At the moment of writing we are driving the very entertaining and refined Mazda CX-5, and we hear from the dynamic PR-Manager Peter Gemoets that Mazda is launching an update of its bestselling roadster, enhancing the inimitable thrill of the Jinba Ittai driving experience.

Jinba ittai, or the thrill of perfect unity between the horse and its rider with the arch… 

For those who are not familiar with this concept and do not know what it means, we tell you here that Jinba ittai (人馬一体, “person [and] horse [as] one body”) is a Japanese four-character compound, describing unity of horse and rider which is pertinent to Yabusame, Japanese mounted archery. We could not resist the temptation to make a drawing of one of those valiant warrior/riders with their big arches, galloping on their horses…

Hirotaka Kanazawa: “it all comes down to the relationship between the car and the driver”

A beautiful symbol, indeed evoking what Mazda is striving to reach with its CX-5, namely the unity between the driver and its four wheeled mount, the MX-5. As we told you already in our test report of the MX-5, it is one of those cars which delivers you tons of driving pleasure. This is also precisely what people like Hirotaka Kanazawa, the managing executive officer of Mazda Japan, and responsible for car development, tells us: “we firmly believe that when we make a fantastic car, it all comes down to the relationship between the car and the driver”. We show you here his photo, and an image taken in the research and development department, where the all important relationship and “feel” is tested between steering wheel and gear lever…

The “feel” of the car with your hands on the wheel and the gearlever… this is what they test at the Mazda development centre… 

The 1.5 and 2.0-litre SKYACTIV-G petrol engines have further improved combustion and greater torque now, and comply with new WLTP/RDE test cycle, meeting Euro 6d Temp emission regulations. Both powertrains benefit from refined acceleration control to minimise lag between throttle applications and vehicle response.

The SKYACTIV-G 2.0 engine is now higher-revving and acoustically further tuned, with maximum engine speed raised from 6,800 to 7,500 rpm, maximum horsepower increased from 160 to 184 PS @ 7,000 rpm, and maximum torque from 200 to 205 Nm @ 4,000 rpm.

Five new i-ACTIVSENSE safety technologies are also introduced: Advanced Smart City Brake Support which detects vehicles and pedestrians ahead and helps avoid collisions, and Smart City Brake Support (Reverse) which detects vehicles and obstacles behind, as well as Driver Attention Alert, a Traffic Sign Recognition System and a Rear View Camera. This we also enjoy now in the new CX-5 we are testing.

The award-winning KODO-Soul of Motion design is further enriched through a darker paint finish for both 16″ and 17″ alloy wheels, and the eye is further seduced with the availability of a new brown canopy colour for soft-top models.

Hans Knol ten Bensel