Mazda’s CX-8 has long sat in the shadow of the slightly larger Mazda CX-9. But after a fresh facelift, perhaps it finally deserves its own moment in the sun.
2023 Mazda CX-8
Despite reviewing cars for a living, I still struggle to distinguish the Mazda CX-8 from the Mazda CX-9.
Mazda’s two large, three-row SUVs are separated by only a few thousand dollars in price, and only a few centimetres in dimensions, but the CX-9 continues to outperform the CX-8 in sales.
If, like me, you’re wondering what the big difference between the CX-8 and CX-9 is, the answer is: not much. The CX-9 is bigger and more expensive, and doesn’t offer a diesel variant.
Yet somehow it regularly manages almost double the sales of the CX-8.
That could be set to change, with the Mazda CX-8’s recent facelift adding a series of subtle yet impactful changes for the 2023 model-year.
There’s a restyled front and fresh grille, updated light signatures, and bigger screens with more technology in the cabin.
After years of sitting in the shadow of its big sister, these clever tweaks might just be enough for the CX-8 to have its own moment in the sun.
After all, who doesn’t love a bit of sibling rivalry?
How much does the Mazda CX-8 cost in Australia?
The 2023 Mazda CX-8 GT SP FWD petrol model I’m testing starts from $58,560 plus on-road costs. That’s a price rise of roughly $1550 over the pre-facelift grade it’s replacing.
The CX-8 range offers the choice of petrol engine with front-wheel drive or a diesel engine with all-wheel drive.
My test car is petrol-powered and front-wheel drive, with a 2.5-litre non-turbo four-cylinder engine producing a peak of 140kW/252Nm, and a six-speed automatic transmission.
It also has seven seats as standard, but switches to a six-seat layout with second row captain’s chairs in the range-topping Asaki LE.
If you’re wondering what ‘GT SP’ means, it’s a new model grade that combines two previous CX-8 grades into one. It replaces the previous GT variant, but works in the blacked-out styling of the previous Touring SP grade.
The extras you get from buying the GT SP include adaptive LED headlights, gloss black mirrors and grille, blacked out 19-inch alloy wheels, black or burgundy leather upholstery, a sunroof, a wireless smartphone charger and a power tailgate.
Paired with the $795 Polymetal Grey paint on my test car, the GT SP’s all-black accents look sharp and modern and lend the CX-8 a bit more of a visual edge.
In terms of competitors outside of the CX-9, the CX-8 competes with cars like the Hyundai Santa Fe, Toyota Kluger and Kia Sorento.
Much like the CX-8, these models all start around $50,000 for a base-spec, front-wheel-drive, petrol variant.
The difference is that spending $58,000 or more in the Sorento, Kluger and Santa Fe ranges will get you a bit more bang for your buck than it does in the CX-8 range, which is a few thousand dollars more expensive across every grade.
| Key details | 2023 Mazda CX-8 GT SP FWD |
| Price | $58,560 plus on-road costs |
| Colour of test car | Polymetal Grey |
| Options | Premium paint – $795 |
| Price as tested | $59,355 plus on-road costs |
| Drive-away price | $64,742 (Melbourne) |
| Rivals | Hyundai Santa Fe | Toyota Kluger | Kia Sorento |
How much space does the Mazda CX-8 have inside?
FRONT SEAT
In my opinion, the CX-8’s interior has the wow factor I’d expect from a car that’s a little more expensive than some of its key rivals.
The Bordeaux-red seats available on the GT SP grade elevate the cabin and provide some added X-factor.
You get heating and power adjustment for both front seats on all models except the entry-level CX-8 Sport, tri-zone climate control standard across all variants, and the GT SP gets a wireless phone charger.
The only disappointment in terms of front-seat equipment is the sunroof, which feels conspicuously small for such a large car and doesn’t do much to bring some extra light into the cabin.
I also missed the inclusion of a central lock button, which would have come in handy when quickly loading and unloading passengers. Instead, you have to manually pull the lock on the driver’s door, which in turn unlocks all other doors.
SECOND ROW
Mazda has done a nice job of offering a little bit of luxury in every row – elevating the second-row passenger experience by offering heated outboard seats (on GT SP and above), independent climate controls and plenty of room to stretch out.
A fold-down central armrest houses two cupholders and a lidded compartment with two USB-A ports for charging and storing your smartphone.
There are also thoughtful inclusions for families, like in-built sun shades on the windows, or doors that offer an aperture of 90 degrees to improve ingress.
Three child seats can be accommodated, with three top-tether attachments over the backs of the seats, plus ISOFIX anchorage points on the two outboard seats.
The third row has two additional top-tether points over the backs of the seats too – meaning the CX-8 can theoretically accommodate a total of five child seats at any one time, if you’re willing to get very strategic.
To access the third row, a button on the middle row will tilt and release the middle bench so it can slide forward.
Even sitting in the second row after sliding the bench forward to maximise third-row legroom, I wasn’t uncomfortable or cramped.
My only gripe is that the substantial leather seats are heavy and thus a little cumbersome to rearrange.
THIRD ROW
After you’ve slid the middle row forward, you’re left with a fairly narrow opening to enter the third row and, if you’re tall, you might have to contort yourself to get in there.
Once safely inside, I was surprised to find the leg and knee room wasn’t entirely awful and could actually be accommodating for adults on longer trips.
The seats are sloped and deep and allow for roughly a finger-width of headroom, and there are a few amenities that make the space feel less like an after-thought and more like a full-time solution.
These include large side windows that let plenty of light in, USB-A ports for both passengers, storage hooks for both passengers and two cupholders on either side.
BOOT
The CX-8’s boot is opened via a power tailgate and is well-sized, whether or not you’ve got the third row in place. In five-seat mode, the CX-8 has 775L of cargo space, or 209L in seven-seat mode.
That’s a properly big boot, but it’s bested by some rivals, like the Hyundai Santa Fe and Mazda CX-9.
If you’re keeping tally in the sibling rivalry count, that’s one point to the CX-9.
Still, even in full seven-seat mode, it provided enough room for my portable pram and a couple of bags, plus there’s additional underfloor storage that was useful for hiding my laptop.
You can raise the third row from the boot via plastic latches on the backs of the seats, and the headrests neatly flip up.
Under the underfloor storage, there’s a temporary spare wheel.
| 2023 Mazda CX-8 GT SP FWD | |
| Seats | Seven |
| Boot volume | 209L to third row 775L to second row |
| Length | 4925mm |
| Width | 1845mm |
| Height | 1725mm |
| Wheelbase | 2930mm |
Does the Mazda CX-8 have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto?
The big headline for infotainment in the Mazda CX-8 is: wireless CarPlay, wireless Android Auto and bigger screens! Yay!
All CX-8 models regardless of specification grade now get a larger 10.25-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which were both previously accessible via a wired connection.
There’s also Bluetooth connectivity, satellite navigation and a 10-speaker Bose sound system.
Annoyingly, Mazda is inexplicably persisting with its pesky rotary dial controller.
It works when you’re scrolling through Mazda’s native infotainment menu, but it’s borderline dangerous when trying to manage Apple CarPlay on the move. It’s particularly fiddly when navigating Spotify.
In the all-new Mazda CX-90, Mazda remedied this problem by allowing the infotainment screen to become a touchscreen when using CarPlay or Android Auto – providing a ‘best of both worlds’ scenario. That would have been useful for the CX-8 too.
While the placement of the screen is ideal, the system feels a little out of step with current standards, but the graphics are sharp.
Also now standard across the CX-8 range is a 7.0-inch digital instrument display, plus USB-C ports for front occupants, and a wireless smartphone charger that requires annoyingly precise phone placement in order to work.
A helpful head-up display provides live speed-limit updates, traffic sign updates, a digital speedometer and key driver assistance information.
Is the Mazda CX-8 a safe car?
The CX-8 range has a five-star ANCAP safety rating that dates back to 2018, and that rating expires in 2024.
When it was tested – before some key ANCAP criteria were added – the CX-8 received a 96 per cent score for adult occupant protection, an 87 per cent score for child occupant protection, a 72 per cent score for vulnerable road user protection, and a 73 per cent score in the safety assist category.
It has six airbags as standard, and its curtain airbags extend all the way to cover the third row.
| 2023 Mazda CX-8 GT SP FWD | |
| ANCAP rating | Five stars (tested 2018) |
| Safety report | Link to ANCAP report |
What safety technology does the Mazda CX-8 have?
No matter which CX-8 grade you purchase, you’ll receive must-haves like autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection, a lane-departure warning with lane-keep assistance, blind-spot monitoring and a rear cross-traffic alert.
Mazda’s Smart City Brake Support is an AEB system that operates at low speeds and can detect pedestrians but not cyclists.
There’s also tyre pressure monitoring (but it doesn’t show individual tyre values), high beam assist, rain-sensing wipers and traffic sign recognition, plus the active cruise-control system is able to slow to a stop and then re-engage in heavy traffic.
A reverse camera with front and rear parking sensors is also standard on the GT SP grade, but a more detailed 360-degree camera is only available on the higher grades.
Given the size of the car, I feel a 360-degree camera would be a welcome standard inclusion across the range.
One highlight is a polished, accurate lane-trace system that’s smooth and fluid in its execution, and pairs beautifully with the active cruise system to take the banality out of longer freeway drives.
How much does the Mazda CX-8 cost to maintain?
Mazda offers a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty on all of its new cars.
The Mazda CX-8 requires a service every 12 months or 15,000km, and scheduled servicing will cost you $2168 in total over five years.
That’s not cheap when you compare it to Toyota’s impressively low servicing costs, but it’s relatively affordable in the context of the broader class.
