2024 Mazda CX-5 Suna Edition
Price: $44,200 CAD
Colour: Zircon Sand Metallic
I’ve long been an admirer of Mazda vehicles. They have a long and strong history of making good cars. The CX-5 has been the backbone of their lineup ever since its inception over a decade ago. It’s been the bestselling offering from Mazda since 2014 and you don’t achieve that without being special. Seven years into its current generations design, the CX-5 is still very special.
The Japanese carmakers (perhaps with the exception of Nissan) don’t turn their cars that often. They choose a design and stick with it for long periods. The current CX-5 has been around since 2017 with a slight update in 2021. It still looks like a modern design and its looks have aged very well. Sometimes after a few years a cars exterior styling can sag a little, but the CX-5 remains just as sharp as they day it debuted. This is a great design and sales numbers show the public agrees.
Little has changed with the 2024 “Suna” Edition with the exception of “suede-like” seat inserts, Terracotta leather and a bespoke exterior colour called “Zircon Sand Metallic”. The word “Suna” simply means sand/gold coloured dust in Japanese. You can’t accuse Mazda of false advertising. This Suna edition comes with piano black wheel trims and other exterior accents that I would have preferred to see in body colour or properly painted in black. Over time this plastic will likely not age well, and real paint would be much better like you get on the Signature trim of this vehicle. Why Mazda chose to invest so much in a specific colour is a curiosity, but at least it’s a nice colour. It should also be noted the Zircon Sand Metallic is only available on the Suna Edition.
The 2024 CX-5 Suna Edition is only available with the 2.5L Turbocharged Skyactiv-G engine. It’s unchanged in its performance figures of 227hp and 310 lb/ft of torque with 87 octane and 256hp and 320 lb/ft with 93 Octane. I’ve often wondered who actually puts 93 octane in their CX-5. In pursuit of journalistic integrity, I’ve tried it in the past and noticed little difference except to my pocketbook. I can report however that the excellent driving experience remains the same. The power on offer is more than sufficient and the 6-speed auto is very smooth. It’s coupled to an AWD system that is standard across the range and it’s a stellar combo. I really like driving this car and that’s no small statement given how vanilla the SUV driving experience can be.
The cost of everything being what it is currently, the pricing of the CX-5 is a bit of an anomaly. Starting around $32,000 CAD (which includes AWD) and topping out at $45,000 CAD there’s a CX-5 for everyone depending on what you’re looking for and where your budget lies.
If you’ve been looking at the Mazda CX-5 for a while and thought “Yeah, I’d like one but why don’t they offer it in a quirky but cool looking sandy type colour?” your prayers have been answered. The CX-5 may not be the newest kid on the block with the fanciest tech but it has is proven dead reliable and the long design life is actually reflected in the price tag as this is one of the best value mid-size SUV’s you can buy.
