Customers looking for a three-seat crossover can head to their nearest Mazda dealership and check out the CX-9. Right? In America, sure. And other markets, too. But not in Japan.
That’s where the forthcoming new CX-8 comes in. Previewed in this first exterior image, the CX-8 looks an awful lot like the CX-9. But it’s actually one smaller.
Though riding on the same 115.3-inch wheelbase as the CX-9, and boasting six- or seven-seat capacity (depending on setup), the CX-8 is slightly smaller in every exterior dimension: four and a half inches shorter from nose to tail, five inches narrower, and more than half an inch lower.
It’s wrapped in similar sheetmetal to the CX-9’s as well, and is even shown with similar wheel design. But if you look closely, even just in profile, you may notice a few small stylistic differences: the window frame in the D-pillar kinks a bit higher, for example, and the front fender line drops off towards the front door handle more sharply. The wing mirrors look like a different design, too, but from what we can see so far, you’d really have to look at the two side by side to pick up on those differences. We’ll reserve final judgement, though, for when we see the complete shape.
Styling aside, power will come from Mazda’s 2.2-liter diesel engine, mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. The manufacturer says that “the CX-8 will serve as the flagship of the brand’s SUV lineup in Japan,” but don’t be surprised to see it extended to other Asian markets – and possibly as far as Australia, where the (slightly) larger CX-9 is already on offer.
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