mazda cx5 capable of handling the Tanami road

Realistically any car or vehicle (almost) will do this, but it all comes down to preparation for the trip being undertaken.

The ability to carry fuel , water, a few basic spares and tyre repair equipment will be key to a successful trip, along with driving to the conditions you are presented with.

Enjoy, Baz – The Landy

Hi Chris,
We did the Tanami in July 2013 in our 200 Series Landcruiser. As we approached the WA border,travelling from Alice Springs, we caught up to a standard Commodore travelling very carefully. At the point we caught up to them the road had become very sandy, however the Commodore seemed to be handling the situation quite well. Presumably they had travelled from Alice Springs as they appeared not to be Indigenous. Nevertheless the Tanami can be rough in parts and quite sandy. There is no fuel between Yuendumu and Billiluna so you will probably need to carry extra fuel. Rabbit Flat is closed.
As has been said previously preparation is the key. Remember to pay attention to tyre pressures, lower on the dirt and sand but take care with respect to possible tyre damage. Of course you need a compressor to re-inflate tyres once you reach the bitumen.
Best of luck.

Thanks for the comments. Very much appreciated.

I will have on board two spares pluspuncture repair kit as well as the obligatory compressor plus recovery gear.

As we wont be in a hurry speed will not be an issue.

Plan is Perth to Alice along the Great central Road. Detour to Kings Canyon then Alice to Halls Creek and if the wife and I are still talking we are looking at the GRR to Broome then back to Perth.

It ticks of half a dozen must does on my bucket list

One thing you should consider is fuel. Not only the quantity, but also the quality. Can you get 95RON or higher as the CX5 requires? How will it run oon Opal? You should check on availability and the rules re carrying petrol inthese areas.

Good point.

I intend to carry about 40 litres of fuel which should give me an extra 400km give or take depending on the driving conditions.

The cx5 takes standard unleaded which apparently matches opal but I dont know how the car will go with opal fuel. Worth checking.

Thanks for the tip about the regulations of taking petrol into remote communities. I know that opal was developed to solve the petrol sniffing issue. It seems that if the jerry cans arent clearly visible it should be ok but worth checking anyway.
Thanks

...and make note of the opening times for fuel in Billiluna! We arrived late on Saturday and, because they're "closed Saturday afternoon and Sunday", we would've had to wait until Monday. Not the best place to be short of fuel!
Fortunately for us, 3 motorbikes went through on Sunday morning and they opened up for them...good thing we were right behind them because the owner was about to head for Wolf Creek Crater for the day...
We were originally planning to head for Halls Creek but we got caught because we used more fuel than we thought (we were towing a trailer).
Your research is correct...the WA side is awful. The NT side not bad.
:)

On petrol inside cars, yes, not supposed to, but I do it , 80 plus litres sometimes. Take your chances, back your judgment , cross your fingers ! If it's on legalities , probably 90% of outback touring vehicles are ' legally ' over loaded, doesn't stop people. That said, obviously roof is better for fuel, if you can ! Have fun !