off-road pretensions up to now (the BT-50 utility is an exception, after all).
The CX-50’s off-roader-inspired styling, in contrast, is overt. Like its modern stablemates, the newcomer is comparatively low-slung, with a slim side-glass profile and vast stance, however it’s adorned with beneficiant black cladding (on the wheelarches and flanks), whereas the chunky bumpers characteristic solely a touch of brightwork.
Furthermore, the grille and headlight trims are blacked out. That’s not to counsel the CX-50 is a pukka off-roader; it stays a crossover however this mannequin suggests upcoming CX fashions will look extra adventurous.
As anticipated, the CX-50’s upmarket cabin has a minimalist design, with a driver-oriented structure on the entrance. In step with current Mazda kind, it seems well-crafted and completed with piano black inserts, delicate metallic finishes and distinction stitching that matches the non-obligatory terracotta leather-based trim.
The mannequin additional incorporates a panoramic moonroof, which is alleged to be a primary for Mazda.
By way of practicality, Mazda says the CX-50’s top and size facilitate the “simply loading and securing of out of doors tools. Moreover, the excessive energy roof rails and strengthened B-pillars and door jambs add to the usability of securing tools on the roof.”
The CX-50 can be supplied with both the Skyactiv-G 2.5-litre naturally aspirated or Skyactiv-G 2.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine, every paired with a six-speed automated transmission
Each engines (140kW and 170kW respectively) are already supplied within the native CX-5 vary.
As for the upcoming CX fashions, the CX-70, CX-80 and CX-90 are into account by Mazda Australia, whereas the CX-60’s native introduction is pencilled in for subsequent yr.
