And they all get diesels.
Despite Japanese carmaker Mazda designing and engineering the car specifically for the Japanese market, overwhelming demand meant that they had no choice but to offer the swoopy-roofed three-row Mazda CX-8 in international markets, including ours. And now, the company has revealed local pricing for the ‘stretch CX-5,’ and it makes for pretty compelling reading.
Three variants will be offered when it lands, namely the Sport FWD, Sport AWD, and Asaki AWD. The three trims will be priced at $42,490, $46,490, and $61,490 respectively, representing a $2400-$3300 price difference between the CX-8 and matching CX-9 variants. Critically for many buyers though will be the powerplant: Where the bigger CX-9 is only available as a turbo-petrol, the smaller CX-8 is available exclusively as a diesel.
As such, you’ll find 2.2-litre SkyActiv-D engine under the bonnet, putting out a respectable 140kW and 450Nm.
Finer details of the CX-8 have yet to be offered up by Mazda, which means that confirmed bits and bobs remain a mystery. However, widely-circulated documents from dealers earlier this year gave us an inkling of what to expect when the CX-8 lands in July.
The Sport model is rumoured to arrive in showrooms with a pretty generous list of kit. You’ll find things like LED headlights, 17-inch alloy wheels, automatic wipers, and powered mirrors. There’ll also be things like a 7-inch MZD-Connect infotainment screen, as well as fabric upholstery. Further, driver assistance kit will include things like AEB (phew), active cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, lane-departure warning, a reversing camera, and rear parking sensors. Not bad for a hair over $40k.
For the $15,000 premium you’ll have to fork out for a CX-8 Asaki over a Sport, you get significantly more kit. 19-inch alloys get lobbed on, along with things like a powered tailgate and keyless entry. You’ll also find heated seats for the first two rows, electric adjustment for the front seats, a 360º camera supplemented by all-round parking sensors, and a BOSE audio system.
