Autosportfoto

Mazda CX-5 wins European AUTO BILD Design Award 2012

- Mazda CX-5 is most beautiful car in the "SUV, Van and All-Wheel" category
- Expressive exterior impressed readers in 15 European countries
- First Mazda production model with new KODO design language

Who's the fairest in Europe? Readers of the AUTO BILD Group have chosen - winner and most attractive vehicle in the "SUV, Van and All-Wheel" category is the Mazda CX-5. About 200,000 readers from all AUTO BILD subsidiary publications in 15 countries voted on which European car has the best design in various categories. With 17.8 percent of the votes, the Mazda CX-5 sprinted away from its SUV and all-wheel competitors - Audi A6 Allroad (second place with 10.8 percent) and the Audi Q3 (third place with 9.9 percent) - to take home the European design trophy in its segment.

Readers from the Czech Republic, Turkey, Georgia and Spain voted the Mazda CX-5 as their most attractive new car in its category. German readers voted the new compact third behind the Mercedes ML and the Audi A6 Allroad. But to ensure the victory, votes from all European countries were tallied. In 2009, the Mazda3 also won the AUTO BILD European Design Award in the "Small and Compact Car" category - and it won even before official market launch in Germany.

Mazda CX-5 Design - Form and Function in perfect Harmony

As the first production model with the new design language "KODO - Soul of Motion", Mazda CX-5 combines motion with the beauty and power of nature. The new Mazda CX-5 has a striking front face with prominent wheel wells. The vehicle seems to crouch forward in a way reminiscent of a sprinter in the starting blocks just before the gun goes off. Its cabin is placed towards the back of the vehicle, which makes the car look like a predator about to jump on its prey. The CX-5 cuts an elegant-looking figure with an overall design aesthetic that sets it apart from other SUVs.

Symbolic for the new design language is the new front grille with a typical Mazda five-point shape that is deep and powerfully articulated, and reaches all the way to the front headlamps. The trapezoidal lower grille underscores its solid look, while the prominent rear wheel wells and the sharp-edged back end lend the Mazda CX-5 a strong yet elegant character. And the form of the rear lamps, which are similar to the front lamps, gives the back of the car a striking appearance. A sporty accent is set by the roof spoiler that also improves aerodynamics.

Two Diesels and a Petrol with outstanding Fuel Consumption

CX-5 is the first model to get a full slate of new SKYACTIV technologies - making it lighter, more efficient and environmentally-friendly. It also heralds a new direction for a new generation of Mazda vehicles.

On the engine side, the new 2.2-litre SKYACTIV Diesel is available for the CX-5 in two derivatives - a 110 kW/150 PS version and a 129 kW/175 PS version (only with all-wheel drive). The smaller diesel has a six-speed manual transmission and front-wheel drive, and uses a (combined) 4.6 litres of fuel per 100/km (119 g/km of CO₂). An alternative to these is the new 2.0-litre SKYACTIV-G petrol engine producing 121 kW/165 PS, which requires just 6.0 litres per 100/km (139 g/km CO₂). The customer can choose the new six-speed SKYACTIV-MT manual transmission with shift characteristics similar to the MX-5 roadster; or another newly-developed transmission, the six-speed automatic SKYATIV-Drive that is highly efficient and delivers excellent shift characteristics. All compact SUV models have a further-developed version of i-stop, Mazda's stop-start system. In Germany, the CX-5 base price is € 23,890.

Photo gallery: Mazda CX-5