Malaysians love their SUV’s, and we take them in every shape and form. From the barely SUV Perodua Aruz to the complete over the top Rolls Royce Cullinan, there’s an SUV buyer at every price range in Malaysia. This is why Mazda wasted no time in previewing their upcoming CX-8, a more attainable version of their oh-so-gorgeous CX-9 flagship to the members of the media during the Chinese New Year celebrations last Friday.
The 7 seat SUV Segment
The mid-sized 7 seat SUV is occupied by the Kia Sorento, Isuzu MU-X, Toyota Fortuner, Mitsubishi Outlander and the Peugeot 5008. Now judging from the initial impressions we got from the Mazda CX-8, we say it would be more skewered towards the Kia and Peugeot in terms of design and execution, something a whole lot more refined and car-like in user experience. Let’s have a quick Top Trumps style comparison to see where the CX-8 stands between these two cars.
Supersize Me
Compared to the Kia and Peugeot, the CX-8 is both longer and taller by a significant margin. Even the wheelbase is significantly bigger for the CX-8 compared to the other two. The Kia Sorento is wider than the CX-8 by 50mm and the Peugeot 5008 is wider by 66mm. You can see how they compare here in terms of raw numbers.
| Mazda CX-8 | Kia Sorento | Peugeot 5008 | |
| Height | 1725mm | 1690mm | 1646mm |
| Length | 4900mm | 4800mm | 4641mm |
| Width | 1840mm | 1890mm | 1906mm |
| Wheelbase | 2930mm | 2780mm | 2840mm |
What do these numbers mean?
What it means is the cabin of the Mazda CX-8 feels significantly roomy compared to the Peugeot 5008 and the Kia Sorento. The Peugeot may have the French flair and very clever interior packaging, and the Kia with generously sized seats, but the Mazda does grab its fair amount of attention with well-appointed cabin trims and a unique 6 seat configuration which is only available for the Diesel version. Would Dato Sri’s and Tan Sri’s be trading up his Alphard Executive Lounge keys for the CX-8 anytime soon?
Hauling Power
All that bulk will need a significant powertrain to haul it about. The CX-8 will be offered with a 2.2 liter Skyactiv-D diesel engine which could be putting out 173bhp and 420Nm. That puts it squarely within the firing range of the Kia Sorento which is also powered by a 2.2 liter diesel powerhouse producing 441Nm and 197bhp. Unlike the Mazda though the Kia now comes with an 8 speed transmission which aids performance and consumption.
For the petrol powered variant though Mazda Malaysia remains tight lipped as to which version of the Skyactiv engine we will be getting. It could be the Turbo variant you find in the CX-9, or the non-turbo variant that you would see in the CX-5. The latter seems more plausible which puts it as the least powerful car compared to the 2.4 liter petrol variant of the Sorento and the 1.6 liter turbocharged engine found in the 5008.
The Drive force
What was clear though was that the Petrol variant will be 2 wheel drives in the CX-8, just like the Peugeot 5008. The Diesel though will come with an AWD system, just like in both the Sorento Variants
From the pictures here you can actually see the rear differential missing in the Petrol variant but its present in the diesel variant.
Mazda makes some of the best handling cars in its segment. In fact, between the CX-5 and the Peugeot 3008, we daresay the Mazda is slightly sharper in terms of outright handling, and we have done a whole lot of driving with the 3008. It remains to see if the CX-8 will share similar dynamic credentials, but we would wager it wouldn’t be too far off.
Speculated Price
With the Kia Sorento retailing for about RM150,000 – RM175,000 and the Peugeot 5008 priced at RM 164,072, there’s a fair chance that the Mazda CX-8 could be priced at about this figure. The fully imported CX-9 is priced at a whopping RM288,000 plus, so the locally assembled CX-8 could see a sizeable drop in pricing, especially if Mazda opts to bring it with the non-turbo petrol engine.
What to expect
While it remains to be seen what would be the final spec and price that makes it to the Malaysian market, the CX-8 seems to be a worthy proposition for anyone in the market for a 7 seat mid-sized luxury SUV.
The Mazda CX-8 looks more like its imposing big brother, and whiles the Peugeot 5008 and the Kia Sorento has their respective party piece, it would be interesting to see how the final iteration stacks up in detail to its competition. What would your price and spec expectation for the CX-8 be? Share us in the comments below!
