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With more than than 12,000 miles nether its belt, our 2022.v Mazda CX-5 long-term test automobile continues to exist a competent daily driver and an spacious weekend touring car, despite its small footprint. Issues have been most zero, and mileage remains in the upper 20s on regular fuel.

Our 2022.five (Mazda'due south term) CX-five Grand Touring is a compact SUV, the hottest and largest motorcar category now. One in half-dozen vehicles sold last yr was a meaty SUV or crossover. Mazda with the CX-5 has a 4% share of the category, slap-up since the top iv control half of the sales.

Mazda CX-5 homecoming 764A4832

Perfect tailgating automobile

Despite existence just 179 inches, correct in the wheelhouse for compact SUVs, it was an economical car for driving 200 miles to a Sabbatum football game with our share of the food, potable, and folding chairs for weekend partying. It fifty-fifty holds a half-dozen-foot folding tabular array — the kind the folds in the heart besides, so the biggest dimension is iii feet.

On trips like that, it returned 27 mpg, great when the trip started in New Jersey and we were paying just over $2 a gallon for regular gas. (Prices in accept since gone upward because of a hike from fourteen cents to 37 cents a gallon in NJ state fuel taxes, with the coin earmarked to improve the Garden State'due south terrible transportation infrastructure.)

The second row is comfortable on twenty-four hours-long trips for those in the second row. That'due south non something you can say for every vehicle in the compact car or SUV category. It as well means you don't demand to jump to a mid- or full-size SUV if one goal is carrying four adults for a evening or weekend out.

Mazda CX5 10k miles IMG_3013

Commuter assists helped a lot, could aid more

Mazda CX-5 MY 2022The CX-v Grand Touring, the top trim line that, came equipped with all of Mazda's commuter assists, including forward standoff alarm, smart city and highway braking (the car brakes automatically if you don't), rear cantankerous traffic alert, adaptive cruise control, blind spot detection, and lane departure warning. ACC is a large aid on long trips, pacing the machine ahead. At times, coming upwardly a auto alee with the ACC set to maximum following distance, rather than slowing gradually, the initial braking felt abrupt to the passenger. Mazda's is non total-range ACC. Beneath 20 mph, ACC hands control off to the driver. On lightly traveled interstates, it'southward no trouble. But returning to the metro NYC area at the ends of holiday weekends, the terminal 75 miles tin be finish-and-go traffic.

One other small quirk with ACC: The driver information is in the correct-side of the instrument console (photo above and inset). It shares the area with the outside temperature setting and gas judge. At a glance, you may be confused if the outside temp is similar to the speed setting. At least I was occasionally, including in summer when I set ACC to 65 and the exterior temp read 75.

Ordinarily I adopt commuter assist alerts with haptic feedback, meaning they vibrate the steering cycle or driver's seat. Mazda uses audible alerts, but they're the politest ones I've seen (actually, heard): If you flip the turn point to modify lanes, blind spot detection simply chirps for a second rather than continuously if there's another auto in the way. Lane divergence warning is a low-speed rumble played through the front speakers and sounds as if yous're passing over a rumble strip. Passengers believe it's a concrete rumble strip.

Mazda CX-5 interior cutaway

Cockpit controller takes getting used to

Mazda CX-5 controllerMazda combines a touchscreen with a cockpit controller and vocalism input. Three buttons behind the controller have you direct to music, navigation, or the home screen. Information technology reminds you of the Audi/BMW/Mercedes control knobs. It works reasonably well one time you're past the learning curve. The metallic-feel control knob is a bit slippery.

Navigation has worked capably, although navi and other features demand over five seconds to load when you lot're starting up. Ane nice feature is that when you become to the enter-destination screen, the second choice is always Take Me Home.

The 9-speaker Bose upgrade sound has reasonably proficient audio. There are two USB jacks, both in front end. At that place is satellite radio, but Mazda so far is belongings out on implementing Apple tree CarPlay and Android Auto. We understand why a small automaker might non want to surrender control of its infotainment system to a tech behemoth, but motorists like the idea of free navigation. And Apple does do a nice job of designing interfaces, as does Google.

Compact SUV sales 2022

Mazda'due south sales leader

The CX-5 is Mazda'southward best-selling motorcar, with its 112,235 sales accounting for just over a third of Mazda's 300,000 sales in 2022. Among compact SUVs, the pinnacle four alone — Honda, Toyota, Nissan and Ford — accounted for half the market. It doesn't make them better, simply amend sellers. Mazda has carved out an important niche: to be the small crossover that handles well and makes you think you're still driving a sports machine, or at least a sports sedan. In that location'south even a Sport setting button on the panel to improve throttle response.

