2022 Mazda CX-8 Sport review
What’s Mazda’s cheapest seven-seat SUV like?
- Quiet and comfortable
- Huge second row with fancy temperature controls
- Third row will fit an adult and is easy to use
- Feels underpowered when packed to the rafters
- Dated infotainment
- Missing some convenience features like keyless entry
Introduction
The 2022 Mazda CX-8 Sport is the brand’s cheapest seven-seat SUV.
Given the wider range is complex, it’s worth understanding its place in the range. A petrol, front-wheel-drive version costs $39,990 before on-roads, or about $45,000 drive-away.
For $2000 more, you can have the better equipped 2022 Mazda CX-8 Touring, or for $2400 more, the same 2022 Mazda CX-8 Sport, just with a diesel engine and all-wheel drive.
And you guessed it, the ‘Touring’ model also comes in all-wheel drive. In fact, the first three trims come with the choice of petrol or diesel engine, but the top two don’t. A top-of-the-line 2022 Mazda CX-8 Asaki diesel tops out over $70,000 drive-away, for your interest.
How the CX-8 model sits in the wider Mazda range is also worth a mention. The Mazda CX-8 is far longer and wider than the five-seat Mazda CX-5, but similar in length, yet far narrower, than the seven-seat Mazda CX-9. Consider it a semi-skim seven-seater, or ‘CX-9 lite’ perhaps.
To be specific, the Mazda CX-8 is some 17cm shorter and about 12cm thinner than the larger CX-9 model it’s derived from. Despite that lowly entry price of $45,000 drive-away, it’s certainly not the cheapest seven-seat SUV out there.
Others like the 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander and 2022 Honda CR-V VTi 7 cost upwards of $5000 less, but are not equal in more ways than one. Mazda prides itself on upmarket styling, quality interiors and high levels of standard equipment.
So does that make our base model – a $45,000 SUV in a range that tops out over $70,000 – the smart choice?
Let’s see how it stacks up.
| Key details | 2022 Mazda CX-8 Sport |
| Price (MSRP) | $39,990 |
| Colour of test car | Deep Crystal Blue |
| Options | – |
| Price as tested | $39,990 |
| Rivals | Honda CR-V VTi 7 | Mitsubishi Outlander |
Inside
Even as the cheapest model in the range, there’s still a sense of quality found in the cabin’s presentation and materials.
The dashboard is clad in a foam-backed vinyl – complete with intricate stitching detail – and every other surface is either squishy or nice to touch. Other elements like its switchgear present well and feel nice to use in terms of tactility.
It’s a small point, but the extra padding surely adds up to reduce cabin noise and lift the overall perceived quality. What detracts from the smart presentation, however, is being reminded to use the key to open the doors, as its base-model nature means it features keyless start but not keyless entry.
I’d argue the former is more important, as you’re usually scrambling for your keys when you first get to the car, not after you’re in it. With that first-world problem digested, you’re greeted by soft and comfortable cloth-trimmed seats. Both front pews lack any form of lumbar adjustment and feature shallow bolsters, but they are still comfortable on longer drives.
The satin, ‘sheeny’ look of the interior trim divided the Sydney Drive office, with one referring to it as ‘spandex-like’. Subjectivity aside, the room is ample up front despite the narrower profile of the Mazda CX-8 compared to the Mazda CX-9.
Once comfortable, you’ll notice Mazda has not bothered with a digital instrument cluster, rather integrating small black-and-white screens with traditional dials and a head-up display instead. It’ll appeal to the traditionalist; however, some will also loathe that its digital speedometer is only visible on the windscreen and not within the dials.
Thankfully, the projection is visible through polarised sunglasses, meaning its legibility is great in all conditions. In terms of storage, a pair of shallow door bins allow for a wallet, keys and a small bottle, a pair of cupholders in the centre console keep your coffee sturdy, and the centre armrest is big enough for a clutch and your phone. It’s also where you’ll find the sole USB port in the first row.
In the second row, the space is fantastic. Being a seven-seater means the rear seat bench is both reclinable and sliding, thus providing maximum comfort to alert and sleepy guests. With the second row adjusted all the way back, and sitting behind my own driving position (I’m 183cm tall), I was left with stacks of room by all measures.
