2002 Mazda Millenia Reviews

When is a Mazda CX-5 not a Mazda CX-5?

There are plenty of reasons for buying brand-new cars. Fiscal acumen is not always one of them, as a second-hand car which has already done the bulk of its depreciating will often be a wiser financial option, but many people aspire to a new car anyway. That’s because there’s that peace of mind that comes with a car that has a factory warranty for several years, not to mention that a second-hand ca

Mazda has vowed to focus on customers, not the incoming government-mandated efficiency standards, but admits it has plans for more hybrids and electric vehicles before the end of the decade.With the New Vehicle Efficiency Standards (NVES) coming into effect on January 1 of this year, Mazda and other brands are now required to meet an average emissions target for their fleet of models sold in Australia or face financial penalties. However, the car industry has negotiated some leeway, with higher targets for 2025 and ‘26 and fines only applicable from July 1.The introduction of NVES is meant to push car makers to offer more fuel-efficient models to customers but with a clear incentive to offer electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid powertrains.Despite the government’s prerogative for more EVs, Mazda currently has now electric cars in its showrooms and no confirmed plans to re-introduce one in the immediate future. Instead the brand’s local boss, managing director Vinesh Bhindi, says customer preference will come first and the company will worry about complying with the NVES targets after.“ So, this efficiency standard, I suppose you can look at it from a couple of points of view,” Bhindi told CarsGuide. “One point-of-view is, do you comply to a standard? Or alternatively, which is where our position is, provide customers what they want. And that's where we're going to focus.“The compliance of the efficiency standard. Yes, we look at and yes, we map out our pathway on how in the end we have to reduce CO2 or carbon - that's the ultimate objective. Compliance off it is a pathway there. So our focus at this stage is the customer will decide what technology they want. The customer will decide how quickly they would like to move to a different technology and we would like to continue to provide what the customer wants.“Now there is a small but growing customer base as you have seen. It's stagnated a bit on battery EVs but there's a very clear trend on hybridization. We have in our portfolio plug-in hybrids, we have mid-hybrids, the next generation CX-5 will have full hybridization. So our plan is to continue to offer those technologies as the customer says ‘that's where I want to be.’ And we’ll have battery EVs as well, by the way.”While other brands have made a clear and early move towards EVs, the slowing sales growth has seemingly justified Mazda Australia’s position not to dive into that market. Asked if the cooling off of EV interest had justified Mazda’s approach, Bhindi dismissed the notion and pointed out many other brands were driven by EV-centric regulations in Europe and China - two smaller markets for the brand.“You remember some of these brands made decisions based on their home country requirements by regulation, mainly Europe, mainly China, where this technology is a lot more mandated, if I can say those words,” he said. “So they needed that technology for their customers in other regions.“We look at it from an Australian point-of-view. Yes, there's a small percentage of customers who are early adopters of new technology. And yes, we currently don't have an exact offering for them, but it's only a matter of time.”However, that doesn’t mean Mazda intends on ignoring the EV market and there are plans for more hybrids, plug-in hybrids and EVs by the end of the decade — even if Bhindi stopped short of confirming when Australians can expect these models.“ Without naming which models, which cars and exact timing, we will have multiple battery EVs before the end of 2030,” he revealed. “Earlier, but I can't tell you when we'll have next generation CX-5 with hybrid and much more in terms of hybridization and plug-in hybrid technologies between now and the end of the decade.”

Mazda is set to drop its most successful nameplate — the CX-5 — but that won’t stop it taking the fight to the Toyota RAV4, Kia Sportage and Mitsubishi Outlander in the highly-competitive mid-size SUV market.

Mazda's expansive BT-50 line-up is crowned by the SP. This is the style icon of the line-up, aimed at buyers who want a ute with a sporty, dynamic look.The SP is only available as a 4x4 dual cab pick-up and adds a range of gloss black elements for a unique visual appearance, including 18-inch alloys, sports bar, side steps, fender flares, roof rails, exterior mirror caps and door handles, while also getting a manually-operated roller tonneau cover and black and terracotta synthetic leather and suede seat trim.The SP is only available as a 4x4 pick-up and is exclusively powered by the 140kW/450Nm 3.0-litre turbo-diesel engine. Like the rest of the 3.0-litre 4x4 range fuel economy is rated at 8.0L/100km.Pricing for the SP starts at $71,500, plus on-road costs, but Mazda is offering a big saving at launch by doing a $67,990 drive-away deal.

The Mazda BT-50 GT is sandwiched between the popular XTR and stylish SP in the range.It includes all of the elements of the XTR but adds more, so the list of standard equipment is long. It comes with 18-inch alloy wheels, LED front fog lights, daytime running lights (DRLs), side steps, keyless entry, dual-zone climate control, navigation, a tub liner and tow bar plus leather seats, electronically adjustable driver’s seat, heated front seats, remote engine start and front parking sensors.The GT, is only available as a 4x4 pick-up and is exclusively powered by the 140kW/450Nm 3.0-litre turbo-diesel engine. Like the rest of the 3.0-litre 4x4 range fuel economy is rated at 8.0L/100km.The list price for the GT is $63,070 plus on-road costs for the cab chassis or $66,170 for the pick-up, but Mazda is offering the latter at $65,990 drive-away from launch. This puts it into the more premium ute market, up against the likes of the Ford Ranger Sport and Toyota HiLux SR5.

The Mazda BT-50 XTR is the sweet spot in the range, finding a nice balance between price and standard equipment.The XTR is only available with the 140kW/450Nm 3.0-litre turbo-diesel engine and six-speed automatic, but has the choice of 4x4 or 4x2. You can also choose between a pick-up or cab chassis. Fuel economy is officially rated at 8.0L/100km on the combined cycle.Standard equipment for the XTR includes 18-inch alloy wheels, LED front fog lights, daytime running lights (DRLs), side steps, keyless entry, dual-zone climate control, navigation and the pick-up variants get a tub liner and tow bar with receiver, tongue and wiring harness.The BT-50 XTR pick-up 4x4 is $62,490 drive-away at launch, with a usual list price of $62,750, plus on-road costs. The XTR 4x2 starts at $53,790, plus on-roads.

The most economical car argument is still a valid one, despite the fact that oil prices have stabilised around the world.

With its continued success on the sales charts as a noble Toyota RAV4 Hybrid challenger, the Mazda CX-5 has managed to mask its age well.

Mazda is continuing to tick off the number of right-hand drive markets where the electric 6e sedan will launch, despite the Tesla Model 3 and BYD Seal rival remaining unconfirmed locally.