Review
Just bought the latest variant of the car in Super Luxury Trim after trading in my current 1.5 year old car because my family requires more space. Opt for the Machine Grey paint exterior because it looks gorgeous in that colour. 19 inch Sport rims compliments the monstrous car size. Interior: The 1st thing that hits me, is the Brownish Red Nappa Leather seats with dianond stitchings. 1st and 2nd row seats all electrically adjusted. As I am 1.77m, I require ample headroom in the front, centre and back row seats which this car fulfilled. There is aircon/ heater in those seats for extra driving comfort, something our erratic equatorial climate requires. Even the steering wheel can be heated too! Wireless smartphone charging and wireless Apple carplay connectivity. Almost Everything inside wrapped in plush leather, really screams 'Luxury'. The car doors are heavy for a Japanese car, and I like to hear the deep bassy thud when I close them, kinda of giving me a continental feel. Next the drive : Silky smooth, effortless for a car this big although there is no turbo in the 2500 cc engine. Had to adjust my perspective because my previous car is a Sedan so now feels like I am higher off the road.

Lastly, did I mention the model comes with a 10 speaker Premium Bose Audio system? That sold me!

Review
Love this SUV perfect sized for family of 5. Can configure to 7 seater or 5 seater based on needs. Narrower and shorter than CX-9 makes it nice on singapore roads and car parks. Leather and interior feels nice and front look grill is a killer. Will recommend for families of 5-7 members. Can't wait for Malaysia borders to open for a proper road trip.

Review
Very poor quality car. 1st day of ownership, brake making noise. Today mark 6th month of ownership, something underneath the car broken or loose.

The drive - very poor, too skinny car, but high roof. Control is very lacking. Heavy car with weak engine, make a lot of noise when accelerating. Will not recommend if one expect a proper handling car. Japanese car is not for handling. The gearbox is a poor 6 speed auto, making cruising very fuel not efficient.

The look - look average. At this day and age, still using tungsten for signal light and interior lighting, it's way behind time. Totally don't give a feeling of looking at the car again after you lock the door, wish that you can disassociate oneself with the car

Will buy/won't buy/go try? I would say if one is having budget issue, this car can consider. If have plenty of cash, go for continental car, this is not a driver's car. It is just another Japanese car trying to up sell itself close to a continental car, which itself lack all the aspect of being a continental. Even an entry level Audi drives better than this.

Review
Changed from an Odyssey to the CX8 and no regret 1.5 month into ownership.

Great exterior design that I am sure will stand the test of time. Interior feels more premium than its Japanese counterparts and even the entry level Conti SUV. Chassis definitely feels more solid and cabin is much quieter than the Odyssey. 3rd row seats are better than most other 5+2 SUVs but still can't compare with those in MPV.

Drive is very smooth and the 6 speed transmission is clever enough to know what exactly your right foot is trying to do. Engine power is sufficient. Ride comfort is pretty decent for a car in its class. Ventilated front seats

Is a pity that it is not equipped with the latest infotainment system like those in the CX-30 and Mazda 3. The system in the CX 8 is slow to load at startup and resolution of the 8" Screen is average at best.

What I like
Overall design of the car, both exterior and interior
Smooth drive, excellent ride comfort and quiet cabin.
Head up display
Ventilated front seats
Better than average 3rd row seats
Overall safety features

What I do not like
Infotainment system is a tad slow to load
Poor resolution of the 360 cam
Lack of storage spaces at the front
No AC vent for 3rd row
Start-stop can be jerky
Lack of MRCC

Review
Driven CX-8 for 2 months, my family and I are happy with it so far. It really is a value for money SUV for a family. Very comfortable ride, the power is sufficient, accelerates eagerly without any lag despite weighing 1.8 ton. FC average about 10.5km/l. Enjoyed the safety features and it improve the driving experience.

