2019 Mazda CX-5 Diesel is armed with torque and a high price tag

[MUSIC] Ask anyone on the Roadshow staff for a small SUV recommendation, and the Mazda CX-5 is likely to be one of the vehicles that you hear about. It has stellar drive dynamics, it's good looking, and thanks to the company's move in a more premium direction, it packs quite a nice interior in the range-topping Signature trim. And now, this here is Mazda's next stab And bringing the crossover upmarket still, it's the CX5 signature skyactive D, the D stands for Diesel which is kind of surprising to see after the Volkswagen dieselgate scandal and you want to know what's another shocker? I carries a 41,000 dollar base price. Minus the sky activity badge on the rear lift gate. The diesel powered cx five looks identical to its gas burning counterparts. Its massive grill sloping nose and subtle body lines well highlighted by soul red paint job make for what is arguably the handsome is entry in the class. In a cabinet spacious up front and slightly tighter but still serviceable and back you'll find rich brown Napa leather covering the seats, stitch services, a heated leather wrap steering wheel with signature exclusive stitching and real wood trim. Other premium goodies include heated and cooled front seats, navigation, a 10 speaker Bose audio system, head up display and 360 degree camera Apple Car Play and Android Auto have also finally come to the master Connect infotainment system. All the interior materials look and feel fantastic as they should for any car in this class shaking you down for $41,000. Is it $40,000 again? Not quite with a design That leaves a lot of blank space in a feature list that's missing tech niceties like the Wi Fi hotspot, and a wireless charging pad. But for a close look at the infotainment and safety tech features that are in the CX five. You can find that in a standalone tech check video. [BLANK_AUDIO] But again the big news is what's underneath the hood of he CX5. Maxes diesel engine is finally here after numerous delays, and the whole BW thing dragged the reputation of diesels through the mud. So monster is again going against the power train grain falling through with its diesel plans. That ship surprised no one really coming from the company that brought us rotary and Miller cycle engines. The 2.2 liter twin turbo in line for diesel makes 168 horsepower and a muscular 290 pounds of torque that's there at 2000 RPM, helping it to 3500 pounds. And that's better than the gas versions that are rated to pull 2000 pounds. The engine itself from a power delivery and harmonics standpoint is very impressive. There's still some diesel garble when you're rolling onto the throttle, but there's no shake and it's pulling down low and the rep range and smooth running up to the 5500 RPM red line. Which is high for a diesel. [BLANK_AUDIO] So now we get to the part where I tell you the diesel's fuel economy numbers, and we all get really impressed with the driving range, right? unfortunately, that's not the case. The EPA estimates it to return 27 miles per gallon in the city, and 30 miles per gallon Down the highway, working with a very well tuned automatic transmission that's only rocking six speeds and all wheel drive. That is an improvement over the 22 miles per gallon city and 27 miles per gallon highway figures of the 2.5 liter turbo gas engine that makes 250 horses and 310 pounds of torque. But it's not a huge improvement for an engine that costs you an extra $4,000 in the signature amount. [BLANK_AUDIO] Dynamically the CX5 remains more fun to drive them most entries in the segment. It has reasonably quick and communicated steering control the net turning and a healthy helping a grip on the 19 inch wheels to make it quite a bit of fun to wheel around, rather than being a little firmer over bumps. The ride is solid and. And comfortable enough that it won't turn off most shoppers in this segment. [BLANK_AUDIO] So the 2019 Mazda CX-5 diesel has some stuff going for it. The engine is smooth and punchy down low. It can tow more and pack slightly better fuel efficiency in a stylish near-luxury package. The downside is that fuel efficiency isn't substantially better than the gas powerplant In a $41,000 price tag makes it a tough sell to most people. However, the small group of diesel diehards out there will likely be fine with the shortfalls in open their wallets wider just to get one. And with the diesel powered Chevy Equinox and GMC Terrain disappearing for 2020, the Mazda dealer will be the only game in town to get an oil burner in this class of SUV. [MUSIC]