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2019 Mazda CX-5 fuel economy takes a hit with new turbocharged engine

We learned all about the 2019 Mazda CX-5 last week, and now we've discovered fuel economy for its new 2.5-liter turbocharged engine. Unsurprisingly, it gets slightly worse fuel economy than its naturally aspirated counterpart. The 2019 turbo crossover, which only comes in all-wheel drive form, gets 22 mpg city and 27 mpg on the highway. Front-wheel drive CX-5s with the naturally aspirated 2.5 liter net you 25 mpg city and 31 mpg highway — all-wheel drive drops 1 mpg in both categories. For a little comparison, the turbocharged engine makes 250 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque on 93 octane gasoline, while the non-boosted engine makes 187 horsepower and 186 pound-feet of torque. You're definitely taking a hit in fuel economy, but the gain in power might be worth it, since the decrease isn't that terrible. Cars in its price and power range with all-wheel drive have comparable fuel economy. The Ford Escape with the 2.0-liter turbo is rated at 20/27; Chevrolet's Equinox with the 2.0-liter turbo is 22/28 and the VW Tiguan gets 21/29. There isn't really a clear winner in fuel economy for this much power when you look around the segment, but Mazda's engine is half a liter larger than everyone else. This translates to better torque than most of its competitors, but Mazda manages similar fuel economy. Also similar to many of these decked-out compact crossovers is the new high price of the Mazda we wrote about before. You won't be getting in to the turbocharged CX-5 for any less than $35,865. If you wanted a bigger Mazda like the CX-9, its fuel economy figures aren't significantly worse than the CX-5. Front-wheel drive versions are rated 22/28, and it drops 2 mpg in each category for all-wheel drive. The updated 2019 CX-5 should be coming to dealers soon. Related video: Featured Gallery 2019 Mazda CX-5 View 9 Photos Green Mazda Fuel Efficiency Crossover SUV mazda cx-5

Watch this 1,500-hp Mazda MX-5 smoke a race track

In December 2014 we watched New Zealand drifter "Mad Mike" Whiddett assemble his RADBUL, an NC-series Mazda MX-5 Miata with a four-rotor engine aided by twin Garrett turbochargers. The Dr. Frankensteins at engine builders Pulse Performance expected their creation to be good for 1,500 horsepower. This year we get to watch Whiddett run the monster around Highlands Motorsports Park in New Zealand, brewing up enough tire smoke to set of fire alarms in the International Space Station. When the car was finished in February Pulse Performance put it on the dyno, toning down the boost because "the tires easily smoked the rollers." The result on the day was 1,032 horsepower from the 2.6-liter engine. When Whiddett campaigned it at the Forth Worth, TX round of this year's Formula Drift Pro Championship, he said tiny adjustments have a huge effect on the way the car behaves so they were still trying to find the right balance a few months into the season because of the testing limit outside of competition. Unsurprisingly, he also said the car "is so damn fast that I'm actually having trouble slowing down." RADBUL is the third in Whiddett's line of Mazda drift specials, after the RX-8 BADBUL and the RX-7 MADBUL. Check out the video above for the ballet, and for more, check out the behind-the-scenes and the 360-degree POV videos.

Driving a $500 junker in a 500-mile off-road rally race | 'The List' #0500

Jessi and Patrick have done some insane rally races on "The List," but in an effort to continually out-do themselves, this might be the craziest yet. It's called the Gambler 500, and the idea is that 2,000-plus participants take $500 cars and drive them 500 miles across Oregon, mostly off-road. It's a maniacal mishmash of cars with not enough doors, too many doors, airplane wings strapped to the tops, graffiti'd cartoons on the hoods, stuffed animals hanging out the windows — you get the idea. Our hosts start the race with an absolutely epic Mazda Miata sitting atop super swampers. It didn't have a top, but have no fear because it had a roll cage, so ... that's better? Unfortunately though, they didn't have time to customize the car fully to their liking before the race, so the first stop after the starting gun was naturally a garage sale for some knickknacks to give the car a little more flair. One of the defining aspects of the Gambler 500 is having the most obnoxious, bonkers car possible, and the old Miata needed a bit of a kick in the ass. Thankfully, the crew found the largest teddy bear in existence, strapped that bad boy to the roll cage, and they were on their way. There are a few routes you can choose to take in the Gambler 500, and our crew chose the most challenging, called "The Devil's Butthole." A hilarious name for an outrageously fun route, it's definitely not one that many Miatas have likely tackled. And therein lies the gamble: Will they make it to the end? As always, you'll have to watch the episode above to find out. If you liked the episode, don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube page and like our Facebook page for more exclusive content from "The List" and if you're interested in learning more about the Gambler 500 or even participating in the event, check out their official website or follow them on Facebook! Click here to find more episodes of "The List" Click here to learn more about our hosts, Jessi and Patrick Auto News Celebrities Weird Car News Mazda Convertible Special and Limited Editions The List Videos Original Video jessi combs patrick mcintyre