Mazda CX-4 officially goes live at Beijing Auto Show

At long last, the Mazda CX-4 finally makes its debut at the 2016 Beijing Auto Show. As previously reportedly, the CX-4 is available for the China-market only (for now), and will join the carmaker’s other SUV offering in the country – the CX-5.

Previewed by the Koeru concept from the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show, the CX-4 carries on with Mazda’s Kodo – Soul of Motion design philosophy. The front carries a four-bar grille with chrome surrounds that lead into a pair of LED headlamps (with signature DRLs). Fog lamps that appear to originate from the CX-3 are also part of the front fascia.

Viewed from the side, the CX-4 does appear larger than the earlier spyshots suggest, even with that rakish roofline. In terms of dimensions, the CX-4 measures 4,633 mm long and 1,535 mm tall, which is 78 mm longer and up to 135 mm lower compared to the CX-5. However, the width and wheelbase is identical to the CX-5 – 1,840 mm and 2,700 mm, respectively.

Wheel options here include 17- and 19-inch options, where the latter sports the same design as that on the facelifted CX-5. At the rear, a chrome trim piece runs into the slim tail lamps. Other visible highlights here include a spoiler that incorporates the third brake light, rear fog lamps and dual exhaust pipes.

Inside, the crossover borrows heavily from the Mazda 3, adopting an almost similar dashboard layout. Slight differences can be seen at the positioning of the air-con vents, which are better integrated with the dashboard trim piece. The handbrake here has been replaced with an electronic one as well, similar to that on the facelifted 6 and CX-5.

Everything else however, looks to be unchanged, including the steering wheel, MZD Connect seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system, dual-zone climate control, gear lever and Commander Control. The CX-4 also gets the 3’s heads-up display.

Safety-wise, the CX-4 comes equipped with six airbags (front, side and curtain) and Mazda’s i-Activsense safety technologies. The safety kit includes Advanced Blind Spot Monitoring (ABSM) system with Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA), as well as Smart City Brake Support (SCBS).

For the Chinese market, the CX-4 will be offered with two four-cylinder SkyActiv-G petrol powertrains. The first is a 2.0 litre unit that serves up 158 hp and 202 Nm, paired to either a SkyActiv-MT six-speed manual or SkyActiv-Drive six-speed automatic transmission, with power sent to the front wheels. The sole i-Activ all-wheel drive variant uses a larger 2.5 litre powerplant- SkyActiv-Drive six-speed auto pairing (192 hp and 252 Nm) instead. Mazda’s i-Eloop brake energy regeneration system and i-Stop idling system is available here, although the former is exclusive to the all-wheel drive variant.

As mentioned earlier, the CX-4 will be exclusive to China, where it is produced (in Changchun), and sold. However, Mazda officials have said that they’re evaluating other markets to introduce the CX-4 in for the near future. Would you be interested in such a model?

Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.