- Our Grant Touring version cost $28,295 and came with a number of nice bells and whistles, including leather trimmed seats and fancy wheels. A front-wheel-drive entry-level version, with fewer accoutrements, is available for $20,695, which puts the CX-5 on a par with the Honda CR-V and the Toyota RAV4.
- Rides well, comfortable, and handles well. It has probably the "sportiest" handling of the small SUVs with nicely weighted steering.
- Fast-acting backup camera allows you to see what's behind you, before you've smushed it, dented it or ran over its tail.
- Blind-spot monitoring -- a feature we think every car should have. This CX-5 system works two ways. First, it's passive. If someone comes into your blind spot, a light will come on, on your rearview mirror. Second, if you have your directional signal on, and another vehicle is in your blind spot, you'll hear an audible beep.
- SkyActiv is Mazda's branding for it's newest, modern, fuel efficient small engine design. The two-liter, direct-fuel injection engine paired with a six-speed transmission had plenty of pep, and got us 25 mpg in mostly city driving, which is impressive.
- There’s a high-quality feel to the interior in our upscale, Grand Touring version.
- The CX-5 was very quiet, even at highway speeds.
- Excellent, small turning radius.
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- Poor visibility out the back.
- Looking out side windows, where the D pillar is located, only negligibly helps visibility.
- The TomTom sourced navigation system is less intuitive to program than others we've tested.
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