Mazda CX-5 upgrades, generation by generation.

The KF from 2017 onwards, mostly for the CarPlay retrofit kit and dash cams, followed by 2015–2017 KE cars for the same kit. Early KE cars with the TomTom screen come in for Android screens and cameras. Facelift KF owners want front sensors, wireless CarPlay and hardwired dash cams.

No. The interior fuse box sits behind the panel under the steering column, so the cable runs from there up the A-pillar and along the headliner, and a low-voltage cut-off protects the battery in parking mode. On a rear camera we route the cable through the tailgate grommet so nothing shows.

KE — 2012–2017: 5.8-inch TomTom navigation or a CD radio on 2012–2014 cars; MZD Connect with a 7-inch screen and the Commander knob from 2015; Bose on Sport trims. KF — 2017–2021: MZD Connect with a 7-inch screen and the Commander knob; CarPlay and Android Auto from the factory on late 2018 and later cars, Bose on higher trims. KF facelift — 2021 on: Mazda Connect with a 10.25-inch screen and the Commander knob; CarPlay and Android Auto from the factory, wireless CarPlay on most cars. Not sure? Send the reg on WhatsApp and we tell you the generation and the route.

CarPlay: Mazda retrofit kit on MZD Connect, an Android screen on early KE cars, factory CarPlay on the facelifted KF. Reversing camera: Tailgate camera on the MZD Connect or Mazda Connect screen, or on the Android screen on early KE cars. Car radio: Android screen with a matching fascia on early KE cars; MZD Connect kept and upgraded on later ones. Dash cam: Hardwired from the driver's side fuse box with a low-voltage cut-off on every CX-5. Parking sensors: Front sensors added, rear sensors colour-matched, faulty factory sensors diagnosed on the KF. Ambient lighting: Ambient LED kits in doors and dash, extended factory ambient on newer cars, app controlled. Speakers: Plug-in door speakers and tweeters, factory head unit and amplifier kept, no cutting. Subwoofer: Under-seat or boot subwoofer on a DSP amplifier fed from the factory unit, boot space kept. Soundproofing: Doors and floor treated with butyl and foam, trim refitted without marks.

CarPlay: under an hour for activation, two to four hours for a box or a screen. Reversing camera: two to three hours. Car radio: two to three hours, usually the same day. Dash cam: one to two hours for a front camera, about two with a rear camera. Most CX-5 owners wait at the workshop or drop the car in the morning and collect it the same day.

KE: the 5.8-inch TomTom navigation or a CD radio on 2012–2014 cars; MZD Connect with a 7-inch screen and the Commander knob from 2015; Bose on Sport trims stays and we add to it. KF: the MZD Connect with a 7-inch screen and the Commander knob; CarPlay and Android Auto from the factory on late 2018 and later cars, Bose on higher trims stays and we add to it. KF facelift: the Mazda Connect with a 10.25-inch screen and the Commander knob; CarPlay and Android Auto from the factory, wireless CarPlay on most cars stays and we add to it. Steering-wheel buttons, factory amplifiers and cameras are carried over on every route; the only route that changes what you see is an Android screen, and even then the controls are kept.

Send the reg or the year on WhatsApp or the form below and we confirm the generation, the route, the price and the next free slot. Every job carries a one-year warranty on the work, done at our workshop in Rosemount Business Park, Dublin 11, Monday to Saturday.