2016 Mazda CX-5 Akera: owner review

There is some hesitancy with diesels these days. We bought ours at the peak of popularity in Australia. For long trips it’s great for overtaking, and covering long expanses without stopping, but around town the benefits are marginal. The Mazda diesel is a clean, modern oil-burner, with the caveat of regular, sustained use needed. The catalytic convertor needs to get hot to burn off the excess oil, if not, expect short timeframes between services. The misnomer here is the people say a 40 minute run of the freeway every two weeks is enough. This isn’t the case, as the CX-5 doesn’t run hot, and sitting on a cruising speed in sixth gear doesn’t get it done. You need to take a spirited run, accelerating quickly from the lights, and putting the boots in for a good half-hour. I’ve learnt this the hard way.