Mazda’s CX-5 caught testing

Mazda is flat out in preparation for the Frankfurt Motor Show, where its CX-5 small crossover will makes its global debut. Set to go head-to-head with the BMW X1 and Audi Q5, the CX-5 is the production version of the Minagi concept which bowed at Geneva.

Spied wearing a shortened version of the CX-7’s bodywork, the CX-5 will slot into the Mazda range beneath the mid-size CX-7 and larger CX-9, which is sold in the US and Russia. 

It will be the first production Mazda to feature the firm’s new Kodo – Soul of Motion design language, and the firm’s new Skyactiv lightweight strategy and efficient engine and transmission range.

Using these technologies, the firm claims to have shed 14 per cent of weight from the chassis and eight per cent from the body. It’s also increased fuel economy, so much so that the forthcoming petrol motor is said to be 15 per cent more efficient than the current 2.2-litre diesel unit, while the oil-burner claims a 20 per cent improvement.

The CX-5 should arrive in the UK in early 2012, and will be priced from around £22,000.

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