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2021 Mazda CX-5 Review | What's new, safety, prices and pictures

If you're looking for a compact luxury SUV but are iffy about the higher price tags and running costs (quite understandably), the 2021 Mazda CX-5 is a perfect alternative. It all starts with its elegantly sporty styling and carries inside where its handsome design and plush materials are a clear step up from others at its price point. Then, when you're behind the wheel, the CX-5 impresses with engaging driving manners that we've routinely described as being indicative of a "budget Porsche." Its available turbocharged engine even has as much or more power as several similarly sized luxury crossovers. Now, if the CX-5 can be credibly considered an alternative to luxury vehicles, it's safe to say that it also stands tall against non-luxury choices like the popular Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4. Certainly, its style, plush interior and driving manners count for a lot. It also gets a new infortainment system for 2021, addressing one of this Mazda's few low points. It's still smaller than those top competitors, particularly in the cargo area, so if max utility and versatility are a priority, it may not be the best choice. Fashion and function rarely go hand-in-hand, and the CX-5 is no exception. What's new for 2021? The CX-5 gets a much-needed new infotainment interface for 2021. It's the same unit found in the smaller CX-30 that dramatically improves upon Mazda's previous interface with its large 10.25-inch display, better graphics and menu structure, and revised controls on the center console. Many will still prefer a touchscreen interface, but this is no longer the potential deal breaker it once was. Another addition for 2021 is the CX-5 Carbon Edition, pictured below, which adds black trim and wheels to an exclusive Polymetal Gray exterior, as well as a red leather interior.  What's the CX-5 interior and in-car technology like? The CX-5 boasts a handsome, upscale design with materials to match, exuding a premium vibe that none of its direct competitors can match. Its top two trim levels, Grand Touring Reserve and Signature, have seats that are heated all around and ventilated up front, covered in high-quality leather with contrast French stitching. There's stitching on the dash, too, though it goes through rubbery stuff. The padded and stitched pleather on the doors and center console are a nicer touch, as is the subtle dark wood and alloy trim — especially the air vents that seem to jut out from within the dash.

2019 Toyota Corolla vs. compact hatchbacks: How they compare

So you've read what we thought about the 2019 Toyota Corolla Hatchback. Oh, you didn't? Well, click to your left, we'll still be here. Just made some coffee, we're good for a while. Welcome back! Wasn't that riveting? The blue paint sure is bright, eh? Well, now you must be wondering how that new 2019 Corolla stacks up with all the other hatchbacks. And, despite long thinking that hatchbacks were doomed, there are actually quite a lot of them these days. So many, in fact, that we couldn't fit them all in our space-limited comparison chart. So, with apologies to the Hyundai Elantra GT, Kia Forte and the dead-man-walking Ford Focus, these were the cars we chose based on sales and competitiveness: the Honda Civic Hatchback, Mazda3 5-Door, Volkswagen Golf, Chevrolet Cruze and Subaru Impreza. We also included the outgoing Corolla iM for reference. If you think we've left something of interest out, you can always create your own comparison. Performance and fuel economy There is but one king here, and its name is Civic. While the sedan and coupe come with a naturally aspirated 2.0-liter 158-horsepower four-cylinder that's less potent than the Corolla's, the hatchback comes standard with the 1.5-liter turbo that aces the segment in terms of both acceleration and fuel economy. The Golf's acceleration should be comparable, but as you can see, it trails on fuel economy (still not bad, though). The new Corolla ends up being better than the rest with its new 168-hp four-cylinder paired to novel transmissions: a six-speed manual with rev-matched downshifting (!) and a CVT that mimics the actions of a 10-speed automatic. The Corolla does weigh more than everything else, though, so that could hamper its acceleration. Fuel economy data also wasn't announced, but Toyota indicated it would be a bit better than the old Corolla iM. Something akin to the 2.0-liter Mazda 3's numbers seems likely. As for the Mazda, its top two trim levels actually come standard with its bigger engine. In any event, despite its ample power, testing has often showed that the Civic is still the quicker car from 0 to 60 mph. And finally, let's not leave out the two on the end. The Subaru is the only car in the segment that offers all-wheel drive (the Focus RS and Golf R don't count), but is also the segment weakling now that the Corolla iM has been discontinued.

Driving classic Mazdas to experience the weird and wonderful rotary's triumph

AUGSBURG, Germany — Everything weird and wonderful about Mazda's relationship with the Wankel rotary engine is embodied in the delightful 110S Cosmo Sport of 1967. Just shy of 1,200 were built and, for most of its life, it remained a Japanese curio. Driving one is a rare privilege, and yet here I am, leading a convoy of owners through Bavaria away from a private museum holding the most extensive collection of Mazdas outside of Japan. Created by local franchise holder Walter Frey, what started out as a business relationship in the 1970s has blossomed into a lifetime love affair. Whether the residents of Augsburg are quite so enamoured is another question. As I leave the museum I pass a sign proclaiming my entry into an "umwelt zone" for low-emissions vehicles. The oil-tinged plume of smoke in my wake rather makes a mockery and underlines one reason there are no rotary engines in the current Mazda product range. Created by a German but perfected by the Japanese, it seems appropriate to celebrate the association with the Wankel engine here. Mazda may have gone on to sell nearly 2 million rotary-engined cars to the world — the U.S. included — but 50 years ago it brought two Cosmos to the Nurburgring and entered them into the grueling Marathon de la Route as a proof of concept. After 84 hours of continuous running and a fourth-place overall finish, Mazda had demonstrated to the world a rotary could stay the distance. I have a slightly less grueling schedule but look forward to following the instructions to rev the hell out of the Cosmo to clear the smoke out of its system. Those following me will certainly be hoping this does the trick. A thirst for oil as well as gasoline isn't the only rotary trait. The two chambers of its motor displace 491 cc apiece, equivalent to about 2.0 liters in a regular reciprocating design. In this second-series car, it delivers around 128 horsepower, which drives the rear wheels through the transmission's five gears. There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of progress in any of them, truth be told, the characteristic lack of torque making for more noise than meaningful acceleration. It's a small car and weighs just more than 2,000 pounds, with a power-to-weight ratio not far off that of an original NA Miata. But it's one for carrying speed, not building it. The wood-rimmed Nardi wheel is one piece of luxury in an otherwise functional, vinyl-trimmed cabin, and through it the Cosmo has a nice blend of stability and agility.