How effective are those extra off-tarmac credentials when you zoom-zoom into the wild? Does it really matter?

Price: $50,990.

Powertrain: 2.5-litre petrol inline four with 140kW/252Nm, six-speed automatic transmission, AWD, combined economy 8.2 litres per 100km, 191 grams/km CO2.

Vital statistics: 4575mm long, 1845mm wide, 1680mm high, 2700mm wheelbase, 438 litres luggage capacity, 19-inch alloy wheels.

We like: Engaging on-road dynamics, styling enhancements, driving position.

Not so much: Limited off-seal abilities, MZD starting to date.

 ATTITUDE talks about how we do things; aptitude indicates the things we are capable of doing.

 For good practical example, consider the latest addition to the Mazda CX-5 clan.

 Crossovers are not hard-out off-roaders. Indeed, making them that way would be counter-productive, if not plain oxymoronic. Popularity for Hiroshima’s medium offer has never been tainted by demand for locking differentials, a low range, decent ground clearance and so on. Quite the opposite, really.

 Yet even though its plain a car-based all-wheel drive softroader is not designed for the same sort of difficult terrain as a full-out four-wheel drive with low-range gearing, this doesn’t mean these cars lack for off-bitumen use.

 There are shades of grey – or should that be ‘green?’ - in regard to separating the soft from the hard. Some rock-hoppers with outdoorsy attitude are known to deliver a degree of aptitude beyond the perceived call of duty, and not simply because of the advantages of relatively small size and weight.

 The flavour of the CX-5 Activ intrigues, all the same. A special delivery at time of the type’s mid-life facelift, it’s the first CX-5 to achieve a bespoke ‘off-road’ setting, plucked from North America-only model called the CX-50, that adjusts the on-board systems beyond the capability level offered by the Off-Road Traction Assist function on the other AWD models.

 Activ runs a different tyre and naturally also delivers beefed styling, include some flecks of vivid green as a highlight element inside and out.  And, of course, it gets a special designation. ‘Active’ is daring in itself; remove the ‘e’ and it becomes all the moreso.

 Is going bush what the CX-5 is cut out for? It’s certainly a new direction. Within its sector, CX-5 has stood out as being especially car-like in respect to its performance and handling. To point where it has all but stood alongside the hallowed MX-5 as a poster child for ‘Jinba Ittai’, the in-house mantra extolling the ‘as one’ relationship between car and driver. As much as this credo might sound like marketing guff, there’s actually truth to it here.

 Given it’s so good to thrust down a challenging road and that there’s no evidence CX-5 drivers are particularly interested in undertaking serious off-roading, why flavour the type more toward that ideal?

 Actually, as it transpires, they really have not. If you do plan to head into the hills with the Activ, best start with recognition that the ‘beyond bitumen’ acumen only takes it … well, not too far. It’s definitely not going to challenge the legends of the four-by-four world. Realistically, it might also struggle to be considered for inclusion on the shortlist of ‘most capable crossovers that aren’t Subarus.’

 During the test period, the Activ encountered a sloppy rural gravel road, took a spirited run along a rocky riverbank, drove across sand and then was put down a rutted track that I’d driven, just a couple of months previously, in what has to be the class barometer, a Subaru Forester.

 The Mazda came in with good give-it-a-go attitude; coping really well with gravel, bumping, thumping but unwaveringly finding a way over the rocks and scampering adroitly over wet and dry sand.

 The track was the tough one. Thought that it would scrape, require more momentum than sometimes seemed ideal and would require more care when tackling ruts that larger vehicles would amble was a given. But the extent to which this occurred became worrisome. To point where it became apparent that a lack of traction, limited suspension travel and ground clearance had become factors of such magnitude that common sense simply had to take precedence over ongoing perception of competence. It was, quite literally, backed out before any damage could be done.

 Basically, then, it reminds how tough it is to create a car that straddles the gap between road-biased crossovers and proper off-road machines, yet is expected to compare well to both. All the more so when, as in this instance, the donor has been so patently crafted to deliver strongly as a credible alternate to regular semi-sporty road cars.

 That doesn’t mean, of course, that you need steer clear of the natural world.

The CX-5 has already had some talent, not least since it achieved, a couple of years ago, that driver-activated electronic rear differential lock which allows the car to figure out which of the rear wheels need traction, and applies power there. 

 There’s no doubt Activ’s ‘off-road’ builds on that talent. With this, the stop-start system is disabled, there’s constant drive to the rear wheels above 40kmh, the braking system recalibrates and there’s more accurate torque metering to individual wheels. It’s also altering the traction control, the transmission change points, the G-vectoring control and also raises the engine’s idle to around 1000rpm; quite enough so you can hear the difference.

All that came into play during these test exercises.

 Ultimately, though, as clever as it is … it’s only clever to a point. The competencies are there, yet they’re not a wholesale solution. In this situation the issue was with the 225/55 R19 Toyo Proxes R46 tyre which, though meted a bolder pattern than the usual CX-5 type, are not an especially aggressively chunky cut and don’t seem to unclog easily. An inability to grip even when it detected opportunity for traction was the final blow on this outing.

 On top of this, and notwithstanding that it appears to have proven troublesome on a reliability side and is no longer attracting enough buyers to warrant ongoing availability, the now defunct turbodiesel would have been a better powerplant for the sort of delicate driving style demanded by the moment. Big dollops of low-down torque are a great assist when picking a slow and steady path. The throttle mapping of the petrol here just seemed too touchy.

