NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Mazda CX5 shows style and power

NZ Herald
30 Aug, 2014 05:00 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Musician Greg Fleming takes the Mazda CX-5 for a test drive all the way to a Hawkes Bay house concert

I have vivid memories of touring New Zealand in the 1990s as a support act for Greg Johnson - six band members, two roadies and a very brave young woman whose job it was to sell T-shirts - all of us squeezed into a white transit van that was as temperamental as many of its occupants.

It was great fun, but travelling in style wasn't high on the agenda. So when the opportunity came about to take a new Mazda CX-5 on the road to play a house concert in Napier I jumped at it.

It was a solo show, an intimate affair for 40 people, which sometime promoter and music-lover Jamie Macphail had organised. So no roadies or foolhardy merch girls this time - this was a family-friendly tour - accompanied by my fiancee, Wendy, our daughter, Truly, two guitars, a box of my new CD Forget the Past to sell and a brand new $56,000 car to get us there!

I hadn't driven an SUV before but getting behind the wheel of the CX-5 I was amazed at how easy it was to drive.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

You may have seen the ubiquitous TV ads where the CX-5 is transformed from urbane city run-about to a lithe cheetah which loves the open road, and the analogy is apt - if you needed power it was there, lots of it, and I had to constantly check my speed as 100 km/h felt like a gentle glide, but the car was also easy to manoeuvre and actually felt like a much smaller car to drive.

Memories of crammed seats, tinny sound-systems and draughty interiors vanished as we cruised down State Highway 1 with Ryan Bingham's Mescalito blasting out on the Bose stereo (USB and bluetooth-compatible sound system with - yes - six speakers), our butts warmed up thanks to the heated seats (four degrees outside, 18 under our butt!) and the cabin cosy, thanks to the dual-zone climate control.

The interior is well set out and resplendent with the latest driving technology - a push-button start, eight-way adjustable driver's seat which memorises each driver's settings, a large touch-activated display screen with reverse camera and TomTom satellite navigation - in many ways the car drove itself.

When it started to rain the wipers switched on automatically - ditto for the headlights when the light faded - and while we didn't make use of it the CX-5 will automatically stop if it senses a (low-speed) collision is about to take place. Similarly if you're distracted and veer into another lane an alarm sounds. Parking was also a breeze as sensors sound warnings which ensure your safe arrival kerb- side.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

But for me one of the main attractions of the CX-5 (which was awarded Driven's Car of the Year in 2012) is its incredible fuel efficiency. Both the diesel and petrol models represent a fundamental rethink of how an internal combustion engine works - essentially getting more performance out of less fuel. All up it cost $60 in diesel to get a full car and three passengers from Auckland to Napier. I was impressed - that kind of economy can buy a lot of studio time! In our regular car - a venerable 2006 Nissan Wingroad - it would cost more than twice that.

Indeed the popularity of the CX-5 was evident when we pulled into our first overnight stop - Wairakei Resort Taupo - where we counted no less than six CX-5s in the car park.
The trip from Taupo to Napier pressed home the brilliant handling attributes of the CX-5. My daughter can sometimes get car sick but there wasn't any sign of this as we climbed the often windy roads up the ranges.

When I needed extra power to pass a slow logging truck the CX-5 responded instantly and seemed to relish the opportunity, its cheetah alter-ego ready to spring into action.
And the gig? It went well and plans are afoot to return - though I may not get there in quite such style next time round.

• Greg travelled courtesy of Wairakei Resort Taupo and Mazda NZ. His new album Forget the Past is available now. See www.gregfleming.co.nz

Discover more

New Zealand

Don't get caught by hidden costs

29 Aug 08:00 PM
New Zealand

Sleek and safe - Volvo shows off new XC90

29 Aug 05:00 PM
New Zealand

Diesel options best for NZ caravan road trip

30 Aug 05:00 PM
Motorsport

Mazda gets behind the world time attack challenge

01 Sep 05:30 PM
Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

The nearly fatal gas exposure case that rocked Greymouth

04 Jul 06:03 AM
Crime

'It's all safe mum': Murder accused allegedly took $85k hidden in mother's dressing gown

04 Jul 06:00 AM
New Zealand|crime

Four prolific shoplifters charged with stealing groceries worth $17,000

04 Jul 05:58 AM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

The nearly fatal gas exposure case that rocked Greymouth

The nearly fatal gas exposure case that rocked Greymouth

04 Jul 06:03 AM

Two companies were fined and ordered to pay more than $685,000 for the gas incident.

'It's all safe mum': Murder accused allegedly took $85k hidden in mother's dressing gown

'It's all safe mum': Murder accused allegedly took $85k hidden in mother's dressing gown

04 Jul 06:00 AM
Four prolific shoplifters charged with stealing groceries worth $17,000

Four prolific shoplifters charged with stealing groceries worth $17,000

04 Jul 05:58 AM
'You can’t hide': Police seize GBL, cannabis, pills in Waikato online drug bust

'You can’t hide': Police seize GBL, cannabis, pills in Waikato online drug bust

04 Jul 05:05 AM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP