Emissions standards have forced Mazda Australia to dull the output of the 2.5-litre petrol engine in the new-generation CX-5 family SUV.
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Mazda has confirmed its third-generation CX-5 will be less potent, losing 8kW of power and 10Nm of torque compared to the preceding model, due to new emissions regulations.
Due to land in the second half of 2026, the new CX-5 will punch out 132kW/242Nm from a carryover 2.5-litre petrol four-cylinder engine and paired with a six-speed automatic transmission.
Mazda Australia boss Vinesh Bhindi told Drive the drop in output is to ensure the engine adheres to the latest emissions standards.
“It's the same 2.5 [-litre engine], but it's tuned for the Euro 6,” Bhindi said.
It is unclear how the 5.7 per cent drop in power will affect performance, but the current CX-5 in all-wheel-drive Akera form with the more potent 140kW tune will accelerate from zero to 100km/h in a claimed 9.7 seconds.
Fuel economy is also expected to vary in the new car compared to the old, with the aforementioned CX-5 variant returning a claimed combined consumption figure of 7.4 litres per 100km.
While Euro 6 standards do not measure carbon dioxide emitted per kilometre travelled, instead assessing other pollutants like nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particle emissions (PM), the current car’s 172g of CO2/km is expected to come down with the retuned engine.
Of note, the 2026 Mazda CX-5 is not the only model to be impacted by a duller tune due to Euro 6 emissions standards, with Toyota also confirming its new-generation RAV4 will be less potent than before.
The current RAV4, in AWD form, makes 163kW, while next year’s model produces just 143kW – a drop of 12 per cent.
Australia has also introduced the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) this year, which assess fleet emissions and doles out fines or credits depending on where brands land in relation to the threshold.
In addition to the less potent 2.5-litre engine tune for Mazda, the brand is also discontinuing the base 2.0-litre petrol engine and 2.5-litre turbo-petrol in the new CX-5 range, but will introduce an in-house hybrid powertrain to debut on the new model from 2027.
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Tung Nguyen has been in the automotive journalism industry for over a decade, cutting his teeth at various publications before finding himself at Drive in 2024. With experience in news, feature, review, and advice writing, as well as video presentation skills, Tung is a do-it-all content creator. Tung’s love of cars first started as a child watching Transformers on Saturday mornings, as well as countless hours on PlayStation’s Gran Turismo, meaning his dream car is a Nissan GT-R, with a Liberty Walk widebody kit, of course.
