I have read some reviews that suggest the diesel engines are prone to failure. Is this still the case?

That topic comes up here repeatedly - just search if you have time to spare.

In my view, Mazda diesels are not worth the risk.

More modern examples may be better than their forerunners and clearly not every Mazda diesel fails, but when it happens it tends to be very costly.

By contrast, Mazda petrol engines are highly reliable.

I bore all the above in mind when I bought a CX-5 (petrol) a few years back. It doesn't have the urgency of a diesel, but it goes well enough. The economy is excellent (40 mpg plus with mixed driving) and the car handles very well indeed. In five years I've paid for fuel, servicing and MOT, plus four tyres. That's it.

If you need a diesel I suggest you look elsewhere.

Edited by FP on 23/03/2021 at 00:41

I have been looking at the Mazda CX 5, 2017, 2.2litre diesel manual, 94000k miles on the clock.

I have read some reviews that suggest the diesel engines are prone to failure. Is this still the case?

If not the Mazda, what would one recommend? Minimum 2l engine, and will be used to regularly.

All advice appreciated.

The petrol engined versions are fine, but only ok on performance and mpg terms in comaprison to diesels and some of the best small capacity turbo petrol alternatives. If you're likely to do well over 15,000 miles a year (realistically more than 20k), then a diesel engined car would be preferable in overall cost.

That being said, what others have said is essentially true about Mazda diesels, especially the 2.2TD. If you can 100% guarantee a 2.2TD car you look at has been used throughout its life for predominantly longer journeys, then I wouldn't bother - the risk of failure and the cost of repair is too high.

Better look at other cars from other makes for diesels, though just be sure any 'Dieselgate' fix issues have been resolved.

As you appear to be looking at a relatively high-mileage car, I presume it means your budget is relatively small (don't forget the ongoing costs - hence why reliability can make a huge difference when comparing modern [complex] diesels to petrol engined cars), then a full service history (preferably documented by the owner) and hopefully a string of MOT passes, plus few owners overall will be a reasonable guide.

A high mileage car isn't a bad one - for some, it can be good for them, but beware ones where someone has bought the car at a low mileage, then ran it for several 10ks in a year or two but did not service it on time/per manufacturers mileage requirements. I find that a good sign of neglect is that the tyres are poor quality Chinese ditchfinders and/or worn right down (and they have regular MOT failures due to insufficient tread depth).

Modern Mazdas should be serviced every 12,500 miles or once a year (whichever comes first) AND, preferably (especially when under warranty and preferably in the first 6 years of its life) on a manufacturer's 6-year service cycle.

Some people may scrimp on certain aspects of servicing to keep costs down outside of the warranty period, e.g. not changing brake or coolant fluid, etc - many of which should be done on a time, not mileage basis, because they degrade even when just sitting around doing nothing.