Mazda CX-8 2.2 Diesel: Quality People Mover
Last month, I had a chance to use the Mazda CX-8 for the exact purpose for which it was made – to move people. I have driven the CX-8, and I found it to be a great compromise between the price/practicality of the CX-5 and the size of the CX-9. However, in that previous review, a few things were different.
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For starts, that car had the 2.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine. More importantly, I didn’t get much of a chance to actually use it the way it was intended. I don’t recall having more than 3 people on board at one time during my test drive.
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This time however, I got the top-of-the-line 2.2-litre turbo diesel with all-wheel drive. Almost immediately, the difference could be felt. It’s not that the car was more athletic, if anything it felt a little heavier.
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However, it was definitely more relaxed, fuel efficient and able to get out of its own way than the petrol variant. Before long, I had to make use of 4 of its seats, with the rearmost bench folded down for more luggage room.
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The amount of space on offer was respectable, although it clearly wasn’t as roomy and purposeful as an MPV. My first reaction was shock. Imagine buying a vehicle as large as the Mazda CX-8 to discover you had to choose between moving 4 people and lots of luggage and 6 people with just a bit of luggage.
Quality vs Quantity
But as the trip wore on, I found myself asking other sorts of questions – where there MPVs out there that could offer the kind of active safety features found on the CX-8? Were any of the MPVs in our market as capable of smooth, quiet and refined highway driving? How many MPVs around the RM200,000 mark could deliver on these aspects?
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The answer is… well, nothing on the new market, really. The Hyundai Santa Fe doesn’t quite have the feature set, but is an excellent 7-seater SUV.
At this price point, what the CX-8 delivers is one of the best interstate travel experiences for 4-6 people. So, while it IS a people mover, it’s focus is more on the quality of the ride rather than the quantity of people it can move.
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To that end, the CX-8 2.2L High Spec succeeds. Four adults can sit in utmost comfort with individual seats and armrests all around.
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The CX-8 in both petrol and diesel variants, is extremely quiet and refined, but they’re both good at different things. The petrol exceeds at delivering a quieter experience in city driving, while the diesel is unbeatable as a highway cruiser.
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While there’s still some headroom for the CX-8’s equipment list, it has Smart City Brake Support (SCBS) which includes autonomous emergency braking to help avoid collisions while in Reverse and Drive.
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An electric power tailgate is also included, which can be controlled from the key fob.
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The upholstery and interior finishing is a mixture of browns and blacks that looks as close to ‘premium’ as something around RM210,000 can get.
We did a couple of Sights & Sounds videos of the CX-8 on the Autophiles Youtube channel. The first is a more complete version of the 2.5L petrol High spec, but in HD quality. The 2nd only covers the externally shot portions of the 2.2L diesel High spec, but is of a much higher quality. Check them out below.
CX-8 2.2D High spec features & highlights:
Mazda CX-8 2.2D High Specifications
Engine: Inline-4, 16-Valve, DOHC, Diesel
Capacity: 2191cc
Gearbox: 6-speed Automatic
Max power: 188hp @ 4500rpm
Max torque: 450Nm @ 2000rpm
Price: RM213,992.80