MAZDA CX-8

WELCOME BACKFLIP ON DIESEL-ONLY STRATEGY

- TRENT GIUNCO

MAZDA is doing a lot of self-assessment of late. Plugging gaps in its range has almost become a sport for the venerable Japanese marque. The genre-bending CX-30 is one of the latest niche fillers, but the CX-8 really kicked it off in 2018. It’s bigger than a CX-5, but smaller than the COTY-winning CX-9.

However, the caveat was a single, diesel-only engine choice. Now Mazda has transplanted its 2.5-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine into the CX-8, and as a result, the seven-seat SUV with a tapered roofline now not only offers an alternative to turbodiesel propulsion, it also lowers the cost of admission to less than $40,000.

The entry price of $39,910 is for the Sport, one of two petrol variants added to the range in front-drive guise only. The other is the $46,590 Touring tested here. However, Mazda also elected to bolster the SkyActiv-D CX-8 offerings by introducing Touring, GT and Asaki all-wheel drive (AWD) grades. The top-spec Asaki AWD lists at $65,440.