Mazda hits the beaten track

Mazda is chasing the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4 with an all-new 4x4, reports DAVID LINKLATER.

Meet Mazda's all-new off-roader, set for launch next year. The Activehicle is officially a concept car, but underneath the pumped-up bodywork and out-of-this-world electronics you will find an estate-style 4x4 that is set to do battle with the Honda, Subaru Forester and Toyota RAV4.

The concept features many familiar Mazda styling cues, including the company's new angular corporate grille. The production version of the Activehicle is being developed jointly with Ford, which has financial control of Mazda. It is expected to go on sale in Europe later next year, and will be sold in New Zealand in at least one form.

"It's a certainty for us," says Mazda New Zealand's Maria Tsao, who saw the vehicle at last month's Tokyo Motor Show. "It's just a matter of waiting until it is ready for sale."

Although Mazda New Zealand offers four-wheel-drive utility vehicles, it does not at present have a recreational off-roader in its model line-up.

A Ford-badged version of the vehicle will also appear in many markets, although Ford New Zealand says that it has not considered the new 4x4 for local release as yet. The company has had considerable sales success in the Kiwi off-road sphere with the larger, American-sourced Explorer.

Like its Honda, Subaru and Toyota rivals, the Activehicle is intended more for on-road use than ploughing through the great outdoors. It has the high ground clearance and short overhangs of a serious off-roader, but uses monocoque construction in place of the separate chassis of traditional heavy-duty 4x4s.

Car-like independent suspension is used front and rear, which limits axle articulation in off-road use but provides good on-road ride and handling characteristics.

The Activehicle concept is powered by a 3-litre V6 engine with a four-speed automatic transmission. However, it is likely that the production version will also have the option of a four-cylinder engine, possibly derived from one of the company's existing models.

It is believed that the new off-roader will also feature as an option a new Mazda-designed continuously variable transmission, which is strong enough to handle the torque of virtually any engine. The CVT will also be used on other models.

The Activehicle will have a lot to live up to when it hits the showroom. The new Mazda's path has already been well trodden by rival car-makers, but all seem confident that the 4x4 craze will continue for the near future. An even greater variety of mid-size off-roaders is on the way in the next two years, including a production version of Mitsubishi's SUW Active (also shown at Tokyo) and a pumped-up version of the Renault Scenic. Buyers' enthusiasm for mid-size estates that look like off-roaders but handle like cars shows no sign of abating.