The Mazda CX-8 costs $1179.41 to insure per year based on a comparative quote for a 35-year-old male driver living in Chatswood, NSW. Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.
That’s an impressively cheap insurance quote, according to our comparison with several other rival large SUVs.
While the CX-8 has a sizable 72L fuel tank, it only requires unleaded petrol with a minimum octane rating of 91.
| At a glance | 2023 Mazda CX-8 GT SP FWD |
| Warranty | Five years, unlimited km |
| Service intervals | 12 months or 15,000km |
| Servicing costs | $1285 (3 years) $2168 (5 years) |
Is the Mazda CX-8 fuel-efficient?
Mazda claims fuel use in the CX-8 is 8.1L/100km combined cycle, or 9.7L/100km on urban cycle.
My real-world consumption came in at 9.9L/100km. That’s closer to the urban claim and fitting given my driving was mostly around town.
For added context, a lengthy freeway stint saw it briefly drop to 8.0L/100km, while a series of shorter stints in heavy traffic while filming video content saw it rise to 10.7L/100km.
While the CX-8 isn’t particularly thirsty for a large SUV, those concerned about fuel use should explore the diesel variant, which promises lower consumption of 6.0L/100km on a combined cycle.
Fuel Consumption – brought to you by bp
| Fuel Useage | Fuel Stats |
| Fuel cons. (claimed) | 8.1L/100km |
| Fuel cons. (on test) | 9.9L/100km |
| Fuel type | 91-octane unleaded |
| Fuel tank size | 72L |
What is the Mazda CX-8 like to drive?
On the road, the Mazda CX-8 has an overall sense of balance, offering the perfect blend of comfort and composure. It’s a large car I actually enjoyed driving.
Refinement is what Mazda does best, and the brand claims this facelift has further reduced road noise and vibration in the CX-8’s cabin – you can tell.
It’s a remarkably well-insulated interior, with minimal engine noise and no roughness from the drivetrain.
The ride is taut and almost sporty in nature – it settles quickly after harder hits, and the extra weight of the car can mean it drops into potholes and harder edges more sharply, but it’s never uncomfortable.
There’s a keenness to the handling that I really enjoyed, with the steering feeling light but direct. It’s easy to tackle sharp corners and tight streets, and I felt confident making quick, last-minute manoeuvres.
The six-speed automatic is smooth, aside from some grumbling and hesitation courtesy of the idle-stop system at low speeds. Otherwise, it’s quick to get moving from a standstill and provides power gradually and evenly.
If I had two key complaints about the Mazda CX-8 on the road, they would be in regards to performance and visibility.
The amount of power on offer was more than suitable for city driving, but felt a little more limiting at freeway speeds. I’d imagine those regularly doing longer trips with a fully packed cabin might favour the turbocharged diesel engine for some extra grunt.
Additionally, the CX-8’s field of visibility narrows towards the back of the car and the thick C-pillars create more substantial blind spots.
For some strange reason, Mazda has chosen to equip the CX-8 with unusually magnified side mirrors that made it very hard to judge distance from other cars, both when parking and when tackling lane changes and beyond.
A surround-view camera (which is only available on higher grades) would have substantially improved my parking experience.
Finally, I was surprised my test car was front-wheel drive because it’s such a big, solid, serene car and it handled well in wet weather.
My perspective might change with more dynamic testing over varied road surfaces, but I certainly didn’t want for traction around town.
| Key details | 2023 Mazda CX-8 GT SP FWD |
| Engine | 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol |
| Power | 140kW @ 6000rpm |
| Torque | 252Nm @ 4000rpm |
| Drive type | Front-wheel drive |
| Transmission | Six-speed torque converter automatic |
| Power-to-weight ratio | 76.6kW/t |
| Weight (kerb) | 1827kg |
| Spare tyre type | space-saver |
| Tow rating | 2000kg braked 750kg unbraked |
| Turning circle | 11.6m |
Should I buy a Mazda CX-8?
I think the updated Mazda CX-8 does a few things really well.
It’s an indisputable pleasure to drive, with Mazda’s commitment to refinement evident in everything from how it handles its size, to how serene the cabin feels, whether at city or freeway speeds.
The boot is substantial and, as a pleasant surprise, the third row isn’t actually untenable for adults. The versatility afforded by the rear seating rows, as well as their associated child-seat anchorage points, is perfect for a growing family.
The standard equipment on this grade also feels comprehensive – although a 360-degree camera could make a big difference – and the execution is elegant, with a premium feel that I believe goes above the price point.
I even loved all those silly blacked-out details on the exterior.
Rotary dial gripes aside, general functionality and ergonomics are good and everything looks fabulous. This update has filled in some much needed blanks in infotainment too.
It’s not the cheapest large SUV out there, but I came away generally impressed with the updated Mazda CX-8.
Take that, CX-9.
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