Mazda has shown off its new-look CX-8 SUV, which will land in Australian showrooms in March 2023.
Keeping the CX-8 fresh against seven-seat SUV rivals like the Hyundai Santa Fe, Kia Sorento and Skoda Kodiaq, the new Mazda wears a new front grille with a block mesh pattern, as well as updated front and rear bumpers.
The front and rear lighting signatures have also been updated, while Mazda is boasting a “sleeker rear tailgate that compliments the SUV’s contemporary form”.
Adding to the revised styling is a set of new alloy wheel designs and a Rhodium White body colour to bulk out exterior hue options to eight.
And, like with the 2023 CX-5, the new CX-8 will standardise the larger 10.25-inch multimedia screen that was previously relegated to GT grades and up.
The Mazda Connect system will also feature wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, while a 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster, USB-C ports and remote window controls are also added to the equipment list for some grades.
On the mechanical front, AWD-equipped CX-8s score a drive-mode selector with options for Normal, Sport and Off-road.
Finally, improvements to noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) levels are also touted by Mazda that result in a “quitter, smoother ride for the whole family”.
Mazda Australia is yet to detail price and specs for the updated CX-8 line-up, but the current car is available in 10 forms (excluding the flagship Asaki Limited Edition) starting from $40,490 before on-road costs.
Two engines are also currently available – a 140kW/252Nm 2.5-litre petrol driving the front wheels, and a 140kW/450Nm 2.2-litre twin-turbo-diesel driving all four corners – but whether they both carryover to the new car is currently unknown.
Mazda is also calling the CX-8 “one of Australia’s favourite large SUVs”, with sales hitting 4477 units to the end of September this year (down 6.0 per cent year-on-year).
The CX-8 currently trails the Toyota Prado (17,626) in the large SUV segment, as well as the Toyota Kluger (10,124), Isuzu MU-X (7911), Subaru Outback (7194), Ford Everest (6805), Mitsubishi Pajero Sport (6768), Kia Sorento (4928) and its CX-9 sibling (5433).
However, so far this year, the CX-8 is proving more popular than the Hyundai Palisade (3164), Hyundai Santa Fe (3302), Jeep Grand Cherokee (1470), LDV D90 (2520), Skoda Kodiaq (1104), SsangYong Rexton (1015) and Toyota Fortuner (3502).
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