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Sweating the small stuff | 2017 Mazda CX-5 First Drive

The 2017 Mazda CX-5's door handles got their own design study. They got their own graphs, maths, and a team of people scientifically analyzing how humans interact with them. There was a whole to-do. And yet, you look at them back-to-back with their predecessors, a Spockian eyebrow reaching to the stars, and wonder what all the fuss was about. But apparently they're better. They're also perfectly illustrative of the entire effort to re-engineer and improve Mazda's best-selling model. At first, the 2017 Mazda CX-5 seems like a sensible evolution of its well-loved predecessor – there's sexier styling, a more premium cabin, and additional features, but the dimensions and engine specs look awfully similar. It certainly looks like one of those "the old car's great, let's not overthink the new one" redesigns. Except it isn't. Dig deeper and you'll see just how much meticulous work – from the door handles to the throttle response – went into making the new CX-5 a crossover that thoroughly trounces the majority of its competition. Take the efforts to make it quieter. According to Mazda's internal measurements, the sound-quelling improvements made for the CX-5's 2016 refresh already made it one of the quietest compact SUVs on the market. That apparently wasn't good enough. To what seems like an absurd degree, Mazda's engineers obsessively examined every nook, cranny, corner, and crevice to sniff out noise and eliminate it. Gaps were filled, insulation was injected, seals were added, air was redirected, glass was double glazed, and carpet replaced plastic coverings. It would seem that the Society of Persnickety Engineers is well represented at Mazda HQ. "I'm not sure how they found some of these," said Mazda vehicle development engineer Dave Coleman with a shake of his head, almost amused by the obsession and dedication of his colleagues across the proverbial hall in the sound-deadening department. (He goes over many of their enhancements in the video below.) And it worked. The new CX-5 is indeed incredibly quiet, even on San Diego's notoriously loud corrugated concrete freeways. It is quiet for a Mazda – a brand previously known for the exact opposite – and the entire segment. Even the fairly quiet 2017 Honda CR-V we drove on the same freeways on the way to San Diego couldn't match it. Actually, much of the driving experience can't be matched by a competitor.

2019 Mazda CX-5 Signature Diesel First Drive Review | A tardy inessential

We were suspicious of the much-delayed Mazda CX-5 Diesel when it finally arrived at our office late this summer. Had it surfaced four or even two years ago, we might’ve been more bullish, but at least we werenÂ’t cynical — yet. Even the Volkswagen Dieselgate crisis couldnÂ’t turn our hearts against the CX-5 Diesel. We already like the CX-5, after all, we also like the eager torque, quiet ride and excellent fuel economy the Skyactiv-D engine would surely provide. But then we got the EPA ratings for the the CX-5Â’s diesel engine: 27 mpg city and 30 highway. Granted, thatÂ’s in an all-wheel-drive vehicle, but itÂ’s a serious disappointment. The turbocharged, gasoline-powered 2.5-liter I4 in the CX-5 Signature gets 24 combined mpg, while offering up to 250 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque. The diesel version is down 82 hp (at 168) and 20 lb-ft (at 290), while elevating fuel economy to 27 city, 30 highway and 28 combined. The non-turbo gas motor in lesser AWD trims narrows the gap to just 2 combined mpg in favor of the diesel. So whatÂ’s the selling point for the Skyactiv-D? Mazda says itÂ’s a premium experience, and thatÂ’s why itÂ’s only available in the top trim level. ItÂ’s easy to flinch at that, but it makes some sense, when you look at other diesels in the U.S. market The Signature trim of the CX-5, as with the Mazda6 weÂ’ve come to adore, is good enough to target the lower end of, say, Audi customers who are looking to get a bit more content for the buck. These might also be the same people whoÂ’ve come out of a TDI vehicle and are already sold on the diesel experience. From the first squeeze of our right foot, the diesel CX-5 makes a good impression. In town, we diced our way through Woodward Avenue traffic, made easy mostly by the CX-5Â’s relative small size and agility. There is one point in the throttle tip-in when the engine sounds particularly growly, and somehow more massive than its 2.2 liters of displacement. The illusion began to crumble when we reached our first highway entrance ramp. Putting our foot to the floor, we got the quick first hit of growly torque, followed by Â… well not much. This engine begins to run out of steam as it climbs the rev ladder. ThatÂ’s not totally unexpected, but it was definitely disappointing. Furthermore, as Assistant Editor Zac Palmer points out, “By opting for the diesel, you add 115 pounds to the curb weight (now 3,940 pounds) of a comparable 2.5-liter turbo (3,825 pounds).

Mazda to reveal MX-5 Miata Club Edition in New York

Mazda is bringing a new version of its latest MX-5 Miata to the New York Auto Show. And while it's giving us very little to go on at the moment, from what we can tell so far, it looks promising. For starters, it's called the Club Edition, which speaks to us of enhanced performance – particularly on the track. For another, the statement below highlights the "maximum driving enjoyment" the existing MX-5 was "designed to deliver," and then proceeds to claim that the Club will "amplify that experience, harking back to the early lightweight sports cars that inspired it, but serving as a beacon for the future as a thoroughly modern, sophisticated package." Hopefully, then, it'll serve as some sort of road-going mid-point between the stock version and the Global Cup racing concept pictured above. We'd expect the 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine to carry over likely unchanged with its 155 horsepower and 148 pound-feet of torque, but with the potential addition of a stiffened suspension, upgraded rolling stock, revised aero, enhanced cockpit and maybe some excess weight trimmed out – although the new Miata doesn't have much to lose as it is. In any case, we're excited. Related Video: 2016 MAZDA MX-5 MIATA CLUB EDITION TO DEBUT AT NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW - 2016 MX-5 Club represents most aggressive road-going version - IRVINE, Calif., March 25, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Ready to join the Club? The 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata Club edition, that is. Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) will be introducing the North American-spec MX-5 Club next week at the New York International Auto Show. The MX-5 Club represents the most aggressive road-going iteration of Mazda's fourth-generation flagship roadster. The 2016 MX-5 sheds approximately 150 lbs. from its predecessor through use of lightweight, efficient SKYACTIV®1 TECHNOLOGY, now weighing 2,332 lbs. when equipped with the standard SKYACTIV-MT six-speed manual transmission (2,381 lbs. with the six-speed automatic). Powering all North American models will be a 2.0-liter SKYACTIV engine, rated at 155 horsepower and 148 lb-ft of torque. Shorter than the first-generation MX-5 that initially graced U.S. shores in 1989, yet wider than the outgoing model and with its engine lower and farther back in its chassis, the 2016 MX-5 is designed to deliver maximum driving enjoyment.