It also makes the second row great for the installation of child seats. It happily accepted a Britax Graphene convertible seat in both rearward- and forward-facing fashions with ease, and without the need to impede on first-row seating. This type of child support seat is usable from birth to about four years of age.
I also installed a booster seat typical for taller-than-average and older kids, which slotted in without fuss too. I’d wager against you being able to comfortably install three child seats, however. And if that sounds like you, you’re going to need the extra width offered by the Mazda CX-9.
Other amenities here include air vents and a dedicated third zone of climate control – complete with rear controls – which is great to see in a range’s cheapest model.
Lastly is the third row. Access is decent courtesy of a large rear door aperture and slim second-row seating, meaning kids and adults won’t find it trivial to use. Once in, you’ll be surprised at the amount of room on offer, as a fully grown adult will fit if you sacrifice some second-row leg room. Both guests in the boot have access to storage and a cupholder each too.
Mazda claims boot sizes of 209L in seven-seat mode and a huge 775L in five-seat mode. Despite the massive space, the boot area is far from contained, with plenty of small cavities around the third-row seating creating grocery traps.
What I mean is if your groceries happen to topple over, you’ll likely be finding onions rolling around the second, and possibly even the first row, as they’ll slip down those aforementioned cavities and into the footwells of the car.
| 2022 Mazda CX-8 Sport | |
| Seats | Seven |
| Boot volume | 209L seven seats / 775L five seats |
| Length | 4900mm |
| Width | 1840mm |
| Height | 1725mm |
| Wheelbase | 2930mm |
Infotainment and Connectivity
The Mazda CX-8 Sport is beginning to show its age in the area of infotainment.
The first tell-tale sign is the 8.0-inch infotainment screen. Not only is it two-and-a-bit inches smaller than panels found in cheaper cars from two classes below, but it also shrinks against the context of the large and horizontal dashboard.
Its setting creates the opposite effect of making it look smaller than it is. The MZD Connect software skin used on this particular Mazda is also circa 2017, so if you’re upgrading from a previous-generation Mazda, you’ll possibly feel short-changed and a little disappointed.
Other than looking and feeling old, it keeps up by featuring both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as digital radio, too, which is a nice get at this pricepoint. The best part of the whole kit is the remote-located rotary dial, however, as once learned it enables swift operation of the vehicle’s system without having to lean over and poke about on a screen.
That’s something you can’t do even if you wanted to in a Mazda CX-8, as its screen is not a touchable one. The standard six-speaker sound system is good enough, but telephone conversations (via smartphone mirroring or Bluetooth) appear to pipe from one small speaker only, reducing the quality of the call unnecessarily.
Safety and Technology
The 2022 Mazda CX-8 Sport wears a five-star ANCAP safety rating having been tested in 2018.
More important than a dated safety rating, however, is the level of standard-fit active driver-assist systems, even in this entry-level version. You’ll find blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking with forward collision warning, automatic high beams, and even a reverse camera with parking sensors.
Plenty of the cheapest versions of many SUVs lack rearward-firing sensors, so consider the safety package great for the money. The next step for the brand is to offer a forward – or even 360-degree view – camera for all of its larger seven-seat SUVs.
| 2022 Mazda CX-8 Sport | |
| ANCAP rating | Five stars (tested 2018) |
| Safety report | Link to ANCAP report |
Value for Money
At $39,990 before on-roads – or $45,000 drive-away – it’s far from the cheapest Japanese or mainstream seven-seat SUV.
