MAZDA has done exactly what was needed with its otherwise fine CX-5 compact SUV. Buyers may have flocked to the car in droves since its launch 12 months ago, but we always thought the petrol engine in pricier all-wheel-drive variants needed more poke.

Sure, the base engine was fine for the front-wheel-drive price leaders in which its 114kW/200Nm is about par for the course, but among key AWD rivals, the Mazda was clearly the least powerful. The smaller engine had to be worked hard, making overtaking a chore and hurting refinement.

Well, Mazda has answered our prayers by transplanting the larger 2.5-litre SkyActiv unit from its new Mazda6 sedan and wagon in exchange for a $500 price bump.

With a raft of newer rivals rolling onto the scene, the timing is perfect, and the sharp-looking, spacious, well-equipped and sharp-handling Mazda is now a better proposition than it already was.

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