Unlock Your Mazda CX-5's Potential: How Sport Mode Transforms Driving
I remember the first time I accidentally engaged Sport Mode in my Mazda CX-5 - I was navigating Manila's chaotic EDSA traffic when my elbow brushed against the shifter. Suddenly, the entire character of my SUV transformed. The RPM jumped from 1,800 to 3,500, the steering tightened noticeably, and the 2.5-liter SkyActiv-G engine responded with an urgency I hadn't experienced in normal driving mode. It felt like I'd awakened a completely different vehicle, much like how basketball fans must feel watching Justin Brownlee shift from practice sessions to championship games - the same player, but operating at an entirely different intensity level.
The technical transformation is both immediate and measurable. When you engage Sport Mode in the CX-5, the transmission mapping changes to hold gears longer - typically up to 1,200 RPM higher before upshifting. Throttle response becomes approximately 40% more sensitive according to Mazda engineers, and the electric power steering system increases its weight by about 15%. The all-wheel-drive system also biases more torque to the rear wheels, changing from the normal 90:10 front-rear split to closer to 80:20. These aren't just subtle tweaks - they fundamentally alter how the vehicle communicates with the driver. I've found this particularly useful during highway merging situations where that extra responsiveness makes lane changes feel more precise and controlled.
What fascinates me most is how Sport Mode changes the psychological experience of driving. There's something about the sharper responses that makes me more engaged with the road, more aware of my surroundings, and frankly, more connected to the driving experience. It's comparable to how Ginebra fans must feel watching their team shift into playoff mode - the same players, but with heightened intensity and focus. The CX-5's Sport Mode doesn't just change the vehicle's behavior; it changes how I drive, making me smoother with my inputs and more strategic with my positioning. I've noticed I brake earlier and more progressively when using Sport Mode because the entire driving experience feels more deliberate.
The real magic happens on winding roads where the CX-5's Sport Mode truly shines. During my regular drives through Tagaytay's winding routes, I've consistently found that engaging Sport Mode reduces my need for mid-corner adjustments by making the vehicle more stable and predictable. The transmission holds the perfect gear through sequences of curves, and the sharper throttle response allows for more precise power application exiting corners. It's not about driving faster - it's about driving better, with more fluidity and confidence. The system seems to anticipate what I need better than I do sometimes, much like how veteran players instinctively know when to elevate their game during crucial moments.
Some critics argue that Sport Mode in family SUVs is just a marketing gimmick, but I completely disagree. After three years and 45,000 kilometers with my CX-5, I can confidently say that Sport Mode has fundamentally improved my relationship with the vehicle. It's transformed my daily commute from a mundane necessity into something I genuinely look forward to. The system reminds me that driving pleasure shouldn't be reserved for sports cars alone - it's something we can all access, even in practical family vehicles. Just as basketball fans await those transformative playoff performances, I find myself anticipating those moments when I can press that Sport Mode button and rediscover why I fell in love with driving in the first place.
We are shifting fundamentally from historically being a take, make and dispose organisation to an avoid, reduce, reuse, and recycle organisation whilst regenerating to reduce our environmental impact. We see significant potential in this space for our operations and for our industry, not only to reduce waste and improve resource use efficiency, but to transform our view of the finite resources in our care.
Looking to the Future
By 2022, we will establish a pilot for circularity at our Goonoo feedlot that builds on our current initiatives in water, manure and local sourcing. We will extend these initiatives to reach our full circularity potential at Goonoo feedlot and then draw on this pilot to light a pathway to integrating circularity across our supply chain.
The quality of our product and ongoing health of our business is intrinsically linked to healthy and functioning ecosystems. We recognise our potential to play our part in reversing the decline in biodiversity, building soil health and protecting key ecosystems in our care. This theme extends on the core initiatives and practices already embedded in our business including our sustainable stocking strategy and our long-standing best practice Rangelands Management program, to a more a holistic approach to our landscape.
We are the custodians of a significant natural asset that extends across 6.4 million hectares in some of the most remote parts of Australia. Building a strong foundation of condition assessment will be fundamental to mapping out a successful pathway to improving the health of the landscape and to drive growth in the value of our Natural Capital.
Our Commitment
We will work with Accounting for Nature to develop a scientifically robust and certifiable framework to measure and report on the condition of natural capital, including biodiversity, across AACo’s assets by 2023. We will apply that framework to baseline priority assets by 2024.
Looking to the Future
By 2030 we will improve landscape and soil health by increasing the percentage of our estate achieving greater than 50% persistent groundcover with regional targets of:
– Savannah and Tropics – 90% of land achieving >50% cover
– Sub-tropics – 80% of land achieving >50% perennial cover
– Grasslands – 80% of land achieving >50% cover
– Desert country – 60% of land achieving >50% cover