With more than 12,000 miles under its belt in more than 7 months, the all-wheel-drive Mazda CX-v has been virtually problem-free and a boom to bulldoze, particularly with the sure-footed all-wheel-drive ($1,300). Compared with other small crossovers, it's a niggling stiffer on rougher roads, only a whole lot more enjoyable for the driver. It'due south articulate why this segment is growing: Meaty SUVs haul as much as a midsize car in a footprint a foot shorter. The CX-5 actually saw sales go upwardly, slightly, in its last full twelvemonth on the marketplace for the beginning-generation model.

Second-generation, 2022 Mazda Cx-5

Second-generation, 2022 Mazda Cx-v

Should you purchase?

Mazda is one of a one-half-dozen brands purchased by automotive journalists out of proportion to sales to the general public. Others include BMW (three Series particularly), Porsche (used 911s), Corvette, Subaru, VW, and big SUVs (for race car hauling). Mostly, the favored cars are the sportiest in the category. Mazdas, both the sedans and the crossovers, are popular considering they handle like low-toll BMWs.

The 2022.5 CX-5 volition be on the market through the heart of the year, as dealers wind down inventory and switch to the second generation 2022 CX-five that arrives later in the first half, which means other automakers might have called information technology a 2022. The 2022 CX-5 includes several improvements that seem small, but could make for a big boost in driver satisfaction: the steering wheel and center stack buttons are bigger, adaptive prowl is now full-range, and a head-upward display volition be offered. There will also be a Skyactiv diesel option offered at a time when others are backing abroad. Diesel might push Mazda's driving range (highway) well over 400 miles.

Hither are the pros and cons of the 2022.5 (approachable) Mazda CX-5.

Pro: 2022.5 Mazda CX-5

  • Excellent room for four adults including the second row
  • Nicely washed cockpit
  • Mazda iActiv predictive all-wheel-drive excellent in snow
  • Very good fuel economy (EPA 24 city, 29 highway, 26 mpg for AWD CX-5)
  • Handles as well as any crossover / SUV
  • Strong list of condom features on upper trim lines
  • Steerable LED headlamps available
  • Amend than average reliability (Consumer Reports)

Con: 2022.5 Mazda CX-5

  • Merely one engine (184 hp), good not great acceleration (nigh 8 seconds 0-threescore)
  • Adaptive cruise control isn't full-range
  • Rear photographic camera but not surround view cameras
  • Some drivers prefer haptic not audible blind spot and lane departure warnings
  • Tows ii,000 pounds, good for affordable compact SUVs, just high-stop compact SUVs (BMW X3) tow upward to twice as much
  • Buyers must bypass CX-5 Sport ($24,000 base) and Touring ($26,000) for Grand Touring ($29,000) if yous want all the driver assists

If y'all're thinking of outgoing (2016.five) versus incoming (2017) Mazda CX-5, hither are some reasons for waiting:

  • More tech including end-and-get adaptive cruise control, truthful caput-up brandish
  • More attending to ride quality and quieter cockpit, Mazda says
  • Thou-Vectoring Command for surer tracking when turning
  • More than powerful SkyActiv gasoline engine and two.2-liter diesel engine (available 2nd half of 2022) offering, Mazda says, "hybrid levels of fuel economy," which might mean 35-40 mpg. It will use urea injection (AdBlue) to make clean up the frazzle
  • Even brighter, redder metallic signature paint scheme (Soul Red Crystal)

My recommendations: If the absolute latest engineering matters to you, the 2022 CX-v should be worth the wait. Otherwise, you'll exist happy with the 2022.5 models in the mainstream trim lines (maybe less so Thou Touring, with tech that will soon be upgraded). With the CX-five, there is no possible showstopper outcome such as the Honda CR-V infotainment systems that frustrates some users (but not plenty to proceed CR-V from being the No. 1 seller and winner of many comparison tests.)

The 2022 CX-5 will wait virtually the aforementioned equally the second-gen model, fifty-fifty though the 2022 is all-new, not a refresh. Do make sure you test drive with family members because some may find the ride stiff (what you'd phone call sporty). That said, the Mazda CX-5 may be the best compact SUV yous tin buy today if y'all enjoy driving. It may non be first in compact SUV sales, but the Mazda CX-5 punches far above its weight.