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2018 Mazda CX-8 Teased, Confirmed With Six And Seven Seats

There’s been lots of talk, but no official word from Mazda on the introduction of a CX-5 with seven seats. Until now. According to the Hiroshima-based automaker, the long-rumored crossover is coming later in 2017, and the model will be produced in Japan.
2018 Mazda CX-8 interior 21 photos
Photo: Mazda
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While Mazda doesn’t say explicitly that the CX-8 will borrow bits and bobs from the CX-5, the company released a teaser pic that basically confirms what we’ve been expecting since eons. Look at the aluminum-like door trim, shape of the instrument cluster, and the shape of the front and rear side windows. So yes, it’s definitely based on the CX-5 based on these visual pointers.

Pictured here in six-seat configuration, the CX-8 will also be available with the more popular seven-seat arrangement. In regard to size, the Japanese manufacturer released the following four figures: 4.9 meters in length, 1.84 meters in width, 1.73 meters in height, and a 2.93-meter wheelbase.

As such, the CX-8 is shorter than the CX-9, just as wide as the CX-5 compact crossover, higher than the CX-5, and sports the exact same wheelbase as the mid-sized CX-9. Bearing in mind that both the CX-5 and CX-9 ride on the SkyActiv platform, it’s not surprising the CX-8 is a mishmash of its sibs.

In its domestic market, the 2018 Mazda CX-8 will be offered with the SkyActiv-D 2.2-liter turbo diesel, yet power and torque figures have yet to be released. On the cog-swapping front, a six-speed auto will have to do.

On an ending note, head honcho Masamichi Kogai promises that the CX-8 “is a new type of crossover SUV” with packaging designed to provide sufficient room in the third-row seats even for adults. What Mr. Kogai fails to point out, however, is that there’s a difference between the height of a Japanese male adult and a North American. More to the point, that would be 170 centimeters (5-foot 7-inch) versus 178 centimeters (5-foot 10-inch).
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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