Say what you will about Mazda’s earnest repetition of its mildly silly ‘Jinba Ittai’ car-and-driver-as-one mantra, but the manufacturer has a proven track record for delivering mainstream models with an appreciable focus on proficient handling.
Plainly, this extends to the familiar challenge of making a crossover drive credibly, as the latest CX-5 seeks to improve not only on the basic aptitude of its predecessor but also the wider standard of the segment.
As a result, the 15 percent improvement in rigidity delivered by the engineers is not wasted by the chassis tuning department.
Reducing the delay between steering input and body response has clearly been a preoccupation, and the result – for an SUV of notable size and weight – is an impressively honed change of direction.
Simultaneous efforts have been made to revitalise the steering, too, with rigid couplings adopted in an attempt to provide a more direct connection to the running gear.
This is moderately less successful – there isn’t quite the initial bite that the car’s pointier attitude probably deserves – but nevertheless, in the rate of response and broader accuracy, it’s worthier than most.
