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Fresh styling for Mazda's 2023 CX-8 SUV

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The 2023 Mazda CX-8 will sport a new look thanks to revised exterior styling.
The 2023 Mazda CX-8 will sport a new look thanks to revised exterior styling.
Tung Nguyen
News Editor
3 Nov 2022
3 min read

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).

Tung Nguyen
News Editor
Having studied journalism at Monash University, Tung started his motoring journalism career more than a decade ago at established publications like Carsales and Wheels magazine. Since then, he has risen through the ranks at GoAuto to Managing Editor before joining the CarsGuide team in 2019 as the newly-appointed News Editor. Since starting at CarsGuide, Tung has spearheaded the push for well-researched and unique stories that will shines a light on the automotive industry for new-car-buying intenders, who might struggle to keep up to date with the fast-paced environment of motoring. The last few years alone have seen an explosion of interest in electric cars, as well as a push for autonomous driving, and as News Editor, it is Tung’s job to stay abreast of all the latest and deliver stories worthy of CarsGuide growing audience.
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