Review: 2020 Mazda CX-5 2WD Sport

The Gram Strategy. It’s an engineering belief that making a car lighter makes them fun-to-drive. It’s something commonly associated with Lotus’s Colin Chapman, and more recently, Mazda. And while it’s typically associated with their two-seater MX-5, the Gram Strategy is present in pretty much their entire line-up, including the CX-5.

It’s a pleasant surprise actually given that compact SUVs aren’t necessarily known for their weight-saving measures. But weighing in at 1,510 kilograms—the CX-5 2WD Sport is some 116 kilograms lighter than its all-wheel drive sibling, and as a result is a much better drive with better fuel economy to boot. This is the compact SUV that has its cake and eats it too.

Part of Mazda’s 2020 refresh for its CX-5 range, this 2WD Sport joins the range as a fourth variant offering. Sitting below the AWD line-up, it brings its convenience features and pairs it with the powertrain of the entry-level 2WD. From the outside though, there’s absolutely no way to tell the difference. Everything looks the same as the lower-end 2WD Pro—down to the same 17-inch alloy wheel design.

It doesn’t rock the boat aesthetics-wise, but then again, the CX-5 didn’t need to re-write its design book either as it’s still one of the best-looking compact SUVs out there. Open the door, and the high-class Mazda look and feel remain unmistakable. The absence of the sunroof aside, this 2WD Sport has all the trappings of the AWD model—from the leather seats with contrasting stitching, power tailgate, and even the 10-speaker Bose sound system (with standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto now to boot). For the driver, he also gets all sorts of comfort-boosting features like power seats with memory (the front passenger gets power adjustment too), heads-up display, and even a new gauge cluster that incorporates a 7-inch TFT display (ala the refreshed Mazda6 more than the all-new Mazda3).

Speaking of the Mazda3, there have been attempts to bring in some bits from their newer models into the CX-5, and sadly, they’re off-putting. For instance, the new climate control knobs look great by itself, but next to the rest of the dash, it doesn’t look like an elegant solution. Not to mention, the smaller knobs actually make them slightly harder to use compared to the previous one’s chunkier design. The same can be said about the new standard 360-degree camera which is great in principle, but negated by the fact that the display’s already small size and low-resolution splits the feed into two (360-degree plus front or rear view) making everything look so miniscule and almost undecipherable.

As with the other CX-5 variants, this 2WD Sport remains arguably the driver’s choice in the compact SUV segment. If life has you being dragged kicking and screaming out of a fun car and into a family vehicle, this one ultimately brings that sense of fun back.

Compared to its AWD counterparts, this 2WD Sport is actually far superior in terms of driving fun. It feels nimbler and more responsive; a full show of the aforementioned Gram Strategy at work. With less weight over its nose (and less weight overall), it’s pointier and sharper, aided by its natural and lighter steering. It shifts its mass very well, giving it a feel closer to that of a compact hatchback than a high-riding crossover.

New-found agility aside, the 2020 CX-5 gets its suspension tweaked for an improved ride, too. The front dampers are now larger, while the rear has a new geometry, with some new vibration-absorbing material put in for good measure. Driven back-to-back with a 2019, the differences are subtle, but noticeable, especially when going over small cracks and bumps.

Equipped with a 2.0-liter Skyactiv-G engine, it gives up some 34 horsepower and 50 Nm of torque over its gasoline-powered AWD sibling. That said, its 156 horsepower and 200 Nm of torque outputs remain pretty stout compared to others in its class.

But since it also gives up a considerable amount of weight, the outputs are just 10 percent less horsepower per metric ton. As a result, it feels lighter on its feet with a better off-the-line feel. Without a stopwatch, this CX-5 feels faster in city confines. Naturally, high speed runs reveal the chinks in its armor as the lack of low-end grunt requires the engine to rev considerably more. Thankfully then that this is a rev-happy engine, and the 6-speed automatic obliges.

Undoubtedly though, the best part of the entire CX-5 2WD experience is the fuel economy. Driven purely in city traffic, it easily does 10.3 km/L in heavy, and 12.3 km/L in light traffic—an impressive 30-percent improvement over the 2.5 AWD Sport.

The 2WD Sport’s efficiency gain is just one of the reasons why this is perhaps the best all-rounded CX-5 model out there. The meshing of the AWD’s features with the practicality of the base 2WD’s drivetrain doesn’t makes for headline-grabbing changes, but the multitude of smaller, and sometimes imperceptible tweaks add up to a much better CX-5—one that makes it more attractive to a larger set of buyers. With stingy discounts and relatively high pricing, the P 100,000 difference between this and the next-rung 2.5 AWD Sport amounts to a lot. There will be those who’d advocate going for the bigger engine for sure, but the vast majority, this new 2WD Sport nails everything right on the head.

2020 Mazda CX-5 2WD Sport
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Ownership	2020 Mazda CX-5 2WD Sport
Year Introduced	2017 (Refreshed: 2019)
Vehicle Classification	Compact SUV
Warranty	3 years / 100,000 kilometers
The Basic
Body Type	5-door SUV
Seating	5
Engine / Drive	F/F
Under the Hood
Displacement (liters)	2.0
Aspiration	Normally Aspirated
Fuel Delivery	Direct Injection
Layout / # of Cylinders	I4
BHP @ rpm	156 @ 6,000
Nm @ rpm	200 @ 4,000
Fuel / Min. Octane	Gasoline / 91~
Transmission	6 AT
Cruise Control	Yes
Fuel Economy @ Ave. Speed	10.3 km/L @ 14 km/h, 12.3 km/L @ 18 km/h
Dimensions and Weights
Length (mm)	4,550
Width (mm)	1,840
Height (mm)	1,675
Wheelbase (mm)	2,700
Curb Weight (kg)	1,510
Suspension and Tires
Front Suspension	Independent, MacPherson Strut
Rear Suspension	Independent, Multi-link
Front Brakes	Vented Disc
Rear Brakes	Disc
Tires	Continental ContiContact LX Sport M+S 225/65 R 17 H (f & r)
Wheels	Alloy
Safety Features
Airbags	6
Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS)	Yes, with EBD
Traction / Stability Control	Yes
Parking Sensors	Yes, Front & Rear, with 360-degree Camera
Front Seatbelts	3-pt ELR with pre-tensioner x 2
Rear Seatbelts	3-pt ELR x 3
ISOFIX Child Seat Anchor	Yes
Other Safety Features	Hill Hold Assist Blind Spot Monitoring System Rear Cross-Traffic Alert
Exterior Features
Headlights	LED
Fog Lamps	Yes, Front (LED)
Auto Lights	Yes, Adaptive
Rain-sensing Wipers	Yes
Interior Features
Steering Wheel Adjust	Tilt/Telescopic
Steering Wheel Material	Leather
Seating Adjustment (driver)	Electric, 8-way, with memory
Seating Adjustment (front passenger)	Electric, 6-way
Seating Surface	Leather
Folding Rear Seat	Yes, 40/20/40
On-Board Computer	Yes
Convenience Features
Power Steering	Yes
Power Door Locks	Yes
Power Windows	Yes
Power Mirrors	Yes, with Fold
Proximity Key	Yes
Climate Control	Yes, Dual with Rear Vents
Audio System	Stereo DVD MP3 USB Bluetooth GPS Apple CarPlay Android Auto
# of Speakers	10, Bose
Steering Controls	Yes