Cars like the all-new 2022
Mitsubishi Outlander can be had for less, or specifically $37,990 before on-roads. Equipment-wise it stacks up, but space-wise it doesn’t. The Mitsubishi is about 20cm shorter, meaning it’s more of a 5+2-seater than a dedicated seven-seater.Another contender is the 2022 Honda
CR-V VTi 7 that starts from $40,500 drive-away. Not only is it shorter and a 5+2 as well, but it also lacks the equipment and safety features found in the Mazda.That makes the 2022 Mazda CX-8 appear like good value and quite the unique proposition. If you wish to step into a Korean seven-seat SUV, the entry price for the best is nearly $10,000 more, or $49,290 drive-away for the 2022 Kia Sorento S. Although the better car, it’s not much larger or far better equipped, meaning those hunting for value should consider the 2022 Mazda CX-8 Sport.
| At a glance | 2022 Mazda CX-8 Sport |
| Warranty | Five years / unlimited km |
| Service intervals | 12 months / 10,000km |
| Servicing costs | $1112 (3 years), $2071 (5 years) |
Driving
Don’t think for a second that it’s handicapped as the entry-level model in a range. In fact, you could argue the opposite. It’s comfortable to drive, quiet to behold, and even firm enough to keep its near-on 1800kg weight in check in a rural suburb.
It strikes a good balance, then, meaning it feels safe and confident to use at higher speeds, or even during evasive manoeuvres around town, as I discovered. I had a moment during the loan where wildlife seemingly manifested in front of my eyes, which thankfully didn’t end in tears.
The big old Mazda CX-8 flip-flopped left-to-right – at about 75km/h – with relative ease and without being corrupted by its weight and size. I wouldn’t describe the event as being handled deftly, but it did surprise in how well the forces of its weight were mitigated under sharp and heavy inputs.
Despite the inherent firmness required to pull off such an act, it still rides well. Part of the act is a small set of 17-inch wheels and balloon-like 65-profile tyres. The smaller rim and thicker tyre combo works its magic to help soften the ride and remove unwanted jittering often caused by larger and heavier wheels.
Fuel Consumption – brought to you by bp
| Fuel Usage | Fuel Stats |
| Fuel cons. (claimed) | 8.1L/100km |
| Fuel cons. (on test) | 8.2L/100km |
| Fuel type | 91-octane petrol |
| Fuel tank size | 72L |
In essence, it coasts over most suburban bitumen without hassle or fuss. Powering the Mazda CX-8 Sport is a non-turbocharged 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that produces 140kW/252Nm. Although it cuts the mustard when you’re travelling light on date night with your better half, it can struggle when packed to the rafters with humans, animals and baggage.
The low torque figure isn’t helped by how high in the rev range it peaks, meaning you’ll be using the top half of the tachometer more than you’d probably like. Although noisy and appearing like you’re stressing the motor, it doesn’t seem to mind being tasked – but consider that a consolation prize.
It could do with more performance, or perhaps turbocharging alone, as that would shift its powerband more in favour of lugging objects and people without taxing the engine. The six-speed automatic employed is a regular torque converter type, meaning it uses fluid to couple the engine to the transmission, instead of mechanical ‘hard’ parts found in more contemporary dual-clutch automatics.
Being old-fashioned in this sense isn’t bad, however, as it makes for smooth and quiet operation. It’s great in both stop-start traffic and on the roll, too, with swift kick-downs trying their best to band-aid any notion of being underpowered.
Over the duration of the loan, the Mazda CX-8 Sport used 8.2L/100km, just 100ml over the official combined claim of 8.1L/100km, which is a great result.
| Key details | 2022 Mazda CX-8 Sport |
| Engine | 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol |
| Power | 140kW @ 6000rpm |
| Torque | 252Nm @ 4000rpm |
| Drive type | Front-wheel drive |
| Transmission | Six-speed torque convertor automatic |
| Power to weight ratio | 77.8kW/t |
| Weight | 1799kg |
| Tow rating | 1800kg braked, 750kg unbraked |
| Turning circle | 11.6m |
Conclusion
There are plenty of reasons to add the 2022 Mazda CX-8 Sport to your consideration list.
Young families of three, four and five will all appreciate the second row to what’s found in a $45,000 medium SUV. Others will love the flexibility of a third row of seating or some just because of the cargo space. The Mazda CX-8 would be a great family car that doubles as a weekend warrior carrying bicycles.
But all that lifestyle grandeur does come at a cost. It feels old in ways, and the engine can feel underdone when fully loaded and at highway speeds.
There’s also managing expectations, as it’s not uncommon to hear something simple – like a lack of keyless entry – being enough to send someone the other way. Anecdotally, I have heard more people complaining about their vehicle’s boot space, however…
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