 All in all then, as much as it is not set to be stuck at the first sign of some muddy puddles, you’ll want to tread with some wariness beyond a certain point, particularly if it’s wet.

 Still, even if the Activ element doesn’t make it a Forester foe, neither does it erode the dynamic demeanour that so rewards on the formed roads you’ll start out on when deciding to get away from it all.

 Presented with a fun road, the CX-5 remains a standout. The steering, the brakes, the damping and the gearbox contrive to put a smile on your face. It turns in smartly, it holds a cornering line beautifully well, it resists excessive amounts of any of understeer or body lean, and it generally feels energised. Going to a larger tyres also has positive impact on the car’s other character trait, the edgy ride comfort. While the Activ falls short of having a totally smooth ride, it’s better over ruts and imperfections than the standard car.

 This latest facelift keeps the car looking modern, yet there’s no disguising CX-5 is well-settled into its lifespan now and, unavoidably, several aspects are starting to come across as being a bit time-worn.

 Let’s start with the engine. There’s a sporty edge to the way it feels – more than it imparts, given 0-100kmh takes 9.3 seconds -  and the power delivery is clean. But it’s starting to be a little out of kilter with latest conventional thinking. These days others are getting by with smaller capacity engines that, due to either turbo or hybrid power, have more torque. Ergo the 2.5-litre turbo in the sports-themed SP25T and flagship Takami. Also, is Mazda falling behind with the complete lack of hybrid options in this range?

I’m not saying the Activ needs any electric assist, or even a turbo, but it is obvious that, in it naturally-aspirated state, you do feel a bit more grunt would be welcome. It needs to be worked to give its best and that’s fine, because it does deliver very good performance. Just be aware that, when you do give it a curry up to point where the rev counter heads north of 3000rpm, the engine note becomes coarse and unduly obvious. There’s nothing wrong with a bit of rasp, yet here it does become so at odds with the car’s otherwise superb refinement to ultimately seem a bit uncouth. Marriage to a six-speed automatic is a bit old-hand these days but it doesn’t really suffer from missing extra gears. Stop/start works snappily enough not to be intrusive.  

All CX-5s get a new face, with a reshaped grille and bumper. There’s a new tailgate at the rear (the only truly new sheet metal) and there have been subtle changes to some of the exterior trim and detailing.

 Activ models comes in all colours, and Mazda’s Zircon Sand Metallic avails to other derivatives. To me, this hue really suits this variant; it’s an earthy, outdoorsy shade that absolutely complements with the Activa hallmark enhancements of lime green accents.  

About those: Mrs B agreed that those flashes of colour worked on the outside, but was less smitten by seeing the shade carried into the cabin. I can see what se means about that. Green seat stitching is one thing, but having Kermit-coloured trim around the air vents on the dashboard is possibly a step too far. Mind you, she also didn’t much like another element I thought was cool, the dirty brown graphic backdrop to the instrument panel that shows when the off-road mode is selected.

Another Activ-only element is a reversible boot-floor cover that has a more durable wipe-clean surface on one side (it’s dual-layer as well). Otherwise, it’s pure CX-5 inside, with treatments and trim that reflect where it sits in the broader line-up, between the $3000 cheaper entry AWD and the $13,300 dearer more powerful and somewhat plusher Takami. The 2022 update has seen Mazda reshape the seats, lower its road noise levels and soften its suspension a tad, following customer feedback; all only by just a tad, though, so don’t feel you’ll immediately notice any great difference to start with.

Activ’s trim treatment is well resolved. None of the materials are pretentious; if anything, there’s a sense of every material being chosen foremost on merit of their durability.

That’s good, but everything all seems a bit traditional. For instance, the dials being a similar mix of old and new tech, with an analogue speedo and digital rev counter, albeit one that mimics the analogue style, never used to bother me. But now so many other competitors have smarter-looking layouts .. well, it kinda does.

The one element of the interior which is started to feel dated is the MZD infotaiment system. I understand the safety logic of it only being a touchscreen at rest, with requirement, once moving, to revert to the rotary dial. Thing is, we’re all so acclimatised to using touchscreens now, it just makes more sense to have one working at all times. Which is my way of explaining why the screen was quite fingerprint-marked after a week. The other element about MZD is that it can sometimes require a moment or two to boot up.

 As you’d expect from Mazda, safety has been comprehensively catered to. There’s lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, adaptive cruise control, a rear-view camera, rear parking sensors, and a tyre pressure monitoring system. Six airbags are standard, along with two ISOFIX points and three top-tether points. The CX-5 was rated at the full five-star ANCAP level back in 2017. 

The modest premium it holds over the entry AWD makes the Activ a no-brainer in any in-house evaluation, but its contribution to the CX-5 clan is nonetheless less clear-cut than might appear.

The mildly more rugged aesthetic suits its styling, but anyone looking for an automotive equivalent of a leatherman tool will find better talent from Forester.

While the Activ is not without beyond-seal ability, by virtue of its genetic disposition it forgoes ready-for-rough robustness to the point where ‘cutting a track’ remains more relevant in respecting to zippy cornering aptitude than muck-crawling ability. But, realistically, will you even care? With this car, the adventure comes from how it looks and drives in general sense, rather than how it might cope in an extreme situation most owners will dream about. And that’s all.