Life from the Barely Faster Lane
An antidote of these acceleration ills has arrived comprising of Mazda’s larger, 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, which arrives common on the Touring and Grand Touring models in the 2014 model year. (The 2.0-liter goes on within the Sport trim and, unlike the 2.5, which is obtainable only with a six-speed auto, can still become specific using a six-speed manual.) Although bigger by half a liter, a new mill bumps output by 29 horsepower and 35 lb-ft of torque. So lucky, our CX-5 cracked off a 7.6-second 0-to-60 time and knocked down the quarter in 15.8. Welcome improvements to be certain, but at the price of several mpg.
Our long-term 2013 CX-5 Touring AWD with the 2.0-liter and automatic offers averaged a great 28 miles per gallon in mixed driving, but the 2014 2.5-liter test car returned only 21 mpg. Full disclosure: Around 40 percent with the mileage within our 2.5-liter test car was gathered in foot-to-the-floor, no-quarter-given driving from the backwoods of northern Michigan. More restraint with the accelerator could yield results closer to the certified EPA mixed amount of 26 mpg. Both engines are rated to tow around 2000 pounds, adequate tugging power for personal watercraft and small cargo trailers.
Although the numbers only tell a part of the story. Whereas the 155-hp, 2.0-liter CX-5 is a willing but weak companion, the 184-hp, 2.5-liter car is a bit of an instigator, cutting and running in traffic situations when the base car would best hold out for a wider opening. All the chassis goodness through the 2.0-liter CX-5 remains, and the linear response and feedback with the electrically assisted steering are arguably finest in class. It is a well-balanced, cogently damped package that follows through on turn-in with the routine predictability of the Michael Bay summer blockbuster.
Even so the braking components are away from exotic-single-pot calipers all over, 11.7-inch vented front rotors and 11.9-inch solid rotors in back-Mazda has tuned the setup well, and our CX-5 2.5 stopped from 70 mph in 166 feet.
Fascinating 2016 Mazda CX 5 Review Sports utility vehicle Comprehensive Current
