First Spin: 2013 Mazda CX-5
Inside This Article
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First Spin: 2013 Mazda CX-5
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So what exactly qualifies as an “all-new” car? Since there isn’t a standard definition, some automakers will call last year’s model with minor changes like reshaped headlamp assemblies or some tweaked interior trim all new. To this, I say, “not so much.” Others will bestow the title on a redesigned model with a carry-over engine and transmission. To me, that’s a much more defensible position.
So along comes the 2013 Mazda CX-5. It is a small crossover SUV that replaces the CX-7 and the Ford Escape-based Tribute in Mazda’s U.S. product line. At first glance, it doesn’t look all that different from other small crossovers. To be honest, I’m not sure how many casual observers would even notice the first time they saw one on the road.
Yet, under the CX-5’s rather unassuming body is probably one of the purest examples of an “all-new” car I’ve come across during the nearly five years I’ve been an editor at Consumer Guide Automotive. It has a new engine, two new transmissions, a new all-wheel-drive system, revised suspension geometry, and a new body shell and chassis. Even many of the small interior controls look to be different than those found on other current Mazda products.
The company says CX-5 is “the first-ever Mazda to be fully equipped with SKYACTIV technology–the brand’s innovative re-imagination of age-old vehicle technologies.” So what does that really mean? Even company communication people admit SKYACTIV is a complicated idea that’s hard to explain. Boiled down, Mazda has redesigned much of the basic vehicle to get the best possible results from traditional materials and technologies. In particular, the engineers have concentrated on optimizing the internal-combustion engine and removing as much weight as possible from the vehicle. But they’ve done this by eliminating built-in compromises rather than introducing pricey add-on technologies and using more-expensive materials.
The company line is that the overall product development process that resulted in SKYACTIV delivers increased efficiency while making the vehicle handle better and be more fun to drive. So how does it stack up? Is this SKYACTIV stuff marketing mumbo jumbo, or is Mazda onto something here? Based on my preview drives on the track at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and the two-lane roads outside of Monterey, California, I think Mazda has delivered a fine small SUV, and SKYACTIV seems to be much more than a slogan.
Read on for a few of my first impressions.
Inside This Article
1.
First Spin: 2013 Mazda CX-5
2.
3.
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