MAZDA CX-5
It departs our fleet with its reputation asafamilySUVforkeendriversintact, but there is one important caveat
FINAL REPORT MILEAGE 6678
WHY WE RAN IT To see if Mazda has managed to inject any of its flair into a family-friendly SUV
I fwe’re being completely honest, the Mazda CX-5 didn’t have the easiest start withus at Autocar. And none of that was the Mazda’s fault. You see (and I can hear your heartstrings pinging from here), I jumped from a McLaren GT longtermer straight into the Mazda. On the same day, in fact. Supercar GT meets 2.4-child-family SUV. It was like a mid-life crisis in reverse.
But asinany relationship, time is a great healer, and now that CX71 CVT has gone back to its maker, I’m honestly going to miss it. The element that stood out most was the little twinkle that it had, that extra hint of body control and handling aptitude that meant it wasn’t a simple monobox solution to ferrying the children around. We asked at the start whether Mazda could inject a bit of Japanese sparkle into a family SUV and, spoiler alert, it just about did.