Mazda Australia has confirmed pricing and on-sale dates for the third-generation CX-5, the country's perennial mid-size SUV sales bridesmaid. Prices start at $39,990 plus on-road costs for the base Pure and climb to $54,990 plus on-road costs for the flagship Akera. First customer deliveries land in July. The catch is the engine. There is one, and it is a 2.5-litre petrol four.

What you actually get

Five variants: Pure ($39,990), Evolve ($42,990), Touring ($47,490), GT SP ($51,990) and Akera ($54,990), all plus on-road costs. Every CX-5 ships with the carryover G25 2.5-litre Skyactiv-G four-cylinder petrol engine making 132kW and 242Nm, paired with a six-speed automatic and all-wheel drive. Fuel use is 7.4 L/100 km on the combined cycle, with CO2 emissions of 173 g/km. The new car is 115mm longer than the outgoing CX-5 at 4690mm overall, with a larger cabin, a 12.9-inch infotainment screen on every variant, and a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster. Safety kit is full-suite from the base car up, including adaptive cruise and blind spot monitoring.

The hybrid problem

Mazda has confirmed the hybrid CX-5 is not coming until 2028. That is two model years away. In the meantime the new CX-5 launches into a segment where the Toyota RAV4 is hybrid-only, the Honda CR-V offers hybrid, the Hyundai Tucson offers hybrid, the Kia Sportage offers hybrid, and the Subaru Forester is now a hybrid. The Nissan X-Trail offers e-Power. Even the Mitsubishi Outlander has a PHEV. Mazda is the only mainstream Japanese brand bringing a brand-new mid-size SUV to market with no electrified option at launch.

Cartell Assessment

A 2.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol four with 7.4 L/100 km is not embarrassing. It is just no longer competitive in a segment that has moved on. The RAV4 hybrid does 4.7 L/100 km. The Forester hybrid does 6.2. Honda CR-V hybrid does 5.5. The CX-5 will lose buyers to the RAV4 the moment fuel prices spike, which they will, repeatedly, over the next two years. Mazda is betting that ride quality, interior trim, the bigger screen and the new platform are enough to hold its mid-size customers while it gets the hybrid ready. It might be enough for existing Mazda owners. It will not be enough for cross-shoppers, who are the people Mazda needs to grow this nameplate, not just retain it. The 2028 hybrid is not late by Mazda's internal clock. It is late by every other clock in the room.

AU Outlook

Pre-orders are open now with dealer deliveries from July. Watch the spec sheet on the Touring and GT SP variants. The Touring at $47,490 is the volume seller of the old CX-5 and the new one is now within $1,000 of the RAV4 Cruiser hybrid. Same money, different drivetrain story. If Mazda holds CX-5 sales at the 22,000-per-year average it has run on the previous generation, it will be a small minor miracle of brand loyalty. The more realistic outcome is a slow drift to fourth or fifth in the segment until the 2028 hybrid lands.