Mazda’s are great cars. They aren’t much heavy on the wallet and with those lower price tags, you get a car which performs equally well. One such Mazda model is the CX-5 and here we have a quick review for the 2018 year model of the car. This crossover is so well made that the top automobile journalist has dubbed it as the ‘Best crossover available’. And let me tell you, that is a pretty hefty tag to hold. The car was restyled in 2017 and the 2018 model is just a minor upgrade over the previous year model. Stick with this article while we tell you, why is this car the best crossover in the market.
The Pricing for 2018 Mazda CX-5 price ranges from 24 to 31 grand. Touring, Grand Touring and Sport are the three trim levels available for the Mazda CX-5. And all the three trim levels are available in the front wheel drive and all-wheel drive options. There are slight variations in the features available for the trim levels but the engine remains the same. The whole CX-5 line-up has a 2.5-litre inline four-cylinder engine at its heart. Mazda made sure that you don’t compromise on the performance, no matter what trim you choose. Mazda CX-5’s engine also features the cylinder deactivation which makes it give you a few more miles on a gallon of gas.
The engine in the Mazda CX-5 is rated for 187 horsepower @ 6000 rpm and 186 ft-lbs. of torque @ 4000 rpm. The car comes with automatic transmission but it has the ‘shiftable’ automatic transmission. It lets you have a little more engaging feeling with the car. Although there is a manual mode, sticking to it is not advisable. You might experience some delay in gear change in manual mode.
In nutshell, driving experience in this car is fun. The steering wheel is a bit tough though. But it gives you a nice grippy and sporty feel. There is a button to switch to the sports mode if you are in that mood, but the shiftable transmission feels inefficient as it is hard to stick to a specific gear in sports mode. The car will decide gear shifts to bring out a great performance. But apart from that, the Mazda CX-5 is actually a fun car to drive with great comfort. And because it is a crossover, it gives you a good ride height and big
Stepping inside the Mazda CX-5, there is a beautiful interior. I’d say, the most beautiful in its class. The steering wheel and the shift knob are wrapped in leather, as a standard feature, and leather seats come under the extras. You can get the heated steering wheel if you want. There is a mixed use of leather, plastic, and fabric in the interior.
The centre console has a glossy black panel, which is definitely prone to fingerprints and scratches. The plastic used in the car doesn’t feel cheap at all, instead, it feels solid and has a nice texture on it. On the base trim, there is single zone climate control which can be upgraded to dual zone with Touring and Grand Touring trims. Also, inside the car, there is much space to store your stuff. There is the storage compartment in the centre console, and big door pockets where you can keep the water bottles and all the garbage you usually keep inside your car. (We know you never even bother to clean it up).
Mazda CX-5’s 7-inch touch screen infotainment system is great. Though you can’t use the touch screen while you are driving the car. You can only use it when you’re at a stop. When moving, you will need to use the rotary knob, but it knobs control seems like a better idea then touching your-smartphone-size display. The absence of Android Auto and Apple CarPlay might upset some.
When it comes to safety features in the car, it is well equipped even in the base trim level. Blind Spot Monitoring, rear cross traffic alert and the most popular and interesting one, Automatic Emergency Braking. The Mazda CX-5 is equipped with sensors which can sense obstructions in front of it and then apply emergency brakes accordingly. Obviously, this feature won’t be effective if you are going bonkers on the road and suddenly a wall appears in front of you. It only works effectively when you’re cruising in the city at low speeds, but it’s good to have it here.
The driver’s aids are paid extra features to have, because hey, you got to pay for the luxuries.
For $24,000 you get the best available engine with a leather steering wheel and leather shift knob. All the important safety features are present, minus the driver aid. The designing of this car is just so beautiful, and all that for just 24 grand. Here you have the reason to why the CX-5 is the best crossover available for its price.
Author Bio: This topic is contributed by Jason Langer. Jason is a blogger and content manager. You can reach out Jason on actwitty.com