What I like
1. 360-degree parking camera, especially the wide angle front camera, it help when
2. ventilated front seat
3. HUD
4. Spacious, good looking
5. Auto vehicle hold is very convenient
6. Safety feature
7. Quite cabin
8. Aircon is strong and cold

What I do not like
1. no kick sensor for power boot
2. dated infortainment system
3. lack of storage
4. No 3rd row air con vent

Review
Got a 6 Seater, Owned this car for 4 months, it is an excellent Driver's Car. Smooth, quiet and steady. Car looks beautiful especially at night

What I like
Space- There are lots of usable space, Seat at the 3rd Row is sufficient for Adult

Gap in between the 2nd Row seat- An adult can easily move between 2nd and 3rd row, the gap also allow the air con to flow easily to the back

Quiet Cabin - The car is well insulated with double walled windows glass and additional insulation and soundproofing, good enough for conversation in the car, without rising the voice

Safety Feature- It have most of the safety, to ensure a safe drive

360 Cam - This is a huge car, the 360 Cam helps in parking

Drive- As mentioned it is a driver car with smooth suspension and gear shift, it will always ensure that the right gear is engaged with sufficient torque to push the car

Heated Seat, Ventilated (Front) Seat and heated steering. Once you used it, you will know why it is good in singapore weather, Apart from its main feature, it helps in relaxing during driving and Jam condition.

What I do not like
MRCC- It will be great if it comes with adaptive cruise control, so that we can be on cruise control in the highway

Infotainment system - the 8"display is sufficient however the operating system is laggy, the resolution and display dynamic range is poor

Fuel Consumption, at 100% city driving, I am achieving about 8km/l

Lamp in the car, is still using yellow tungsten light bulb

Lack of storage space in the car, This is a car with minimalist design, so storage is not a forte in this car.,

Review
I'm one of the first few owners of the CX-8 in Singapore and have been driving the CX-8 daily for almost 4 months now and have clocked 6.5k km mileage. I shortlisted the Mercedes GLB 200, Skoda Kodiaq and Mazda CX-8 but was leaning more towards the GLB 200 and even gave C&C a $10.7k cheque for "Express of interest". It took me less than 5 minutes to know that the GLB 200 was not for me due to the lack of space (it's still quite spacious but not spacious enough for 6-7 full adults) and the lack of features (everything needed to be added on and paid for, and it doesn't even have aircon vents at 2nd row).

I watched a lot of CX-8 reviews from Malaysia, Thailand and Japan and I knew what I wanted - space, full safety specs, SUV, good handling and drive, and ideally 6 seaters like some MPVs. When TEK brought in the CX-8, I was relieved to know that they didn't bring in the 6 seater with centre console at the 2nd row as I really wanted the walkway to the 3rd row, just like MPVs. The CX-8 has exactly what I wanted - the MPV package in a SUV.

I went for the test drive (full load 6 pax) right after the launch day and signed right on the spot. It has been a fun and engaging 4 months with my CX-8 and I look forward to driving my CX-8 everyday.

I think Mazda is spot on for creating a car that does not have huge width but is long enough to have good amount of space in the car. This is exactly what we need in Singapore with the tight HDB carpark lots and shopping centres carpark lots.

And oh, did I mention that the soul red crystal looks absolutely gorgeous on the CX-8?

What I like
1. I really like the 6 seater layout of the CX-8 with the walkway to the 3rd row as my kids (and passengers) can access the 3rd row with ease without folding the 2nd row down. This gives me the MPV feeling but yet in a SUV.

2. Coming from 3 previous Toyotas and 1 Lexus which were known to have smooth acceleration, I was amazed that the CX-8's 6 speed gearbox achieved silky smooth acceleration as well. This is important as CX-8 is a family car and comfort is of utmost important.

3. Very clever, smooth and extremely responsive gearbox.

4. From Blind Spot Monitor, 360 camera, auto braking (front and rear), adaptive LED lights (auto high beam and auto shine left and right), lane keep assist, lane departure warning, cruise control, driver attention alert, walk away lock etc, the safety features are abundant. Basically it has everything a modern car needs in terms of safety.

5. CX-8 is stable and quiet, even at high speeds. Being a 1.8 ton car with a 2.93m wheelbase (most cars' wheelbases are between 2.5m to 2.8m), naturally the CX-8 is stable at high speeds. Mazda made a lot of effort in soundproofing the CX-8, especially at wheel arches and at the D-pillar. Windows are also "double-glazed"

6. 10 speakers Bose audio sound system! No need for after-market audio systems.

7. I also really like the digital speedometer that was engineered to look like an analog speedometer. Almost couldn't tell that it was a digital screen initially. Another cool factor is the speed numbers (for example 20km/hr, 40km/hr etc) near the speedometer needle current speed will light up in white while the speed range further from the current speed such as 100km/hr will grey out.

