2019 Mazda CX-5 SkyActiv-D Review: The Return of Diesel?

Auto123 reviews the 2019 Mazda CX-5 SkyActiv-D (2.2D), the diesel-powered version of the popular SUV from the Japanese manufacturer

See our Review of the 2019 Mazda CX-5 Signature

Mazda took a long time to introduce a turbo diesel engine in North America. The company made a first promise to produce one in the middle of last decade, prior to the Volkswagen "Dieselgate" scandal. In doing so Mazda joined other odd players planning on entering into the diesel-engine domain here. But unlike brands like Acura, Kia and Cadillac, Mazda never abandoned its plan to market a turbodiesel vehicle on this side of the Atlantic.

The long-promised diesel version finally arrived this year in the form of the 2019 Mazda CX-5 2.2D, a variant that doesn't drink from the same fountain at the gas station as any of the other versions in the CX-5 lineup.

The snag is that you have to budget extra money to access the turbodiesel powertrain, available exclusively with the Signature edition. In fact, the CX-5 2.2D sells for $5,000 more than the Mazda CX-5 Signature equipped with the 2.0L 4-cylinder turbocharged engine. That's THE question that will have to be answered by consumers who might be tempted by the only mass-market compact SUV with a turbo-diesel powertrain.

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