Mazda CX-8 2021 review: Asaki LE six-seat AWD diesel

The exterior of the CX-8 follows the look of all the new Mazda SUV’s with its streamlined, low-key profile, plus top-end touches such as 19-inch alloy wheels, and sleek headlights.

Very different from the complex LED arrangements you see on other large SUVs. The double exhaust pipes on each side of the rear give it a real sporty edge.

The exterior of the CX-8 follows the look of all the new Mazda SUV’s with its streamlined, low-key profile.

The wow factor of this car isn’t the exterior, though. It’s the inside that matters.

The Asaki LE goes all out for comfort and luxury in the interior. The seats are a high-quality red leather, full of fancy stitching and trims, that are soft to touch, but firm and supportive to sit in.

The seats have multiple electric adjustments, in the front and middle rows, meaning you can set you seat up just how you like.

There is a decent sunroof, and the stereo is also really rocking with a 10-speaker Bose system. It passed my '90s hard rock test with flying colours.

The double exhaust pipes on each side of the rear give it a real sporty edge.

The second row in this six-seater is where the real difference lies. The middle row seats are basically lounge chairs, or at the least smart business-class-style comfort.

There is a third zone of climate control for the middle passengers, loads of room, and you really could road-trip in style back there.

The third row continues with the comfort levels and luxury touches, with decent legroom, but the headroom is low for taller passengers. There are also cupholders and charging ports, but no air vents or controls.

On the storage front the front centre storage bin has a double flip opening and cushy padded top, there are decent cup-holders in between, and a non-slip charging mat for your phone in the front. 

On the storage front the front centre storage bin has a double flip opening and cushy padded top.

There are also bottle holders in the door plus extra storage pockets.

The middle row has the same middle console as the front with the split top lid, cupholders and charging ports, plus bottle holders in the doors and deep pockets in the back of the seats.

The middle row seats are basically lounge chairs.

Space in the boot is compromised with the third row of seats in use, fitting only about 200L. But with those seats folded down it’s nearly 800L, though that does only leave you with four seats in the car.

Having six seats rather than seven in a car of this size has some pros and cons. The middle row is really designed for older kids or grandparents, with little ones relegated to the third row.

The third row has decent legroom, but the headroom is low for taller passengers.

If you’ve got younger children, and usually a couple of their friends as well, some families may miss the option of the seven seats.

Keyless entry and start means getting going is simple.

The surround-parking sensors mean you are assisted every which way when parking. With multiple cameras and alert systems parking is made as simple as possible for a large SUV.

Space in the boot is compromised with the third row of seats in use, fitting only about 200L.

Getting kids in and out of the middle seat is really easy, being just the right height to clip little ones into a seat, yet not so high that slightly bigger ones can't jump down themselves.

The only downfall, as with most cars with three rows, is once you have kids car seats installed in the middle row, it makes getting in the back row more difficult.

Even without the car seats the electronics to move the middle seat back to get into the third row is extremely slow.

Kids aren't known for their patience, so this would be the one instance where a manual adjustment might have been better.

The CX-8 scores the maximum five stars in the ANCAP safety ratings, last tested in 2018.

There is a decent list of safety features, including Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) - with city and highway speed front AEB, plus slow speed AEB in the rear - which is a rarity.

Lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring plus parking sensors and cameras on the back, sides, and front.

But far and away my favourite safety feature is the inclusion of airbags for all three rows. Not something you get in all three-row vehicles.

There is the option of installing kids cars seats using top tethers or ISOFIX connectors in the middle two seats, or via top tether in the third row.

I installed my kids seats in the middle row, and jumping in and out of the third seat to connect the tether attachments is a little tricky, because once a seat is installed in the middle row, you can't flip that seat forward to step in and out.

This model is priced at $69,920, plus on road costs and extras. Mazda offers a five-year unlimited kilometre warranty, with scheduled capped-price servicing every 12 months or 10,000 kilometres, a fairly standard offering.

Mazda lists service pricing out to 16 years/160,000km on its website, and the average annual charge over the first five years is $378.

The official combined fuel consumption is 6.0L/100km, but my drive around the suburbs and city commute averaged 9.0L/100km.