Mazda CX-5 review: still the driver's choice in the compact-crossover class
4.2/5MotorsSouq Editorial Team
The naturally aspirated 2.5-litre front-wheel-drive grade is the sensible Bahrain buy — enough power for the causeway, the lowest running costs in the range, and no turbo to worry about outside warranty. Step up to the turbo only if you regularly tow or want the extra torque; it does not meaningfully change how the car feels around town. Either way, this remains the compact crossover to cross-shop against a RAV4 or CR-V rather than dismiss.
Pros
- Heaviest, most feedback-rich steering in the compact-crossover class
- Cabin quality on upper grades competes above its price bracket
- Air conditioning has a strong reputation for coping with Bahrain summers
- Widespread Skyactiv-G parts and workshop familiarity
Cons
- Turbo grade adds real cost without transforming the daily drive
- Resale trails a RAV4 or CR-V by a modest margin
- Ride is firmer than a Sportage or Tucson
- Boot space is average for the class, not class-leading
Mazda has kept the CX-5 on essentially the same recipe since 2017 — a stiff chassis, heavily weighted steering, and a cabin ambition that has consistently punched above the car's price — and the 2022 facelift sharpens rather than reinvents it. It remains the compact crossover most likely to make a driver smile on a Bahraini roundabout, which most of this segment has stopped even trying to do.
Which engine to buy
The naturally aspirated 2.5-litre is the right call for most Bahrain buyers: 187 hp is enough to never feel slow, fuel consumption in the high sevens per 100 km is competitive for the class, and it avoids the extra insurance and running-cost premium of the turbocharged grades. The turbo adds real mid-range shove and is worth it if you tow a boat trailer to the yacht club or regularly carry a full load of passengers and luggage, but it is not a transformative upgrade in daily driving.
The six-speed automatic remains a conventional torque converter rather than the CVT or dual-clutch units some rivals use, which means smoother low-speed manners in Manama traffic and a gearbox that does not need to be babied.
Cabin and running costs
Top-grade cars get a genuinely premium interior — Nappa leather, real wood trim on some grades, cabin isolation that competes with the Lexus NX rather than a RAV4. That quality holds up well in Bahrain's heat, and the CX-5's air conditioning has a strong reputation among owners for coping with 45°C summers without the compressor strain some rivals develop.
Skyactiv-G parts and service knowledge are widespread across independent Bahraini workshops, and resale sits comfortably ahead of most non-Japanese rivals, though it trails a RAV4 or CR-V by a modest margin. That gap is smaller than the driving-experience difference justifies.