2017 Mazda CX-5 - Perfect SUV!!

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it." "Leave well enough alone." When you've got a winning formula, it's usually not a good idea to go fiddling with things, lest you accidentally ruin a perfectly good thing.

Clearly nobody told Mazda this. The Mazda CX-5 was only just introduced back in 2012 and has rapidly risen to the become best-selling model in Mazda's lineup. The small SUV has undergone multiple revisions, facelifts and midyear refreshes; Mazda has been constantly tweaking the CX-5's formula. And now, just 5 years post-launch, it is already debuting its second generation.
Has Mazda's constant revising watered down the 2017 Mazda CX-5's winning formula or has messing with success left the CUV better than before?

The CX-5's exterior design isn't a dramatic departure, but the entire package feels more athletic and grown up.

Mazda Premium
Last year, the launch of Mazda's CX-9 was also the launch of the automaker's "Mazda Premium" initiative. The automaker is stepping its game up, hoping to differentiate from its traditional competition by offering more premium vehicles with better interiors, materials, comfort and attention to detail. The new CX-5 is the second "Mazda Premium" model.

Compared to the 2016.5 model that I tested last year, this 2017 Grand Touring Premium model boasts more comfortable seats, a cabin with nicer leather and real stitching and even a steering wheel that has been reconfigured for better comfort. The cockpit features the same great Mazda ergonomics that I loved in prior CX-5s, but now the dashboard boasts an improved design that looks a class above the older cabin with new metallic accents and a strong horizontal theme.

What you can't see in the pictures is the ridiculous attention to detail that Mazda has brought to noise reduction. That same obsessive nature that lead MX-5 engineers to shave wire harnesses chasing grams on the Roadster has been applied to chasing unnecessary decibels in the CX-5's cabin. A bit of carpet here, a seam filled there, door seals improved, body gaps reduced, bits shaved -- dozens and dozens of tweaks were made with the result being that the CX-5's cabin is noticeably quieter at highway speeds.
The crossover also features better available equipment, including a power liftgate, auto-leveling LED headlamps and a full head-up display (HUD) that puts speedometer, speed limit data pulled from the new traffic sign recognition system, navigation and more information right in the driver's sight-line. I particularly liked that Mazda's HUD includes indicators for the blind-spot information system, which I don't think I've ever seen before.
i-ActivSense safety

That blind-spot monitor includes rear cross-traffic alert when reversing at low speeds and is part of Mazda's i-ActivSense suite of driver aid technologies -- the full range of which is available on the new CX-5.
The suite also includes adaptive cruise control that works in low-speed traffic, a forward pre-collision alert with automatic emergency braking and lane departure warning with lane keeping assist.

SkyActiv G engine
The engine bay hasn't changed much for this second generation, but the available options has been pared down. Gone is the old 2.0-liter with manual transmission base model combo; Mazda's 2.5-liter Skyactiv-G engine with standard six-speed automatic transmission is now the only combination available for the North American CX-5 at launch.
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The 2017 Mazda CX-5 glides into dealerships in late March starting at $24,045 before a $940 destination charge. As tested, our fully loaded CX-5 Grand Touring with i-Activ AWD ($30,695), Premium package upgrades ($1,830) and soul red crystal paint ($595) should top the range at $34,060.
Read More https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/auto/2017-mazda-cx-5/preview/

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