Mazda has further increased the fleet appeal of its multi award-winning CX-5 compact SUV range with the addition of a new low emission model.

The Mazda CX-5 range was the first to benefit from Mazda’s breakthrough SKYACTIV suite of technologies, and the new 2WD SE-L Lux is powered by the SKYACTIV-D 2.2-litre Diesel 150ps engine mated to a manual transmission with CO2 emissions of just 119g/km and fuel economy from 61.4mpg on the combined cycle.

Costing £24,495 on the road – £25,195 with navigation – the Mazda CX-5 SE-L Lux sits between the existing Mazda CX-5 2.2-litre 150ps SE-L and Sport models. Both the Mazda CX-5 SE-L Lux and SE-L Lux Nav are in showrooms now.

The new model is based on the already generously specified SKYACTIV-D 2.2 litre diesel 150ps 2WD SE-L manual, a popular model amongst company car drivers, and with additional features of a power tilt and slide sunroof, full leather trim, six-way power adjustable driver’s seat and heated front seats the SE-L Lux is expected to become just as popular.

The Mazda CX-5 SE-L Lux costs just £1,200 more than the SE-L, but delivers significant value when compared with the cost of factory-fit options of rival models. For example, leather and sunroof options on rivals, which cannot match the Mazda CX-5 in terms of power, CO2 emissions or MPG, can cost as much as £2,595.

Mazda Head of Fleet Steve Tomlinson said: “The Mazda CX-5 already has huge appeal in the fleet sector and the addition of this new model further broadens the attractiveness.

“Fleet managers already understand the benefits of our unique SKYACTIV technology, which critically deliver significant CO2 emissions and MPG benefits over rival models and the Mazda CX-5 2.2-litre 150ps 2WD SE-L Lux will fit neatly into vehicle choice lists where the Sports sits outside of driver grades.”

The Mazda CX-5 2.2-litre 150ps 2WD SE-L Lux attracts a 2013/14 company car benefit-in-kind-tax bill of just £146.64 (40% taxpayer) prompting Tomlinson to comment: “That delivers fantastic value for drivers versus any of the competition.”

The clutch of awards already won by the Mazda CX-5 include being named ‘Best Small SUV’ in the ‘Fleet World 2013 Honours’.

Tomlinson said: “The Mazda CX-5 range benefits from a low rate of depreciation that delivers high residual values, while low fuel consumption minimises the second biggest contributor to total cost of ownership. Factor in class-leading CO2 emissions and low benefit-in-kind bills, plus numerous corporate savings, and the already attractive Mazda CX-5 becomes an even more compelling fleet proposition with the addition of the SE-L Lux variant.”

The innovative suite of SKYACTIV technologies centres on three key areas – sophisticated lightweight chassis technology, advanced engines with world-beating compression ratios and highly efficient six-speed manual and automatic transmissions.

On-the-road prices for the Mazda CX-5 range start from £21,595 for the 2.0-litre SKYACTIV-G petrol 165ps 2WD SE-L and rise to £29,395 for the flagship 2.2-litre SKYACTIV-D diesel 175ps all-wheel drive (AWD) Sport Nav Auto.

Source: Mazda