2022 Mazda CX-8 pricing: Diesel swapped for petrol power in all front-wheel drive variants of Toyota Kluger, Kia Sorento rivalling seven-seat SUV

Mazda has switched up its CX-8 line-up to reflect the consumer shift away from diesel engines in passenger cars and car-based SUVs.

The Japanese carmaker has dropped the two remaining front-wheel drive (FWD) diesel grades and replaced them with petrol versions of the same GT and Asaki grades.

That means all petrol CX-8s are front-wheel drive and the diesel models are exclusively all-wheel-drive (AWD).

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At $56,390 before on-road costs, the new GT petrol FWD costs $2900 less than the outgoing diesel equivalent, while the Asaki petrol FWD is $3000 cheaper than the diesel version it replaces.

The only other change to the line-up is a $100 bump to all other CX-8 variants, except the Sport. Pricing for the range runs from $39,990 for the FWD petrol Sport to $69,390 for the diesel AWD Asaki LE.

As reported by CarsGuide this week, the number of diesel-powered passenger cars and car-based SUVs available to Australian buyers has dropped off in recent years.

It reflects the wider buyer preference for petrol-powered vehicles over diesel, except when it comes to utes, vans and four-wheel drives.

Last year, petrol variants made up 67 per cent of all CX-8 sales, with the rest going to the diesel.

The seven-seat CX-8 was introduced to Mazda’s model range in mid-2018 as a diesel alternative to the petrol-only CX-9 large SUV.

Mazda added a petrol engine option to the CX-8 in 2020, which prompted a big spike in sales for the model.

Last year Mazda sold 6119 CX-8s, which is a 140 per cent increase on the 2551 it sold in 2019, its first full year on sale.

The petrol CX-8 uses a 2.5-litre four-cylinder naturally aspirated unit delivering 140kW/252Nm, while the four-cylinder 2.2-litre turbo-diesel punches out 140kW/450Nm.

Buyers keen on a turbo-petrol engine would need to look at the CX-9 which uses a turbocharged 170kW/420Nm powertrain in both front and all-wheel drive.

2022 Mazda CX-8 pricing before on-road costs