Under the hood is a new 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine. The more efficient 2.0-liter found in the 2013 is still available on all trims. The 2.5-liter — available only on Touring and Grand Touring trims — puts out 185 horsepower and 185 pounds-feet of torque and gets 25/32 mpg city/highway for front-wheel drive and 24/30 mpg with all-wheel drive. While not as impressive as the 35 mpg highway figure on the 2.0-liter engine, the 2.5-liter is still more efficient on paper than the Honda CR-V and just revealed 2013 Toyota RAV4.Surprisingly, the new 2.5L won’t have much of an adverse effect on fuel economy: FWD, automatic-transmission 2014 CX-5 models will be rated at 32 mpg on the highway regardless of which engine is equipped. The mileage champ in the CX-5 lineup will remain the 2.0L, six-speed manual model, which returns 35 mpg on the highway.The 2014 Mazda CX-5 Touring and Grand Touring models will get the bigger, 184-horsepower 2.5-liter engine. It delivers 29 more horsepower than the 155-hp Skyactiv-G 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine in the 2014 Mazda CX-5 Sport model.
The 2014 CX-5 with the 2.5-liter engine is linked to a six-speed automatic transmission only — not the six-speed manual transmission on the base model.The CX-5 was the first full manifestation of Mazda’s so-called Skyactiv Technology, a holistic approach to design focusing on weight reduction, efficiency, and mpg. Power is supplied by a new 2.0-liter DOHC direct-injected aluminum four, and there isn’t a whole lot of it: 155 horsepower, 150 lb-ft of torque.A new safety system called Smart City Brake Support is being offered as part of an optional Technology Package. Like similar systems from other brands, this is intended to prevent head-on collisions at low speeds between 3 and 19 mph.
We expect to hear of any changes to pricing before the 2014s go on sale, but it's safe to guess that the 2.5-liter CX-5 will cost a similar premium to the 2.5-liter Mazda3, which is $1,550 more than the 2.0-liter in top trim levels. The current 2013 Mazda CX-5 starts at $21,790. The Touring trim level starts at $24,990. Both prices include $795 in destination charges.The EPA has not yet released fuel economy numbers on the 2014 Mazda CX-5 with the bigger engine. Mazda said there will be "minimal sacrifice" in fuel efficiency with projected 25 mpg in city driving and 32 mpg on the highway for front-wheel-drive models with the larger engine and 24 mpg in city driving and 30 mpg on the highway for all-wheel-drive models.An undersquare design (89-mm bore, 100-mm stroke), the new 2.5 has some interesting engineering details. Its compression ratio is race-engine high at 13:1, but as with the 2.0-liter four, the 2.5 operates on regular unleaded fuel. Also, as a member of the new Skyactiv G engine family, it’s assembled on a line that can accommodate four-cylinder engines that can range from 1.3 to 2.5 liters. What makes this unusual is that the bore centers differ slightly from one displacement to another.
Speaking of race-car touches, the new exhaust manifold is reminiscent of the old “bundle of snakes” on the Ford GT40. That tangle of tubing that looks like Medusa on a good hair day helps net optimal efficiency, and quick catalyst light-off.
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