8. Unlike many 3 rows SUVs and MPVs whereby the 3rd row seat has thin cushion, the CX-8's 3rd row seat is a full size cushion seat.

9. Daytime running lights with the tubes are cool and also serves to warn other vehicles and pedestrians of the CX-8.

10. Very good and strong road presence due to the size of CX-8.

11. Built-in sunshades for rear doors.

12. Seat ventilation for first row driver and passenger. Very much needed in our hot weather.

13. Lastly, I really like that the CX-8 is long (4.9m) but yet not as wide as other SUVs. This really helps a lot in tight HDB carpark lots and shopping centre parking lots.

I can go on and on but I think the above are what came into my mind as I typed.

What I do not like
1. 2.5 turbo would have been perfect instead of 2.5 NA engine. While power and acceleration is sufficient (258nm torque), 2.5 turbo would have been better, given that the CX-8 is at over 1.8 ton kg.

2. Why is the sunroof so small for such a big car?!

3. Every other country's CX-8 was getting the Ayous wood panel for the front dashboard and side doors but our Singapore CX-8 got the faux carbon fibre panels. I'm not a fan of carbon fibre.

4. It would be great if it's 8-speed gearbox instead of 6-speed.

5. Given that it's a long car with long wheelbase, I would expect Mazda to make better use of the interior space. The CX-8 is spacious but it could be even more spacious if Honda or Toyota engineers help to plan the interior space I guess.

6. No "kick-activated" boot. However, the touch button electronic tailgate boot is fine too.

7. The 2nd row has warmer function but not ventilation function.

8. Centre console piano black is prone to scratches.

Review
Drove this car for a month now. Reviews below. Generally an excellent 7 seater SUV compared to many other of its peers.

What I like
Pros

+ Pick up: Despite it's size and weight and NA engine, the power is sufficient as long as you are willing to push the rpm when required. Tested this with full 7 seats occupied and power is still sufficient

+ Gear shift: Very smooth despite being only 6 speed auto. The car is not fond of dragging the early gears so you may find the pick up slower than others but it still picks up better than other 7 seater petrol SUV such as the Disco Sport, Outlander, GLB to name a few

+ Drive: Despite its weight and size, it handles long winding corners quite well for a SUV. I expected a lot of body roll and oversteer for a car this size but perhaps the G-Vectoring technology is really more than just marketing. Don't expect it to completely eliminate body rolls though, it still has to obey the laws of physics

+ Suspension: Very comfortable ride. The usual speed strips cannot really be felt when going over it

+ Cabin noise: Hardly hear road or engine noise VS other premium brand SUV. Better than GLB but not as quiet as a Disco Sport

+ Aircon: Aircon is really strong and cold. Ventilated seats are god sent on those days when you parked under the hot sun

+ Safety functionalities: Lane departure and blind spot has been quite useful on busy highways. 360 camera helps a little when parking a long car. Do you really need it? No, but it is nice to have and does improve the driving experience. Small things like the HUD is also helpful as you can monitor your speed without taking your eyes off the road

What I do not like
Cons

- FC: I do 30% highway 70% city and average about 8km/l even with moderate acceleration

- Interiors: Somewhat undecided on this. The looks are average but the touch points does feel premium made without overwhelming cheap plastic feel like certain brands. What I really hate is the soft leather that is used on the gear stick. It is wrinkled and loose and no way to fold it neatly. Complete atrocity to look at

- Infotainment system: Feels dated and a little slow. The maps are ugly and the display screen has poor resolution that feels like it is a few years old. Apply car play is wired, no wireless charging, navigation system is not the easiest to use, no touchpad for inputs and reliant on the knob when car is moving. I have more difficulties trying to type using the knob when driving than using a touch screen

- Seat fold down: As a 7 seater, it can improve accessibility to the 3rd row if the middle seat can be folded down independently. Do not know why the manufacturers stick to the 60-40 seat fold-ability that is quite 90s

- Head/Tail lights: Very small for a car this size. Looks inadequate although the brightness of the headlights is good

- Brakes: Either stock brakes or the tyre is not strong enough. Braking distance is quite long and brakes feels weak at the start of the braking process