By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

(March 30, 2022) There is a reason the CX-5 is Mazda's best selling vehicle in the U.S. It's simply fun to drive with an outstanding balance of ride and handling, and it's elegantly styled inside and out with an exquisitely appointed interior — a compact crossover SUV that an owner is proud to show off to his friends and relatives.

Granted there are several competitors with more cargo space, and the CX-5 with its base four-cylinder engine is not a standout. But if you don't need more than 59 cubic feet of storage — if you do you might consider moving up to a CX-9 — and if you are willing to pay a bit extra for one of the top two trim levels that come with a healthy 2.5-liter turbocharged four making 256 horsepower, then you are going to be rewarded with a best-in-class ride.

The current generation CX-5 was introduced in 2017, and it has seen incremental improvements over the years. Perhaps the most significant upgrade was the addition of the 250-horsepower turbocharged engine in 2019, which significantly elevated the vehicle's performance level. This year all-wheel drive has become standard equipment, something that makes a purchase decision easier, especially for people living in cold-weather climates.



The 2022 CX-5 is pretty much a carryover from the 2021 model with some exterior refreshening. The grille has a more distinctive look with a new three-dimensional mesh texture. Inside the seats have been updated for more support. In the driving department, Mazda has retuned the transmission to be smoother and more responsive and the suspension has been tweaked for better handling and ride.

All models now come standard with all-wheel drive, and the SUV's driving behavior is more adjustable thanks to new drive-mode settings. The Grand Touring Reserve trim is now called Turbo, and the top-tier Signature trim has body-color cladding instead of the previous dark color. The turbo four's engine horsepower increases by 6 to 256 horses when using premium fuel.



Mazda says 87 octane regular gas works just fine in the turbo, but horsepower drops to 227. We found the engine very responsive on the less expensive regular gas with 0-to-60 mph time in the upper reaches of six seconds. You can save some cash by sticking with the non-turbo 2.5-liter engine, its 187 horsepower is good for 8.5 seconds in a 0-to-60 run, which we quote for comparative purposes.

We drove the bigger engine in our Signature AWD test car, but kept it at the 227 horsepower level with regular gas. Is it worth filling with the more expensive 93 octane — that depends on your wants and needs, but we found the engine burning the on-average 50-cent cheaper 87 octane just fine.

Where the CX-5 separates itself from the competition is in its outstanding handling traits. We hit a winding stretch of road and discovered all is right when behind the wheel of the CX-5. It's a handling champ. Mazda says this is due in part to a feature it calls G-Vectoring Control, which "adjusts engine torque in response to steering wheel action, delivering unified control over lateral and longitudinal acceleration (G) forces and optimizing the vertical load on each wheel." This is one crossover that's fun to drive.

On mountain road twists and turns you will discover the handling prowess that feels more like a well-sorted sports coupe than a taller-riding people mover. The vehicle corners like it was wearing a MX-5 badge rather than the CX-5 emblem. And all the while the car amazes its occupants with a quiet cabin that mimics a much more expensive vehicle.

Mazda says it eliminated interior noise at highway speed by adding extra carpeting in such places as under the center console; and Mazda switched to a headliner material less reflective of sounds.

Interior materials have a quality look and feel with use of contrasting colors, aluminum or wood trim, and solid feeling controls.  A sleek dash infotainment screen is controlled with a console knob. Our Signature edition elevated the experience with dark brown Nappa leather seats, dual-zone automatic climate control, power sunroof, and soothing ambient lighting. Everything looks and feels expensive.

It sounds expensive too with crisp sound from the 10-speaker Bose audio system, which was standard equipment in our test vehicle. On the downside, Mazda’s infotainment system is needlessly cumbersome. Saving radio stations is a time-consuming experience, and simply seeking out a station while driving is a distraction.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity was added in 2019, and for 2021 Mazda added a larger 10.25-inch infotainment display, and made blindspot warning with rear cross-traffic alert and adaptive cruise control standard across the lineup.

The CX-5 offers buyers plenty of choices coming with a mind-boggling eight trim levels — S, Select, Preferred, Carbon Edition, Premium, Premium Plus, Turbo, and Turbo Signature. The CX-5 starts at $27,125 and tops out in Signature trim at $39,875.

2022 Mazda CX-5

Essentials
Base price: $27,125; as driven, $39,875
Engine: 2.5-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder
Horsepower: 227 (87 octane), 256 (93 octane)
Torque: 320 foot-pounds @ 2,500 rpm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Drive: all-wheel
Seating: all-wheel
Wheelbase: 106.2 inches
Length: 179.1 inches
Curb weight: 3,836 pounds
Turning circle: 36 feet
Towing capacity: 2,000 pounds
Luggage capacity: 30.9 cubic feet
Cargo capacity: 59.6 cubic feet
Fuel capacity: 15.3 gallons (regular/premium)
EPA rating: 22 city, 27 highway, 24 combined
0-60: 6.2 seconds (Car and Driver)
Also consider: Hyundai Santa Fe, Toyota RAV4, Ford Bronco Sport

The Good
• Solid performance from turbo engine
• Attractive, upscale cabin
• All-wheel drive standard equipment

The Bad
• Base engine has lackluster acceleration

The Ugly
• Less rear-seat legroom than most competitors