Instrumented Test
TESTED
We’ve been singing the virtues of Mazda’s CX-5 crossover since our first drive, and little, if any, of its initial charm has worn off. Built from the ground up of almost entirely new components, the CX-5 won us over with an appealing combination of original styling, excellent damping, and a dynamic personality that makes it considerably more involving to drive than crossover contemporaries such as the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4. Despite the accolades, the 2.0-liter four’s willingness to rev, and Mazda’s relentless barrage of Zoom-Zoom Skyactiv promotional hyperbole, there was no disguising the fact that Mazda’s cute-ute was a few ponies short of a full stable. Our instrumented test of a 2.0-liter-equipped CX-5 Touring AWD netted the leisurely acceleration numbers of 9.2 seconds to 60 and 17.1 seconds in the quarter-mile.
Life in the Slightly Faster Lane
An antidote for these acceleration ills has arrived in the form of Mazda’s larger, 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, which comes standard in the Touring and Grand Touring models for the 2014 model year. (The 2.0-liter carries on in the Sport trim and, unlike the 2.5, which is available only with a six-speed auto, can still be specified with a six-speed manual.) Although bigger by half a liter, the new mill bumps output by 29 horsepower and 35 lb-ft of torque. So endowed, our CX-5 cracked off a 7.6-second 0-to-60 time and knocked down the quarter in 15.8. Welcome improvements to be sure, but at the cost of a few mpg.
Our long-term 2013 CX-5 Touring AWD with the 2.0-liter and automatic has averaged a solid 28 mpg in mixed driving, but the 2014 2.5-liter test car returned only 21 mpg. Full disclosure: Approximately 40 percent of the mileage in our 2.5-liter test car was accrued in foot-to-the-floor, no-quarter-given driving through the backwoods of northern Michigan. More restraint with the accelerator could yield results closer to the official EPA combined number of 26 mpg. Both engines are rated to tow up to 2000 pounds, enough tugging power for personal watercraft and small cargo trailers.
But the numbers only tell a part of the story. Whereas the 155-hp, 2.0-liter CX-5 is a willing but weak companion, the 184-hp, 2.5-liter car is a bit of an instigator, cutting and running in traffic situations where the base car would best wait for a wider opening. All the chassis goodness from the 2.0-liter CX-5 remains, and the linear response and feedback from the electrically assisted steering are arguably best in class. This is a well-balanced, cogently damped package that follows through on turn-in with the routine predictability of a Michael Bay summer blockbuster.
Although the braking components are far from exotic—single-pot calipers all around, 11.7-inch vented front rotors and 11.9-inch solid rotors in back—Mazda has tuned the setup well, and our CX-5 2.5 stopped from 70 mph in 166 feet.
It’s Dark in There
As in our 2013-model-year long-termer, the interior is rendered in tasteful shades of matte black, accented by some piano-black gloss here and tiny bits of red stitching there. The three-dial HVAC controls are simple and intuitive, as are the three round instrument-panel gauges, but the smallish, 5.8-inch touch screen and software for the infotainment-and-nav setup aren’t conceived or executed nearly as well.
The Grand Touring Tech package (navigation, HID headlamps, adaptive front lighting, and Smart City Brake Support) added $1625 to our test car’s total cost, in addition to the $300 Soul Red paint, $100 rear bumper guard, and $200 rear cargo cover. All in, our 2014 CX-5 Grand Touring AWD wore a price tag of $31,890, its bottom line hitting the target in the same tight grouping as competitors like the CR-V and RAV4.
If you’re the type who demands the practicality of a small crossover but still gets the occasional inkling to hustle down a twisty two-lane and clip an apex or two, the CX-5 is the best tool for the job. And when 184 horses are harnessed to the wagon, the 2.5 version of that crossover finally has the ardor to match its excellent chassis.
